3 *******************************
4 TCG Intermediate Representation
5 *******************************
10 TCG (Tiny Code Generator) began as a generic backend for a C
11 compiler. It was simplified to be used in QEMU. It also has its roots
12 in the QOP code generator written by Paul Brook.
17 TCG receives RISC-like *TCG ops* and performs some optimizations on them,
18 including liveness analysis and trivial constant expression
19 evaluation. TCG ops are then implemented in the host CPU back end,
20 also known as the TCG target.
22 The TCG *target* is the architecture for which we generate the
23 code. It is of course not the same as the "target" of QEMU which is
24 the emulated architecture. As TCG started as a generic C backend used
25 for cross compiling, it is assumed that the TCG target is different
26 from the host, although it is never the case for QEMU.
28 In this document, we use *guest* to specify what architecture we are
29 emulating; *target* always means the TCG target, the machine on which
32 A TCG *function* corresponds to a QEMU Translated Block (TB).
34 A TCG *temporary* is a variable only live in a basic block. Temporaries are allocated explicitly in each function.
36 A TCG *local temporary* is a variable only live in a function. Local temporaries are allocated explicitly in each function.
38 A TCG *global* is a variable which is live in all the functions
39 (equivalent of a C global variable). They are defined before the
40 functions defined. A TCG global can be a memory location (e.g. a QEMU
41 CPU register), a fixed host register (e.g. the QEMU CPU state pointer)
42 or a memory location which is stored in a register outside QEMU TBs
43 (not implemented yet).
45 A TCG *basic block* corresponds to a list of instructions terminated
46 by a branch instruction.
48 An operation with *undefined behavior* may result in a crash.
50 An operation with *unspecified behavior* shall not crash. However,
51 the result may be one of several possibilities so may be considered
52 an *undefined result*.
54 Intermediate representation
55 ===========================
60 TCG instructions operate on variables which are temporaries, local
61 temporaries or globals. TCG instructions and variables are strongly
62 typed. Two types are supported: 32 bit integers and 64 bit
63 integers. Pointers are defined as an alias to 32 bit or 64 bit
64 integers depending on the TCG target word size.
66 Each instruction has a fixed number of output variable operands, input
67 variable operands and always constant operands.
69 The notable exception is the call instruction which has a variable
70 number of outputs and inputs.
72 In the textual form, output operands usually come first, followed by
73 input operands, followed by constant operands. The output type is
74 included in the instruction name. Constants are prefixed with a '$'.
78 add_i32 t0, t1, t2 /* (t0 <- t1 + t2) */
87 * Basic blocks end after branches (e.g. brcond_i32 instruction),
88 goto_tb and exit_tb instructions.
90 * Basic blocks start after the end of a previous basic block, or at a
91 set_label instruction.
93 After the end of a basic block, the content of temporaries is
94 destroyed, but local temporaries and globals are preserved.
99 * Floating point types are not supported yet
104 * Depending on the TCG target, pointer size is 32 bit or 64
105 bit. The type ``TCG_TYPE_PTR`` is an alias to ``TCG_TYPE_I32`` or
111 * Using the tcg_gen_helper_x_y it is possible to call any function
112 taking i32, i64 or pointer types. By default, before calling a helper,
113 all globals are stored at their canonical location and it is assumed
114 that the function can modify them. By default, the helper is allowed to
115 modify the CPU state or raise an exception.
117 This can be overridden using the following function modifiers:
119 - ``TCG_CALL_NO_READ_GLOBALS`` means that the helper does not read globals,
120 either directly or via an exception. They will not be saved to their
121 canonical locations before calling the helper.
123 - ``TCG_CALL_NO_WRITE_GLOBALS`` means that the helper does not modify any globals.
124 They will only be saved to their canonical location before calling helpers,
125 but they won't be reloaded afterwards.
127 - ``TCG_CALL_NO_SIDE_EFFECTS`` means that the call to the function is removed if
128 the return value is not used.
130 Note that ``TCG_CALL_NO_READ_GLOBALS`` implies ``TCG_CALL_NO_WRITE_GLOBALS``.
132 On some TCG targets (e.g. x86), several calling conventions are
138 * Use the instruction 'br' to jump to a label.
143 When generating instructions, you can count on at least the following
146 - Single instructions are simplified, e.g.
150 and_i32 t0, t0, $0xffffffff
154 - A liveness analysis is done at the basic block level. The
155 information is used to suppress moves from a dead variable to
156 another one. It is also used to remove instructions which compute
157 dead results. The later is especially useful for condition code
158 optimization in QEMU.
160 In the following example:
168 only the last instruction is kept.
171 Instruction Reference
172 =====================
179 * - call *<ret>* *<params>* ptr
181 - | call function 'ptr' (pointer type)
183 | *<ret>* optional 32 bit or 64 bit return value
184 | *<params>* optional 32 bit or 64 bit parameters
193 - | Define label 'label' at the current program point.
199 * - brcond_i32/i64 *t0*, *t1*, *cond*, *label*
201 - | Conditional jump if *t0* *cond* *t1* is true. *cond* can be:
205 | ``TCG_COND_LT /* signed */``
206 | ``TCG_COND_GE /* signed */``
207 | ``TCG_COND_LE /* signed */``
208 | ``TCG_COND_GT /* signed */``
209 | ``TCG_COND_LTU /* unsigned */``
210 | ``TCG_COND_GEU /* unsigned */``
211 | ``TCG_COND_LEU /* unsigned */``
212 | ``TCG_COND_GTU /* unsigned */``
219 * - add_i32/i64 *t0*, *t1*, *t2*
221 - | *t0* = *t1* + *t2*
223 * - sub_i32/i64 *t0*, *t1*, *t2*
225 - | *t0* = *t1* - *t2*
227 * - neg_i32/i64 *t0*, *t1*
229 - | *t0* = -*t1* (two's complement)
231 * - mul_i32/i64 *t0*, *t1*, *t2*
233 - | *t0* = *t1* * *t2*
235 * - div_i32/i64 *t0*, *t1*, *t2*
237 - | *t0* = *t1* / *t2* (signed)
238 | Undefined behavior if division by zero or overflow.
240 * - divu_i32/i64 *t0*, *t1*, *t2*
242 - | *t0* = *t1* / *t2* (unsigned)
243 | Undefined behavior if division by zero.
245 * - rem_i32/i64 *t0*, *t1*, *t2*
247 - | *t0* = *t1* % *t2* (signed)
248 | Undefined behavior if division by zero or overflow.
250 * - remu_i32/i64 *t0*, *t1*, *t2*
252 - | *t0* = *t1* % *t2* (unsigned)
253 | Undefined behavior if division by zero.
261 * - and_i32/i64 *t0*, *t1*, *t2*
263 - | *t0* = *t1* & *t2*
265 * - or_i32/i64 *t0*, *t1*, *t2*
267 - | *t0* = *t1* | *t2*
269 * - xor_i32/i64 *t0*, *t1*, *t2*
271 - | *t0* = *t1* ^ *t2*
273 * - not_i32/i64 *t0*, *t1*
277 * - andc_i32/i64 *t0*, *t1*, *t2*
279 - | *t0* = *t1* & ~\ *t2*
281 * - eqv_i32/i64 *t0*, *t1*, *t2*
283 - | *t0* = ~(*t1* ^ *t2*), or equivalently, *t0* = *t1* ^ ~\ *t2*
285 * - nand_i32/i64 *t0*, *t1*, *t2*
287 - | *t0* = ~(*t1* & *t2*)
289 * - nor_i32/i64 *t0*, *t1*, *t2*
291 - | *t0* = ~(*t1* | *t2*)
293 * - orc_i32/i64 *t0*, *t1*, *t2*
295 - | *t0* = *t1* | ~\ *t2*
297 * - clz_i32/i64 *t0*, *t1*, *t2*
299 - | *t0* = *t1* ? clz(*t1*) : *t2*
301 * - ctz_i32/i64 *t0*, *t1*, *t2*
303 - | *t0* = *t1* ? ctz(*t1*) : *t2*
305 * - ctpop_i32/i64 *t0*, *t1*
307 - | *t0* = number of bits set in *t1*
309 | With *ctpop* short for "count population", matching
310 | the function name used in ``include/qemu/host-utils.h``.
318 * - shl_i32/i64 *t0*, *t1*, *t2*
320 - | *t0* = *t1* << *t2*
321 | Unspecified behavior if *t2* < 0 or *t2* >= 32 (resp 64)
323 * - shr_i32/i64 *t0*, *t1*, *t2*
325 - | *t0* = *t1* >> *t2* (unsigned)
326 | Unspecified behavior if *t2* < 0 or *t2* >= 32 (resp 64)
328 * - sar_i32/i64 *t0*, *t1*, *t2*
330 - | *t0* = *t1* >> *t2* (signed)
331 | Unspecified behavior if *t2* < 0 or *t2* >= 32 (resp 64)
333 * - rotl_i32/i64 *t0*, *t1*, *t2*
335 - | Rotation of *t2* bits to the left
336 | Unspecified behavior if *t2* < 0 or *t2* >= 32 (resp 64)
338 * - rotr_i32/i64 *t0*, *t1*, *t2*
340 - | Rotation of *t2* bits to the right.
341 | Unspecified behavior if *t2* < 0 or *t2* >= 32 (resp 64)
349 * - mov_i32/i64 *t0*, *t1*
352 | Move *t1* to *t0* (both operands must have the same type).
354 * - ext8s_i32/i64 *t0*, *t1*
356 ext8u_i32/i64 *t0*, *t1*
358 ext16s_i32/i64 *t0*, *t1*
360 ext16u_i32/i64 *t0*, *t1*
362 ext32s_i64 *t0*, *t1*
364 ext32u_i64 *t0*, *t1*
366 - | 8, 16 or 32 bit sign/zero extension (both operands must have the same type)
368 * - bswap16_i32/i64 *t0*, *t1*, *flags*
370 - | 16 bit byte swap on the low bits of a 32/64 bit input.
372 | If *flags* & ``TCG_BSWAP_IZ``, then *t1* is known to be zero-extended from bit 15.
373 | If *flags* & ``TCG_BSWAP_OZ``, then *t0* will be zero-extended from bit 15.
374 | If *flags* & ``TCG_BSWAP_OS``, then *t0* will be sign-extended from bit 15.
376 | If neither ``TCG_BSWAP_OZ`` nor ``TCG_BSWAP_OS`` are set, then the bits of *t0* above bit 15 may contain any value.
378 * - bswap32_i64 *t0*, *t1*, *flags*
380 - | 32 bit byte swap on a 64-bit value. The flags are the same as for bswap16,
381 except they apply from bit 31 instead of bit 15.
383 * - bswap32_i32 *t0*, *t1*, *flags*
385 bswap64_i64 *t0*, *t1*, *flags*
387 - | 32/64 bit byte swap. The flags are ignored, but still present
388 for consistency with the other bswap opcodes.
390 * - discard_i32/i64 *t0*
392 - | Indicate that the value of *t0* won't be used later. It is useful to
393 force dead code elimination.
395 * - deposit_i32/i64 *dest*, *t1*, *t2*, *pos*, *len*
397 - | Deposit *t2* as a bitfield into *t1*, placing the result in *dest*.
399 | The bitfield is described by *pos*/*len*, which are immediate values:
401 | *len* - the length of the bitfield
402 | *pos* - the position of the first bit, counting from the LSB
404 | For example, "deposit_i32 dest, t1, t2, 8, 4" indicates a 4-bit field
405 at bit 8. This operation would be equivalent to
407 | *dest* = (*t1* & ~0x0f00) | ((*t2* << 8) & 0x0f00)
409 * - extract_i32/i64 *dest*, *t1*, *pos*, *len*
411 sextract_i32/i64 *dest*, *t1*, *pos*, *len*
413 - | Extract a bitfield from *t1*, placing the result in *dest*.
415 | The bitfield is described by *pos*/*len*, which are immediate values,
416 as above for deposit. For extract_*, the result will be extended
417 to the left with zeros; for sextract_*, the result will be extended
418 to the left with copies of the bitfield sign bit at *pos* + *len* - 1.
420 | For example, "sextract_i32 dest, t1, 8, 4" indicates a 4-bit field
421 at bit 8. This operation would be equivalent to
423 | *dest* = (*t1* << 20) >> 28
425 | (using an arithmetic right shift).
427 * - extract2_i32/i64 *dest*, *t1*, *t2*, *pos*
429 - | For N = {32,64}, extract an N-bit quantity from the concatenation
430 of *t2*:*t1*, beginning at *pos*. The tcg_gen_extract2_{i32,i64} expander
431 accepts 0 <= *pos* <= N as inputs. The backend code generator will
432 not see either 0 or N as inputs for these opcodes.
434 * - extrl_i64_i32 *t0*, *t1*
436 - | For 64-bit hosts only, extract the low 32-bits of input *t1* and place it
437 into 32-bit output *t0*. Depending on the host, this may be a simple move,
438 or may require additional canonicalization.
440 * - extrh_i64_i32 *t0*, *t1*
442 - | For 64-bit hosts only, extract the high 32-bits of input *t1* and place it
443 into 32-bit output *t0*. Depending on the host, this may be a simple shift,
444 or may require additional canonicalization.
452 * - setcond_i32/i64 *dest*, *t1*, *t2*, *cond*
454 - | *dest* = (*t1* *cond* *t2*)
456 | Set *dest* to 1 if (*t1* *cond* *t2*) is true, otherwise set to 0.
458 * - movcond_i32/i64 *dest*, *c1*, *c2*, *v1*, *v2*, *cond*
460 - | *dest* = (*c1* *cond* *c2* ? *v1* : *v2*)
462 | Set *dest* to *v1* if (*c1* *cond* *c2*) is true, otherwise set to *v2*.
470 * - ext_i32_i64 *t0*, *t1*
472 - | Convert *t1* (32 bit) to *t0* (64 bit) and does sign extension
474 * - extu_i32_i64 *t0*, *t1*
476 - | Convert *t1* (32 bit) to *t0* (64 bit) and does zero extension
478 * - trunc_i64_i32 *t0*, *t1*
480 - | Truncate *t1* (64 bit) to *t0* (32 bit)
482 * - concat_i32_i64 *t0*, *t1*, *t2*
484 - | Construct *t0* (64-bit) taking the low half from *t1* (32 bit) and the high half
487 * - concat32_i64 *t0*, *t1*, *t2*
489 - | Construct *t0* (64-bit) taking the low half from *t1* (64 bit) and the high half
498 * - ld_i32/i64 *t0*, *t1*, *offset*
500 ld8s_i32/i64 *t0*, *t1*, *offset*
502 ld8u_i32/i64 *t0*, *t1*, *offset*
504 ld16s_i32/i64 *t0*, *t1*, *offset*
506 ld16u_i32/i64 *t0*, *t1*, *offset*
508 ld32s_i64 t0, *t1*, *offset*
510 ld32u_i64 t0, *t1*, *offset*
512 - | *t0* = read(*t1* + *offset*)
514 | Load 8, 16, 32 or 64 bits with or without sign extension from host memory.
515 *offset* must be a constant.
517 * - st_i32/i64 *t0*, *t1*, *offset*
519 st8_i32/i64 *t0*, *t1*, *offset*
521 st16_i32/i64 *t0*, *t1*, *offset*
523 st32_i64 *t0*, *t1*, *offset*
525 - | write(*t0*, *t1* + *offset*)
527 | Write 8, 16, 32 or 64 bits to host memory.
529 All this opcodes assume that the pointed host memory doesn't correspond
530 to a global. In the latter case the behaviour is unpredictable.
533 Multiword arithmetic support
534 ----------------------------
538 * - add2_i32/i64 *t0_low*, *t0_high*, *t1_low*, *t1_high*, *t2_low*, *t2_high*
540 sub2_i32/i64 *t0_low*, *t0_high*, *t1_low*, *t1_high*, *t2_low*, *t2_high*
542 - | Similar to add/sub, except that the double-word inputs *t1* and *t2* are
543 formed from two single-word arguments, and the double-word output *t0*
544 is returned in two single-word outputs.
546 * - mulu2_i32/i64 *t0_low*, *t0_high*, *t1*, *t2*
548 - | Similar to mul, except two unsigned inputs *t1* and *t2* yielding the full
549 double-word product *t0*. The latter is returned in two single-word outputs.
551 * - muls2_i32/i64 *t0_low*, *t0_high*, *t1*, *t2*
553 - | Similar to mulu2, except the two inputs *t1* and *t2* are signed.
555 * - mulsh_i32/i64 *t0*, *t1*, *t2*
557 muluh_i32/i64 *t0*, *t1*, *t2*
559 - | Provide the high part of a signed or unsigned multiply, respectively.
561 | If mulu2/muls2 are not provided by the backend, the tcg-op generator
562 can obtain the same results by emitting a pair of opcodes, mul + muluh/mulsh.
565 Memory Barrier support
566 ----------------------
572 - | Generate a target memory barrier instruction to ensure memory ordering
573 as being enforced by a corresponding guest memory barrier instruction.
575 | The ordering enforced by the backend may be stricter than the ordering
576 required by the guest. It cannot be weaker. This opcode takes a constant
577 argument which is required to generate the appropriate barrier
578 instruction. The backend should take care to emit the target barrier
579 instruction only when necessary i.e., for SMP guests and when MTTCG is
582 | The guest translators should generate this opcode for all guest instructions
583 which have ordering side effects.
585 | Please see :ref:`atomics-ref` for more information on memory barriers.
588 64-bit guest on 32-bit host support
589 -----------------------------------
591 The following opcodes are internal to TCG. Thus they are to be implemented by
592 32-bit host code generators, but are not to be emitted by guest translators.
593 They are emitted as needed by inline functions within ``tcg-op.h``.
597 * - brcond2_i32 *t0_low*, *t0_high*, *t1_low*, *t1_high*, *cond*, *label*
599 - | Similar to brcond, except that the 64-bit values *t0* and *t1*
600 are formed from two 32-bit arguments.
602 * - setcond2_i32 *dest*, *t1_low*, *t1_high*, *t2_low*, *t2_high*, *cond*
604 - | Similar to setcond, except that the 64-bit values *t1* and *t2* are
605 formed from two 32-bit arguments. The result is a 32-bit value.
608 QEMU specific operations
609 ------------------------
615 - | Exit the current TB and return the value *t0* (word type).
619 - | Exit the current TB and jump to the TB index *index* (constant) if the
620 current TB was linked to this TB. Otherwise execute the next
621 instructions. Only indices 0 and 1 are valid and tcg_gen_goto_tb may be issued
622 at most once with each slot index per TB.
624 * - lookup_and_goto_ptr *tb_addr*
626 - | Look up a TB address *tb_addr* and jump to it if valid. If not valid,
627 jump to the TCG epilogue to go back to the exec loop.
629 | This operation is optional. If the TCG backend does not implement the
630 goto_ptr opcode, emitting this op is equivalent to emitting exit_tb(0).
632 * - qemu_ld_i32/i64 *t0*, *t1*, *flags*, *memidx*
634 qemu_st_i32/i64 *t0*, *t1*, *flags*, *memidx*
636 qemu_st8_i32 *t0*, *t1*, *flags*, *memidx*
638 - | Load data at the guest address *t1* into *t0*, or store data in *t0* at guest
639 address *t1*. The _i32/_i64 size applies to the size of the input/output
640 register *t0* only. The address *t1* is always sized according to the guest,
641 and the width of the memory operation is controlled by *flags*.
643 | Both *t0* and *t1* may be split into little-endian ordered pairs of registers
644 if dealing with 64-bit quantities on a 32-bit host.
646 | The *memidx* selects the qemu tlb index to use (e.g. user or kernel access).
647 The flags are the MemOp bits, selecting the sign, width, and endianness
648 of the memory access.
650 | For a 32-bit host, qemu_ld/st_i64 is guaranteed to only be used with a
651 64-bit memory access specified in *flags*.
653 | For i386, qemu_st8_i32 is exactly like qemu_st_i32, except the size of
654 the memory operation is known to be 8-bit. This allows the backend to
655 provide a different set of register constraints.
658 Host vector operations
659 ----------------------
661 All of the vector ops have two parameters, ``TCGOP_VECL`` & ``TCGOP_VECE``.
662 The former specifies the length of the vector in log2 64-bit units; the
663 latter specifies the length of the element (if applicable) in log2 8-bit units.
664 E.g. VECL = 1 -> 64 << 1 -> v128, and VECE = 2 -> 1 << 2 -> i32.
668 * - mov_vec *v0*, *v1*
672 - | Move, load and store.
674 * - dup_vec *v0*, *r1*
676 - | Duplicate the low N bits of *r1* into VECL/VECE copies across *v0*.
678 * - dupi_vec *v0*, *c*
680 - | Similarly, for a constant.
681 | Smaller values will be replicated to host register size by the expanders.
683 * - dup2_vec *v0*, *r1*, *r2*
685 - | Duplicate *r2*:*r1* into VECL/64 copies across *v0*. This opcode is
686 only present for 32-bit hosts.
688 * - add_vec *v0*, *v1*, *v2*
690 - | *v0* = *v1* + *v2*, in elements across the vector.
692 * - sub_vec *v0*, *v1*, *v2*
694 - | Similarly, *v0* = *v1* - *v2*.
696 * - mul_vec *v0*, *v1*, *v2*
698 - | Similarly, *v0* = *v1* * *v2*.
700 * - neg_vec *v0*, *v1*
702 - | Similarly, *v0* = -*v1*.
704 * - abs_vec *v0*, *v1*
706 - | Similarly, *v0* = *v1* < 0 ? -*v1* : *v1*, in elements across the vector.
708 * - smin_vec *v0*, *v1*, *v2*
710 umin_vec *v0*, *v1*, *v2*
712 - | Similarly, *v0* = MIN(*v1*, *v2*), for signed and unsigned element types.
714 * - smax_vec *v0*, *v1*, *v2*
716 umax_vec *v0*, *v1*, *v2*
718 - | Similarly, *v0* = MAX(*v1*, *v2*), for signed and unsigned element types.
720 * - ssadd_vec *v0*, *v1*, *v2*
722 sssub_vec *v0*, *v1*, *v2*
724 usadd_vec *v0*, *v1*, *v2*
726 ussub_vec *v0*, *v1*, *v2*
728 - | Signed and unsigned saturating addition and subtraction.
730 | If the true result is not representable within the element type, the
731 element is set to the minimum or maximum value for the type.
733 * - and_vec *v0*, *v1*, *v2*
735 or_vec *v0*, *v1*, *v2*
737 xor_vec *v0*, *v1*, *v2*
739 andc_vec *v0*, *v1*, *v2*
741 orc_vec *v0*, *v1*, *v2*
745 - | Similarly, logical operations with and without complement.
747 | Note that VECE is unused.
749 * - shli_vec *v0*, *v1*, *i2*
751 shls_vec *v0*, *v1*, *s2*
753 - | Shift all elements from v1 by a scalar *i2*/*s2*. I.e.
757 for (i = 0; i < VECL/VECE; ++i) {
761 * - shri_vec *v0*, *v1*, *i2*
763 sari_vec *v0*, *v1*, *i2*
765 rotli_vec *v0*, *v1*, *i2*
767 shrs_vec *v0*, *v1*, *s2*
769 sars_vec *v0*, *v1*, *s2*
771 - | Similarly for logical and arithmetic right shift, and left rotate.
773 * - shlv_vec *v0*, *v1*, *v2*
775 - | Shift elements from *v1* by elements from *v2*. I.e.
779 for (i = 0; i < VECL/VECE; ++i) {
780 v0[i] = v1[i] << v2[i];
783 * - shrv_vec *v0*, *v1*, *v2*
785 sarv_vec *v0*, *v1*, *v2*
787 rotlv_vec *v0*, *v1*, *v2*
789 rotrv_vec *v0*, *v1*, *v2*
791 - | Similarly for logical and arithmetic right shift, and rotates.
793 * - cmp_vec *v0*, *v1*, *v2*, *cond*
795 - | Compare vectors by element, storing -1 for true and 0 for false.
797 * - bitsel_vec *v0*, *v1*, *v2*, *v3*
799 - | Bitwise select, *v0* = (*v2* & *v1*) | (*v3* & ~\ *v1*), across the entire vector.
801 * - cmpsel_vec *v0*, *c1*, *c2*, *v3*, *v4*, *cond*
803 - | Select elements based on comparison results:
807 for (i = 0; i < n; ++i) {
808 v0[i] = (c1[i] cond c2[i]) ? v3[i] : v4[i].
811 **Note 1**: Some shortcuts are defined when the last operand is known to be
812 a constant (e.g. addi for add, movi for mov).
814 **Note 2**: When using TCG, the opcodes must never be generated directly
815 as some of them may not be available as "real" opcodes. Always use the
816 function tcg_gen_xxx(args).
822 ``tcg-target.h`` contains the target specific definitions. ``tcg-target.c.inc``
823 contains the target specific code; it is #included by ``tcg/tcg.c``, rather
824 than being a standalone C file.
829 The target word size (``TCG_TARGET_REG_BITS``) is expected to be 32 bit or
830 64 bit. It is expected that the pointer has the same size as the word.
832 On a 32 bit target, all 64 bit operations are converted to 32 bits. A
833 few specific operations must be implemented to allow it (see add2_i32,
834 sub2_i32, brcond2_i32).
836 On a 64 bit target, the values are transferred between 32 and 64-bit
837 registers using the following ops:
843 They ensure that the values are correctly truncated or extended when
844 moved from a 32-bit to a 64-bit register or vice-versa. Note that the
845 trunc_shr_i64_i32 is an optional op. It is not necessary to implement
846 it if all the following conditions are met:
848 - 64-bit registers can hold 32-bit values
849 - 32-bit values in a 64-bit register do not need to stay zero or
851 - all 32-bit TCG ops ignore the high part of 64-bit registers
853 Floating point operations are not supported in this version. A
854 previous incarnation of the code generator had full support of them,
855 but it is better to concentrate on integer operations first.
860 GCC like constraints are used to define the constraints of every
861 instruction. Memory constraints are not supported in this
862 version. Aliases are specified in the input operands as for GCC.
864 The same register may be used for both an input and an output, even when
865 they are not explicitly aliased. If an op expands to multiple target
866 instructions then care must be taken to avoid clobbering input values.
867 GCC style "early clobber" outputs are supported, with '``&``'.
869 A target can define specific register or constant constraints. If an
870 operation uses a constant input constraint which does not allow all
871 constants, it must also accept registers in order to have a fallback.
872 The constraint '``i``' is defined generically to accept any constant.
873 The constraint '``r``' is not defined generically, but is consistently
874 used by each backend to indicate all registers.
876 The movi_i32 and movi_i64 operations must accept any constants.
878 The mov_i32 and mov_i64 operations must accept any registers of the
881 The ld/st/sti instructions must accept signed 32 bit constant offsets.
882 This can be implemented by reserving a specific register in which to
883 compute the address if the offset is too big.
885 The ld/st instructions must accept any destination (ld) or source (st)
888 The sti instruction may fail if it cannot store the given constant.
890 Function call assumptions
891 -------------------------
893 - The only supported types for parameters and return value are: 32 and
894 64 bit integers and pointer.
895 - The stack grows downwards.
896 - The first N parameters are passed in registers.
897 - The next parameters are passed on the stack by storing them as words.
898 - Some registers are clobbered during the call.
899 - The function can return 0 or 1 value in registers. On a 32 bit
900 target, functions must be able to return 2 values in registers for
904 Recommended coding rules for best performance
905 =============================================
907 - Use globals to represent the parts of the QEMU CPU state which are
908 often modified, e.g. the integer registers and the condition
909 codes. TCG will be able to use host registers to store them.
911 - Avoid globals stored in fixed registers. They must be used only to
912 store the pointer to the CPU state and possibly to store a pointer
913 to a register window.
915 - Use temporaries. Use local temporaries only when really needed,
916 e.g. when you need to use a value after a jump. Local temporaries
917 introduce a performance hit in the current TCG implementation: their
918 content is saved to memory at end of each basic block.
920 - Free temporaries and local temporaries when they are no longer used
921 (tcg_temp_free). Since tcg_const_x() also creates a temporary, you
922 should free it after it is used. Freeing temporaries does not yield
923 a better generated code, but it reduces the memory usage of TCG and
924 the speed of the translation.
926 - Don't hesitate to use helpers for complicated or seldom used guest
927 instructions. There is little performance advantage in using TCG to
928 implement guest instructions taking more than about twenty TCG
929 instructions. Note that this rule of thumb is more applicable to
930 helpers doing complex logic or arithmetic, where the C compiler has
931 scope to do a good job of optimisation; it is less relevant where
932 the instruction is mostly doing loads and stores, and in those cases
933 inline TCG may still be faster for longer sequences.
935 - The hard limit on the number of TCG instructions you can generate
936 per guest instruction is set by ``MAX_OP_PER_INSTR`` in ``exec-all.h`` --
937 you cannot exceed this without risking a buffer overrun.
939 - Use the 'discard' instruction if you know that TCG won't be able to
940 prove that a given global is "dead" at a given program point. The
941 x86 guest uses it to improve the condition codes optimisation.