diff options
author | Thomas Gleixner <tglx@linutronix.de> | 2019-07-28 22:22:40 +0200 |
---|---|---|
committer | Thomas Gleixner <tglx@linutronix.de> | 2019-07-28 22:22:40 +0200 |
commit | 7a30bdd99f37352b188575b27924c407c6ddff9e (patch) | |
tree | 10ea40ab1b5211e75c33eaddb3a6b393ad6ee7ad /Documentation/timers/hpet.rst | |
parent | f36cf386e3fec258a341d446915862eded3e13d8 (diff) | |
parent | 609488bc979f99f805f34e9a32c1e3b71179d10b (diff) |
Merge branch master from git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux.git
Pick up the spectre documentation so the Grand Schemozzle can be added.
Diffstat (limited to 'Documentation/timers/hpet.rst')
-rw-r--r-- | Documentation/timers/hpet.rst | 30 |
1 files changed, 30 insertions, 0 deletions
diff --git a/Documentation/timers/hpet.rst b/Documentation/timers/hpet.rst new file mode 100644 index 000000000000..c9d05d3caaca --- /dev/null +++ b/Documentation/timers/hpet.rst @@ -0,0 +1,30 @@ +=========================================== +High Precision Event Timer Driver for Linux +=========================================== + +The High Precision Event Timer (HPET) hardware follows a specification +by Intel and Microsoft, revision 1. + +Each HPET has one fixed-rate counter (at 10+ MHz, hence "High Precision") +and up to 32 comparators. Normally three or more comparators are provided, +each of which can generate oneshot interrupts and at least one of which has +additional hardware to support periodic interrupts. The comparators are +also called "timers", which can be misleading since usually timers are +independent of each other ... these share a counter, complicating resets. + +HPET devices can support two interrupt routing modes. In one mode, the +comparators are additional interrupt sources with no particular system +role. Many x86 BIOS writers don't route HPET interrupts at all, which +prevents use of that mode. They support the other "legacy replacement" +mode where the first two comparators block interrupts from 8254 timers +and from the RTC. + +The driver supports detection of HPET driver allocation and initialization +of the HPET before the driver module_init routine is called. This enables +platform code which uses timer 0 or 1 as the main timer to intercept HPET +initialization. An example of this initialization can be found in +arch/x86/kernel/hpet.c. + +The driver provides a userspace API which resembles the API found in the +RTC driver framework. An example user space program is provided in +file:samples/timers/hpet_example.c |