topic Re: How can I know if my processor is multi-chip or single-chip on Linux? in Mobile and Desktop Processors

How can I know if my processor is multi-chip or single-chip on Linux?

idata — Sun, 17 Apr 2011 00:27:41 GMT

I'm working on Linux, my architecture is a Intel(R) Xeon(R) CPU X3430 @ 2.40GHz. It has 4 cores within the processor.

How can I know how many chips are there within the processor? I have searched in the cpuinfo file, but I only find information about of number of cores within the processor and the number of proccesors in the system, but I can't find the number of chips within the processor.

Can anyone help me? How can I know if my processor is multi-chip or single-chip?

P.S. I have revised the Intel technical specification but I didn find anything.

Thanks and regards,

Ramsés López

Re: How can I know if my processor is multi-chip or single-chip on Linux?

Adolfo_S_Intel2 — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 14:46:43 GMT

This processor has 1 physical processor and 4 cores.

You need to contact Linux* developers and ask them what do they mean by Multi-chip?

Are they referring to number of cores, or number of physical processors?

From our side, if the processor has 4 cores, I would say it is Multi-ship, but you need to ask Linux* if that is what they call Multi-chip?

Re: How can I know if my processor is multi-chip or single-chip on Linux?

idata — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 22:13:00 GMT

They are not refering to number of cores, or number of physical processors. They are refering to number of chips within a physical processor; i.e. I am attaching a image with 8 cores (Intel Xeon 5345 architecture). This architecture has 2 physical processors, each physical processor has 2 chips, then this architecture is multi-chip because the processor 0 has 2 chips (multi-chip) and another processor has other 2 chips (multi-chip, too). Also, each chip has 2 cores.

I need to know the exact structure of the processor (if it is multi-chip or single-chip) because I need to know exactly how many cores share L1, L2 and L3 cache and what cores exactly are they?

Regards,

Re: How can I know if my processor is multi-chip or single-chip on Linux?

DSilv11 — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 05:00:53 GMT

Perhaps the data sheet can give you the information your looking for? http://www.intel.com/products/server/processor/xeonE3/index.htm http://www.intel.com/products/server/processor/xeonE3/index.htm

or this overview http://www.hotchips.org/uploads/archive22/HC22.24.620-Hill-Intel-WSM-EP-print.pdf http://www.hotchips.org/uploads/archive22/HC22.24.620-Hill-Intel-WSM-EP-print.pdf

The architecture of a QPI processor is completely different than the FSB processor shown in the picture.

Re: How can I know if my processor is multi-chip or single-chip on Linux?

idata — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 19:38:42 GMT

Thanks for theirs answers,

In the data sheet document is all information that I am looking for in the part of 1) Introduction and 1.1) Processor Feature Details.

This architecture has only one chip inside of the processor (It's a single-chip), also it contains the following characteristics:

- Four cores.

- A 32-KB insrtuction and 32-KB data first-level cache (L1) for each core.

- A 256-KB shared instruction/data second-level cache (L2) for each core.

- 8-MB shared instruction/data last-level cache (L3), shared among all cores.

Regards and thanks for all.

Ramsés López,