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Diffstat (limited to 'Documentation/powerpc/dscr.txt')
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diff --git a/Documentation/powerpc/dscr.txt b/Documentation/powerpc/dscr.txt new file mode 100644 index 000000000000..1ff4400c57b3 --- /dev/null +++ b/Documentation/powerpc/dscr.txt @@ -0,0 +1,83 @@ + DSCR (Data Stream Control Register) + ================================================ + +DSCR register in powerpc allows user to have some control of prefetch of data +stream in the processor. Please refer to the ISA documents or related manual +for more detailed information regarding how to use this DSCR to attain this +control of the pefetches . This document here provides an overview of kernel +support for DSCR, related kernel objects, it's functionalities and exported +user interface. + +(A) Data Structures: + + (1) thread_struct: + dscr /* Thread DSCR value */ + dscr_inherit /* Thread has changed default DSCR */ + + (2) PACA: + dscr_default /* per-CPU DSCR default value */ + + (3) sysfs.c: + dscr_default /* System DSCR default value */ + +(B) Scheduler Changes: + + Scheduler will write the per-CPU DSCR default which is stored in the + CPU's PACA value into the register if the thread has dscr_inherit value + cleared which means that it has not changed the default DSCR till now. + If the dscr_inherit value is set which means that it has changed the + default DSCR value, scheduler will write the changed value which will + now be contained in thread struct's dscr into the register instead of + the per-CPU default PACA based DSCR value. + + NOTE: Please note here that the system wide global DSCR value never + gets used directly in the scheduler process context switch at all. + +(C) SYSFS Interface: + + Global DSCR default: /sys/devices/system/cpu/dscr_default + CPU specific DSCR default: /sys/devices/system/cpu/cpuN/dscr + + Changing the global DSCR default in the sysfs will change all the CPU + specific DSCR defaults immediately in their PACA structures. Again if + the current process has the dscr_inherit clear, it also writes the new + value into every CPU's DSCR register right away and updates the current + thread's DSCR value as well. + + Changing the CPU specif DSCR default value in the sysfs does exactly + the same thing as above but unlike the global one above, it just changes + stuff for that particular CPU instead for all the CPUs on the system. + +(D) User Space Instructions: + + The DSCR register can be accessed in the user space using any of these + two SPR numbers available for that purpose. + + (1) Problem state SPR: 0x03 (Un-privileged, POWER8 only) + (2) Privileged state SPR: 0x11 (Privileged) + + Accessing DSCR through privileged SPR number (0x11) from user space + works, as it is emulated following an illegal instruction exception + inside the kernel. Both mfspr and mtspr instructions are emulated. + + Accessing DSCR through user level SPR (0x03) from user space will first + create a facility unavailable exception. Inside this exception handler + all mfspr isntruction based read attempts will get emulated and returned + where as the first mtspr instruction based write attempts will enable + the DSCR facility for the next time around (both for read and write) by + setting DSCR facility in the FSCR register. + +(E) Specifics about 'dscr_inherit': + + The thread struct element 'dscr_inherit' represents whether the thread + in question has attempted and changed the DSCR itself using any of the + following methods. This element signifies whether the thread wants to + use the CPU default DSCR value or its own changed DSCR value in the + kernel. + + (1) mtspr instruction (SPR number 0x03) + (2) mtspr instruction (SPR number 0x11) + (3) ptrace interface (Explicitly set user DSCR value) + + Any child of the process created after this event in the process inherits + this same behaviour as well. |