linux-kernel - Re: PAE and PSE ??

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Message-Id: <200610231213.47232.rjw@sisk.pl>
Date:	Mon, 23 Oct 2006 12:13:46 +0200
From:	"Rafael J. Wysocki" <rjw@...k.pl>
To:	"H. Peter Anvin" <hpa@...or.com>
Cc:	Sandeep Kumar <sandeepksinha@...il.com>,
	linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org
Subject: Re: PAE and PSE ??

On Monday, 23 October 2006 01:37, H. Peter Anvin wrote:
> Rafael J. Wysocki wrote:
> > Hi,
> > 
> > On Sunday, 22 October 2006 08:29, Sandeep Kumar wrote:
> >> Hi all,
> >> I have read in UTLK by bovet that the linux kernel does not uses the
> >> PSE bit on an x86
> >> machine. Then how come we have the hugetlbfs, which provides support
> >> for 4MB pages ?
> > 
> > AFAIK, PSE is only used when PAE is not set and then it enables the 4 MB
> > pages.  If PAE is set, the 4 MB pages are impossible because there are only
> > 512 entries per page table, but 2 MB pages can be used instead (and you don't
> > need to set PSE to use them).
> > 
> 
> You're wrong.
> 
> PSE refers to 4 MB pages when PAE is not used, and 2 MB pages when PAE 
> is used.
> 
> In theory, you could have PAE without PSE, which would only support 4K 
> pages.

Well, "AMD64 Architecture Programmer’s Manual" says the following:

The choice of 2 Mbyte or 4 Mbyte as the large physical-page size
depends on the value of CR4.PSE and CR4.PAE, as follows:
- If physical-address extensions are enabled (CR4.PAE=1), the
   large physical-page size is 2 Mbytes, regardless of the value
   of CR4.PSE.
- If physical-address extensions are disabled (CR4.PAE=0)
   and CR4.PSE=1, the large physical-page size is 4 Mbytes.
- If both CR4.PAE=0 and CR4.PSE=0, the only available page
   size is 4 Kbytes.

Greetings,
Rafael


-- 
You never change things by fighting the existing reality.
		R. Buckminster Fuller
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