P5	PPC476 core implementation

This course covers the PowerPC 476FP core, including L2 cache and PLB6 interface

Objectives A boot firmware that initializes the MMU has been developped. Internal debug facilities are described. The course focuses on PPC476 low level programming, especially the PowerPC EABI. Examples of exception handlers are provided. The course also covers the debug architecture. A FFT has been developed to explain how to use MAC instructions. The Floating Point Unit operation is described. Note that this course also includes the PLB6 interconnect. Labs are compiled with GNU compiler and run under Lauterbach Trace32 debugger. A more detailed course description is available on request at info@ac6-formation.com

Prerequisites
	Experience of a 32 bit processor or DSP is mandatory

Outline

INTRODUCTION TO PPC476FP Internal architecture overview Connection to peripheral IPs Clocking Programming model, the 4 register groups GPRs, SPRs, DCRs and memory mapped INSTRUCTION PIPELINE 5-stage pipeline operation, 4-issue architecture Branch Target Address Cache Speculative execution, guarded memory Register renaming Serialization EXCEPTION MECHANISM AND TIMERS Exception processing Critical versus non critical interrupts Syndrome registers updating according to the exception source Building the vector table Core timers: PIT, FIT and WDT Reset configuration MEMORY MANAGEMENT UNIT Introduction to MMU, Process vs thread Unified Translation Lookaside Buffer organization Level 1 separate instruction and data TLBs, level 2 unified TLB Address translation Clarifying the purpose of the hash function Describing the Tag array Bolted entries MMU related exceptions UTLB coherency L1 CACHES Cache basics 4-way set associative organization, LRU replacement algorithm Cache programming interface Cache related instructions Double line fetch enable Locking capability Cache control and debugging features Instruction cache synonyms L2 CACHE Four-way set-associative level 2 cache design Modified/exclusive/shared/invalid, tagged, shared last, modified unsolicited (MESI+T+SL+MU) protocol coherencu Cache operation instructions Understanding how data / instructions are transferred from memory to L1 and L2 caches Preloading the L2 cache Reservation management L2 cache performance monitor CPU L1 Cache Interface Registers

DATA PATH Clarifying the steps required to load a data cache line, utilization of refill buffers Use cases for lwsync, msync, mbar and eieio instructions Self-modifying code sequence Store gathering support POWER INSTRUCTION SET ARCHITECTURE V2.05 COMPLIANT CORE Branch instructions, restrictions regarding regions that can be accessed by direct branches System call instruction: link between applications and RTOS Addressing modes Byte reverse instructions to access PCI/PCIe configuration space Semaphore management with lwarx / stwcx. instructions Arithmetical and logical instructions, shift and rotate instructions The PowerPC EABI Self-modifying code sequence 16-bit mac instructions to develop fixed point DSP algorithms FLOATING POINT UNIT IEEE754 basics Six-stage super-pipelined floating-point arithmetic execution Floating point exceptions Data handling and precision INTEGRATED DEBUG FACILITIES Invasive debug with JTAG Non invasive debug with trace port Hardware vs software breakpoints Range Inclusive / Exclusive Comparison Mode Data value comparison Debug related interrupts HARDWARE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PPC476FP CORE Clock and power management interface CPU control interface Reset interface External interrupt controller interface Instruction-side local bus interface Data-side local bus interface DCR interface PLB6 Separate interfaces for masters, slaves and snoopers Supports SMP coherency, with 7 cache states Coherency State Transition Tables Coherent data intervention Command definitions, clarifying what is a RWITM, a RWNITC Transfer protocol, address phase Master Retry Requirements Hang Detect and Resolution Requirements Snoop Partial Response Requirements Ordering Requirements

 

Duration	Cost	Calendar
4 days	1950 €