diff --git a/arch/x86/include/asm/svm.h b/arch/x86/include/asm/svm.h
index f20e582d..cd2737ea 100644
--- a/arch/x86/include/asm/svm.h
+++ b/arch/x86/include/asm/svm.h
@@ -21,7 +21,6 @@
 #define __ARCH_SVM_H__
 
 #include <metalsvm/stddef.h>
-#include <asm/processor.h>
 #ifdef CONFIG_ROCKCREEK
 #include <asm/RCCE_lib.h>
 #endif
@@ -69,22 +68,32 @@ int svm_access_request(size_t addr);
  */
 int svm_emit_page(size_t addr, int ue);
 
+/* @brief invalidate the cache entries for all SVM regions
+ */
 static inline void svm_invalidate(void)
 {
 	asm volatile ( ".byte 0x0f; .byte 0x0a;\n" ); // CL1FLUSHMB
 }
 
+/* *brief flushs the cache for all SVM regions
+ */
+#ifdef CONFIG_ROCKCREEK
+#ifndef SVM_WB
 static inline void svm_flush(void)
 {
-#ifdef CONFIG_ROCKCREEK
 	// need to write to another line to make sure the write combine buffer gets flushed
 	*(int *)RCCE_fool_write_combine_buffer = 1;
-#endif
-#ifdef SVM_WB
-	flush_cache();
-#endif
 }
+#else
+void svm_flush(void);
+#endif
+#endif
 
+/* @brief dumps the some performance counters (e.g. numbers of page migrations)
+ * 
+ * @retrun
+ * - 0 on success
+ */
 int svm_statistics(void);
 
 #endif
diff --git a/arch/x86/mm/svm.c b/arch/x86/mm/svm.c
index 713c50eb..10a55d49 100644
--- a/arch/x86/mm/svm.c
+++ b/arch/x86/mm/svm.c
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@
 #include <metalsvm/page.h>
 #include <metalsvm/errno.h>
 #include <asm/irqflags.h>
+#include <asm/processor.h>
 #ifdef CONFIG_ROCKCREEK
 #include <asm/RCCE.h>
 #include <asm/RCCE_lib.h>
@@ -229,21 +230,42 @@ int svm_emit_page(size_t phyaddr, int ue)
 
 		forward[remote_rank]++;
 	} else {
-		size_t viraddr = phys2virt[(phyaddr - shmbegin) >> PAGE_SHIFT];
+		size_t viraddr;
 
 		svm_flush();
-		change_page_permissions(viraddr, viraddr+PAGE_SIZE, VMA_NOACCESS|VMA_READ|VMA_CACHEABLE);
-
 		page_owner[pageid] = ue;
-		// need to write to another line to make sure the write combine buffer gets flushed
-		*(int *)RCCE_fool_write_combine_buffer = 1;
 
 		emit[ue]++;
+		viraddr = phys2virt[(phyaddr - shmbegin) >> PAGE_SHIFT];
+		change_page_permissions(viraddr, viraddr+PAGE_SIZE, VMA_NOACCESS|VMA_READ|VMA_CACHEABLE);
 	}
 
 	return 0;
 }
 
+#ifdef SVM_WB
+void svm_flush(void)
+{
+	int z, tmp;
+
+        // need to write to another line to make sure the write combine buffer gets flushed
+        *(int *)RCCE_fool_write_combine_buffer = 1;
+        flush_cache();
+
+#if 0
+	// try to flush L2 cache
+	z = Z_PID(RC_COREID[my_ue]);
+	tmp=ReadConfigReg(CRB_OWN + (z==0 ? GLCFG0 : GLCFG1));
+	tmp &= ~(1 << GLCFG_XFLSHNN_BIT);
+	SetConfigReg(CRB_OWN + (z==0 ? GLCFG0 : GLCFG1), tmp);
+
+	while(!(ReadConfigReg(CRB_OWN + (z==0 ? GLCFG0 : GLCFG1)) & (1 << GLCFG_XFLSHNN_BIT))) {
+		NOP8;
+	}
+#endif
+}
+#endif
+
 int svm_statistics(void)
 {
 	uint32_t i;
diff --git a/arch/x86/scc/icc.c b/arch/x86/scc/icc.c
index a1254138..1d3b4df7 100644
--- a/arch/x86/scc/icc.c
+++ b/arch/x86/scc/icc.c
@@ -164,9 +164,18 @@ int icc_init(void)
 	// reset INTR/LINT0 flag
 	z = Z_PID(RC_COREID[my_ue]);
 	tmp=ReadConfigReg(CRB_OWN + (z==0 ? GLCFG0 : GLCFG1));
-	tmp &= ~2;
+	tmp &= ~(1 << GLCFG_XINTR_BIT);
 	SetConfigReg(CRB_OWN + (z==0 ? GLCFG0 : GLCFG1), tmp);
 
+#if 0
+	// disable L2 cache
+	z = Z_PID(RC_COREID[my_ue]);
+	tmp=ReadConfigReg(CRB_OWN + (z==0 ? L2CFG0 : L2CFG1));
+	tmp |= (1 << L2CFG_WAYDISABLE_BIT);
+	SetConfigReg(CRB_OWN + (z==0 ? L2CFG0 : L2CFG1), tmp);
+	kprintf("set L2CFG to 0x%x\n", (uint32_t) tmp);
+#endif
+
 	// set interrupt handler (INTR/LINT0)
 	irq_install_handler(124, intr_handler);
 
diff --git a/kernel/tests.c b/kernel/tests.c
index efa081b5..7ad3c4f1 100644
--- a/kernel/tests.c
+++ b/kernel/tests.c
@@ -131,7 +131,7 @@ static int svm_test(void *arg)
 	my_ue = RCCE_ue();
 	num_ues = RCCE_num_ues();
 
-#if 1
+#if 0
 	if (!my_ue) {
 		// allocate and initialize SVM region
 		A[0] = (int*) kmalloc(3*N*N*sizeof(int));
@@ -192,6 +192,7 @@ static int svm_test(void *arg)
 
 	svm_flush();
 
+	RCCE_barrier(&RCCE_COMM_WORLD);
 	kputs("Start parallel calculation...\n");
 
 	start = rdtsc();
@@ -399,14 +400,14 @@ int test_init(void)
 //		create_kernel_task(NULL,client_task,NULL);
 #endif
 
-	create_kernel_task(NULL, foo, "Hello from foo1");
-	create_kernel_task(NULL, join_test, NULL);
+	//create_kernel_task(NULL, foo, "Hello from foo1");
+	//create_kernel_task(NULL, join_test, NULL);
 	//create_kernel_task(NULL, producer, NULL);
 	//create_kernel_task(NULL, consumer, NULL);
 	//create_kernel_task(NULL, mail_ping, NULL);
-	//create_kernel_task(NULL, svm_test, NULL);
+	create_kernel_task(NULL, svm_test, NULL);
 	//create_user_task(NULL, "/bin/hello", argv);
-	create_user_task(NULL, "/bin/tests", argv);
+	//create_user_task(NULL, "/bin/tests", argv);
 	//create_user_task(NULL, "/bin/jacobi", argv);
 	//create_user_task(NULL, "/bin/jacobi", argv);
 	//create_user_task(NULL, "/bin/server", server_argv);