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RR2 Cortex-R7 implementation

This course covers the Cortex-R7MP ARM cores

Objectives
  • This course is split into 3 important parts:
    • Cortex-R7 architecture
    • Cortex-R7 software implementation and debug
    • Cortex-R7 hardware implementation.
  • Interaction between level 1 caches, TCM and main memory is studied through sequences.
  • The course explains how to assign access permissions and attributes to regions by using the MPU.
  • The exception mechanism is detailed, indicating how the GIC can contribute to reduce interrupt latency.
  • Sequences involving memory, cache and external masters are used to explain the benefits of the ACP port.
  • The course also details the hardware implementation and provides some guidelines to design a SoC based on a Cortex-R7.
  • An overview of the Coresight specification is provided prior to describing the debug related units.
A more detailed course description is available on request at training@ac6-training.com
  • Basic knowledge of the ARM architecture.
  • Assembly-level programming notions
  • Theoretical course
    • PDF course material (in English) supplemented by a printed version for face-to-face courses.
    • Online courses are dispensed using the Teams video-conferencing system.
    • The trainer answers trainees' questions during the training and provide technical and pedagogical assistance.
  • At the start of each session the trainer will interact with the trainees to ensure the course fits their expectations and correct if needed
  • Any embedded systems engineer or technician with the above prerequisites.
  • The prerequisites indicated above are assessed before the training by the technical supervision of the traineein his company, or by the trainee himself in the exceptional case of an individual trainee.
  • Trainee progress is assessed by quizzes offered at the end of various sections to verify that the trainees have assimilated the points presented
  • At the end of the training, each trainee receives a certificate attesting that they have successfully completed the course.
    • In the event of a problem, discovered during the course, due to a lack of prerequisites by the trainee a different or additional training is offered to them, generally to reinforce their prerequisites,in agreement with their company manager if applicable.

Course Outline

  • States and modes
  • Benefit of register banking
  • Exception mechanism
  • Instruction sets
  • Purpose of CP15
  • Block diagram
  • Slave and master AXI ports
  • Highlighting the new features with regard to Cortex-R4/R5
  • ARMv7-R architecture
  • Operating modes
  • Supported instruction sets
  • Program Status register
  • Exceptions
  • System control coprocessor
  • Configurable options
  • Implementing two CPUs
    • Cache coherency using the SCU
    • Accelerated Coherency Port
    • Redundant CPU vs Dual CPU
    • Split/Lock configuration
  • Hardware coherency
    • SCU implementation
    • The MESI and MOESI protocols
  • ACP interface, providing hardware coherency for DMA accesses
  • PMU related events
  • Prefetch unit
  • Studying how instructions are processed step by step
  • Instruction cycle timings and interlock behavior
  • Dynamic branch prediction mechanism: global history buffer
  • Guidelines for optimal performance
  • Data Processing Unit
  • Multiple issuing
  • Global History Buffer
  • Return stack
  • Instruction Memory Barrier
  • Prefetch queue flush
  • PMU related events
  • Memory types, restriction regarding load / store multiple
  • Device and normal memory ordering
  • Memory type access restrictions
  • Access order
  • Memory barriers, self-modifying code
  • Memory protection overview, ARM v7 PMSA
  • Default memory map
  • Cortex-R7 MPU and bus faults
  • Fault status and address registers
  • Region overview, memory type and access control, sub-regions
  • Region overlapping
  • Setting up the MPU
  • Inter-Processor Interrupts
  • Cluster ID
  • Exclusive access monitor, implementing Boolean semaphores
  • Global monitor
  • Spin-lock implementation
  • Using events
  • Indicating the effect of Multi Core on debug interfaces
  • Low Interrupt Latency: abandoning load / store instructions in progress
  • Configuring the state in which exceptions are handled: endian mode, instruction set
  • Nested interrupt management
  • Configuring the FIQ as non-maskable
  • Abort exception, fault handling
  • Determining the cause of the fault through CP15 status registers
  • Precise vs imprecise faults
  • Integration in a SoC based on Cortex-R7
  • Cortex-R7 exception management
  • Interrupt virtualization
  • Integrated timer and watchdog unit in MPCore
  • Interrupt groups: SGI, PPI, SPI, LSPI
  • Legacy mode management for IRQ and FIQ
  • Prioritization of the interrupt sources
  • Distribution of the interrupts to the Cortex-R7 cores
  • Detailing the interrupt sequence
  • Spurious interrupt
  • Cache basics: organization, replacement algorithm, write policies
  • Cache organization
  • Write with allocate policy
  • Tag RAM and Data RAM organization
  • Debugging when caches are active
  • Parity / ECC protection, handling cache parity / ECC errors
  • Understanding transient cache line load / store: linefill buffers, eviction buffer
  • Cache maintenance operations
  • Tightly Coupled Memories, address decoding
  • ITCM and DTCM configuration
  • Accessing the TCMs from the AXI slave interface
  • ECC protection, TCM internal error detection and correction
  • Preloading TCMs with ECC
  • Using TCMs from reset
  • Store buffer, merging data
  • L1 caches software read for debug purposes
  • PMU related events
  • Event counting
  • Selecting the event to be counted for the 3 counters
  • Related interrupts
  • Debugging a multi-core system with the assistance of the PMU
  • Use of the event bus and counters
  • Topology: direct connection, multi-master, multi-layer
  • Separate address/control and data phases
  • AXI channels, channel handshake
  • Support for unaligned data transfers
  • Transaction ordering, out of order transaction completion
  • Read and write burst timing diagrams
  • ECC management
  • Write merging example
  • Sideband signals
  • Second-level address decoding
  • Pinout
  • Read timing diagram
  • Write timing diagram
  • APB3.0 new features
  • AXI Master interfaces
    • Main interface attributes
    • Optional second master interface
    • Identifying virtual masters
  • AXI Peripheral interface
    • Peripheral interfaces port attributes
    • Identifiers for AXI peripheral port accesses
  • Optional ACP port
  • AXI slave interface
    • Slave interface attributes
    • Enabling or disabling AXI slave accesses
  • Slave APB debug interface
  • Clock domains
  • Reset domains, power-on reset and debug reset
  • Power control, dynamic power management
  • Separate debug and core power domains
  • Clock gating
  • Maintaining caches and TCM powered while turning off the pipeline: dormant mode
  • Power mode interaction with ACP
  • Wait For Interrupt architecture
  • Debugging the processor while powered down
  • Voltage domains
  • Run mode, standby mode, dormant mode
  • Studying the sequence required to enter and exit dormant mode
  • Communication to the power management controller
  • Standby and wait for event signals, implementation in a multi-core system
  • Benefits of CoreSight
  • Invasive debug, non-invasive debug
  • APBv3 debug interface
  • Connection to the Debug Access Port
  • Debug facilities offered by Cortex-R7
  • Process related breakpoint and watchpoint
  • Program counter sampling
  • Event catching
  • Debug Communication Channel
  • ETM interface, connection to funnel
  • Debugging while the processor is in shutdown or dormant mode
  • Debug registers description
  • Miscellaneous debug signals
  • Cross-Trigger Interface, debugging a multi-core SoC
  • Debugging systems with energy management capabilities