linux-kernel - Re: HPET : Legacy Routing Replacement Enable

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Date:	Wed, 25 Oct 2006 13:13:56 -0700
From:	"Om Narasimhan" <om.turyx@...il.com>
To:	"Andi Kleen" <ak@...e.de>
Cc:	randy.dunlap@...cle.com, omanakuttan.potty@....com,
	clemens@...isch.de, vojtech@...e.cz, bob.picco@...com,
	venkatesh.pallipadi@...el.com, omanakuttan@...p.cc,
	linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org
Subject: Re: HPET : Legacy Routing Replacement Enable - 3rd try.

Patch 03/03 : Documentation

------
Signed-Off-by : Om Narasimhan <om.turyx@...il.com>


 Documentation/hpet.txt              |   56 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
 Documentation/kernel-parameters.txt |    9 ++++++
 2 files changed, 65 insertions(+), 0 deletions(-)

diff --git a/Documentation/hpet.txt b/Documentation/hpet.txt
index b7a3dc3..0b1b9d9 100644
--- a/Documentation/hpet.txt
+++ b/Documentation/hpet.txt
@@ -298,3 +298,59 @@ members of the hpet_task structure befor
 hpet_control simply vectors to the hpet_ioctl routine and has the same
 commands and respective arguments as the user API.  hpet_unregister
 is used to terminate usage of the HPET timer reserved by hpet_register.
+
+		HPET Legacy Replacement Route option (hpet_lrr)
+
+HPET is capable of replacing the IRQ0 (connected INT0 PIN) routing for
+timer interrupt. The capability register (at offset 0 of HPET
+base address) has a bit specifying if HPET chip is capbale of doing
+this. OS can read the bit either from HW or ACPI table. (HPET ACPI
+description table -> Event Timer block -> bit 15, page 30 of HPET
+spec).  Ideally (I think so!) BIOS should set the ACPI table than letting
+the OS read H/W, which gives the BIOS a way to configure either legacy
+or Legacy replacement modes.
+
+Typically the motherboard has BIOS configured / hardwired IRQ0 to INT0
+(pin of APIC) connection. Linux assumes IRQ0 connected to INT0 unless it is
+supplied using an override parameter in the MPTable. Some NVidia chipsets /
+BIOS initialization code had configured to override IRQ0 -> INT0 connection
+and later a parameter was introduce (acpi_skip_timer_override) to get IRQ0 ->
+INT0 connection right.
+
+But a number of bioses (both phoenix and AMI) are not working as
+expected. (I have an AMI BIOS which sets ACPI table bit 15 to 0 and then
+connect IRQ0 -> INT2 internally, Another bios I have sets the ACPI table bit
+15 to 0, but does not connect IRQ0 -> INT2. Both would result in a hang in
+calibrate_delay() since there would not be any timer interrupts So I have
+provided a command line parameter which overrides
+the BIOS ACPI entry. So, irrespctive of the BIOS' HPET ACPI Descriptor
+table settings, if the parameter hpet_lrr=[0,1] is specified, it takes
+precedence.
+
+* When to use this parameter?
+
+Some latest versions CK-804 (e.g),(Actually the code initializes the
+CK804 in the BIOS), would correctly set the HPET such that there would not
+be any interrupts on INT0. Linux does not handle this situation very well
+because in linux, if HW is LRR capable, it is enabled from the OS. Still the
+timer interrupt handler is setup for IRQ0. Under this situation, you can
+force the parameter hpet_lrr=1, so that IRQ2 is timer interrupts.
+
+[root@...hia ~]# cat /proc/interrupts | grep 2:
+ 2:        163          0          0          0          1          7
+207     955341    IO-APIC-edge  timer
+
+[root@...hia ~]# uptime
+ 22:52:38 up 15 min,  2 users,  load average: 0.00, 0.01, 0.02
+
+[root@...hia ~]# dmesg | grep -i MP-BIOS
+
+For 15 mts (900 sec), around 95k interrupts on timer looks kinda fine.
+
+* Known Bugs:
+I have tested it only with Nvidia CK-804. There seem to be some kind of timing
+issue between enabling the HPET with LRR set and start of tinerrupts. As a
+result of which, calibrate_delay() hangs because there are no interrupts. If
+you run into such a case, pass lpj=<bogomips * 500> as a work around. i.e, if
+your bogomips is 5000, pass lpj=2500000
+
diff --git a/Documentation/kernel-parameters.txt
b/Documentation/kernel-parameters.txt
index ff571f9..36e469c 100644
--- a/Documentation/kernel-parameters.txt
+++ b/Documentation/kernel-parameters.txt
@@ -366,6 +366,15 @@ and is between 256 and 4096 characters.
 	hpet=		[IA-32,HPET] option to disable HPET and use PIT.
 			Format: disable

+	hpet_lrr=	[IA32,X86_64,HPET] Option to enable/disable the HPET
+			Legacy replacement route. Please read Documentation/
+			hpet.txt for more info.
+			Format : {"0" | "1"}
+			0 -> Disables Legacy Route Replacement. (Default)
+			1 -> Enables LRR. Please consult your BIOS
+			documentation before doing this.
+
+
 	cm206=		[HW,CD]
 			Format: { auto | [<io>,][<irq>] }
-
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