1 =================================
2 INTERNAL KERNEL ABI FOR FR-V ARCH
3 =================================
5 The internal FRV kernel ABI is not quite the same as the userspace ABI. A number of the registers
6 are used for special purposed, and the ABI is not consistent between modules vs core, and MMU vs
9 This partly stems from the fact that FRV CPUs do not have a separate supervisor stack pointer, and
10 most of them do not have any scratch registers, thus requiring at least one general purpose
11 register to be clobbered in such an event. Also, within the kernel core, it is possible to simply
12 jump or call directly between functions using a relative offset. This cannot be extended to modules
13 for the displacement is likely to be too far. Thus in modules the address of a function to call
14 must be calculated in a register and then used, requiring two extra instructions.
16 This document has the following sections:
18 (*) System call register ABI
19 (*) CPU operating modes
20 (*) Internal kernel-mode register ABI
21 (*) Internal debug-mode register ABI
22 (*) Virtual interrupt handling
25 ========================
26 SYSTEM CALL REGISTER ABI
27 ========================
29 When a system call is made, the following registers are effective:
32 =============== ======================= =======================
33 GR7 System call number Preserved
34 GR8 Syscall arg #1 Return value
35 GR9-GR13 Syscall arg #2-6 Preserved
42 The FR-V CPU has three basic operating modes. In order of increasing capability:
46 Basic userspace running mode.
50 Normal kernel mode. There are many additional control registers available that may be
51 accessed in this mode, in addition to all the stuff available to user mode. This has two
54 (a) Exceptions enabled (PSR.T == 1).
56 Exceptions will invoke the appropriate normal kernel mode handler. On entry to the
57 handler, the PSR.T bit will be cleared.
59 (b) Exceptions disabled (PSR.T == 0).
61 No exceptions or interrupts may happen. Any mandatory exceptions will cause the CPU to
62 halt unless the CPU is told to jump into debug mode instead.
66 No exceptions may happen in this mode. Memory protection and management exceptions will be
67 flagged for later consideration, but the exception handler won't be invoked. Debugging traps
68 such as hardware breakpoints and watchpoints will be ignored. This mode is entered only by
69 debugging events obtained from the other two modes.
71 All kernel mode registers may be accessed, plus a few extra debugging specific registers.
74 =================================
75 INTERNAL KERNEL-MODE REGISTER ABI
76 =================================
78 There are a number of permanent register assignments that are set up by entry.S in the exception
79 prologue. Note that there is a complete set of exception prologues for each of user->kernel
80 transition and kernel->kernel transition. There are also user->debug and kernel->debug mode
85 =============== ======= ====================================================
86 GR1 Supervisor stack pointer
87 GR15 Current thread info pointer
88 GR16 GP-Rel base register for small data
89 GR28 Current exception frame pointer (__frame)
90 GR29 Current task pointer (current)
91 GR30 Destroyed by kernel mode entry
92 GR31 NOMMU Destroyed by debug mode entry
93 GR31 MMU Destroyed by TLB miss kernel mode entry
94 CCR.ICC2 Virtual interrupt disablement tracking
95 CCCR.CC3 Cleared by exception prologue (atomic op emulation)
96 SCR0 MMU See mmu-layout.txt.
97 SCR1 MMU See mmu-layout.txt.
98 SCR2 MMU Save for EAR0 (destroyed by icache insns in debug mode)
99 SCR3 MMU Save for GR31 during debug exceptions
100 DAMR/IAMR NOMMU Fixed memory protection layout.
101 DAMR/IAMR MMU See mmu-layout.txt.
104 Certain registers are also used or modified across function calls:
107 =============== =============================== ===============================
109 GR2 Function call frame pointer
110 GR3 Special Preserved
112 GR8 Function call arg #1 Return value (or clobbered)
113 GR9 Function call arg #2 Return value MSW (or clobbered)
114 GR10-GR13 Function call arg #3-#6 Clobbered
116 GR15-GR16 Special Preserved
117 GR17-GR27 - Preserved
118 GR28-GR31 Special Only accessed explicitly
119 LR Return address after CALL Clobbered
120 CCR/CCCR - Mostly Clobbered
123 ================================
124 INTERNAL DEBUG-MODE REGISTER ABI
125 ================================
127 This is the same as the kernel-mode register ABI for functions calls. The difference is that in
128 debug-mode there's a different stack and a different exception frame. Almost all the global
129 registers from kernel-mode (including the stack pointer) may be changed.
132 =============== ======= ====================================================
133 GR1 Debug stack pointer
134 GR16 GP-Rel base register for small data
135 GR31 Current debug exception frame pointer (__debug_frame)
136 SCR3 MMU Saved value of GR31
139 Note that debug mode is able to interfere with the kernel's emulated atomic ops, so it must be
140 exceedingly careful not to do any that would interact with the main kernel in this regard. Hence
141 the debug mode code (gdbstub) is almost completely self-contained. The only external code used is
142 the sprintf family of functions.
144 Futhermore, break.S is so complicated because single-step mode does not switch off on entry to an
145 exception. That means unless manually disabled, single-stepping will blithely go on stepping into
146 things like interrupts. See gdbstub.txt for more information.
149 ==========================
150 VIRTUAL INTERRUPT HANDLING
151 ==========================
153 Because accesses to the PSR is so slow, and to disable interrupts we have to access it twice (once
154 to read and once to write), we don't actually disable interrupts at all if we don't have to. What
155 we do instead is use the ICC2 condition code flags to note virtual disablement, such that if we
156 then do take an interrupt, we note the flag, really disable interrupts, set another flag and resume
157 execution at the point the interrupt happened. Setting condition flags as a side effect of an
158 arithmetic or logical instruction is really fast. This use of the ICC2 only occurs within the
159 kernel - it does not affect userspace.
161 The flags we use are:
163 (*) CCR.ICC2.Z [Zero flag]
165 Set to virtually disable interrupts, clear when interrupts are virtually enabled. Can be
166 modified by logical instructions without affecting the Carry flag.
168 (*) CCR.ICC2.C [Carry flag]
170 Clear to indicate hardware interrupts are really disabled, set otherwise.
173 What happens is this:
175 (1) Normal kernel-mode operation.
177 ICC2.Z is 0, ICC2.C is 1.
179 (2) An interrupt occurs. The exception prologue examines ICC2.Z and determines that nothing needs
180 doing. This is done simply with an unlikely BEQ instruction.
182 (3) The interrupts are disabled (local_irq_disable)
186 (4) If interrupts were then re-enabled (local_irq_enable):
188 ICC2.Z would be set to 0.
190 A TIHI #2 instruction (trap #2 if condition HI - Z==0 && C==0) would be used to trap if
191 interrupts were now virtually enabled, but physically disabled - which they're not, so the
192 trap isn't taken. The kernel would then be back to state (1).
194 (5) An interrupt occurs. The exception prologue examines ICC2.Z and determines that the interrupt
195 shouldn't actually have happened. It jumps aside, and there disabled interrupts by setting
196 PSR.PIL to 14 and then it clears ICC2.C.
198 (6) If interrupts were then saved and disabled again (local_irq_save):
200 ICC2.Z would be shifted into the save variable and masked off (giving a 1).
202 ICC2.Z would then be set to 1 (thus unchanged), and ICC2.C would be unaffected (ie: 0).
204 (7) If interrupts were then restored from state (6) (local_irq_restore):
206 ICC2.Z would be set to indicate the result of XOR'ing the saved value (ie: 1) with 1, which
207 gives a result of 0 - thus leaving ICC2.Z set.
209 ICC2.C would remain unaffected (ie: 0).
211 A TIHI #2 instruction would be used to again assay the current state, but this would do
214 (8) If interrupts were then enabled (local_irq_enable):
216 ICC2.Z would be cleared. ICC2.C would be left unaffected. Both flags would now be 0.
218 A TIHI #2 instruction again issued to assay the current state would then trap as both Z==0
219 [interrupts virtually enabled] and C==0 [interrupts really disabled] would then be true.
221 (9) The trap #2 handler would simply enable hardware interrupts (set PSR.PIL to 0), set ICC2.C to
224 (10) Immediately upon returning, the pending interrupt would be taken.
226 (11) The interrupt handler would take the path of actually processing the interrupt (ICC2.Z is
227 clear, BEQ fails as per step (2)).
229 (12) The interrupt handler would then set ICC2.C to 1 since hardware interrupts are definitely
230 enabled - or else the kernel wouldn't be here.
232 (13) On return from the interrupt handler, things would be back to state (1).
234 This trap (#2) is only available in kernel mode. In user mode it will result in SIGILL.