| SDEI: Software Delegated Exception Interface |
| ============================================ |
| |
| This document provides an overview of the SDEI dispatcher implementation in |
| Trusted Firmware-A (TF-A). |
| |
| Introduction |
| ------------ |
| |
| Software Delegated Exception Interface (|SDEI|) is an Arm specification for |
| Non-secure world to register handlers with firmware to receive notifications |
| about system events. Firmware will first receive the system events by way of |
| asynchronous exceptions and, in response, arranges for the registered handler to |
| execute in the Non-secure EL. |
| |
| Normal world software that interacts with the SDEI dispatcher (makes SDEI |
| requests and receives notifications) is referred to as the *SDEI Client*. A |
| client receives the event notification at the registered handler even when it |
| was executing with exceptions masked. The list of SDEI events available to the |
| client are specific to the platform [#std-event]_. See also `Determining client |
| EL`_. |
| |
| .. _general SDEI dispatch: |
| |
| The following figure depicts a general sequence involving SDEI client executing |
| at EL2 and an event dispatch resulting from the triggering of a bound interrupt. |
| A commentary is provided below: |
| |
| .. uml:: ../resources/diagrams/plantuml/sdei_general.puml |
| |
| As part of initialisation, the SDEI client binds a Non-secure interrupt [1], and |
| the SDEI dispatcher returns a platform dynamic event number [2]. The client then |
| registers a handler for that event [3], enables the event [5], and unmasks all |
| events on the current PE [7]. This sequence is typical of an SDEI client, but it |
| may involve additional SDEI calls. |
| |
| At a later point in time, when the bound interrupt triggers [9], it's trapped to |
| EL3. The interrupt is handed over to the SDEI dispatcher, which then arranges to |
| execute the registered handler [10]. The client terminates its execution with |
| ``SDEI_EVENT_COMPLETE`` [11], following which the dispatcher resumes the |
| original EL2 execution [13]. Note that the SDEI interrupt remains active until |
| the client handler completes, at which point EL3 does EOI [12]. |
| |
| Other than events bound to interrupts, as depicted in the sequence above, SDEI |
| events can be explicitly dispatched in response to other exceptions, for |
| example, upon receiving an *SError* or *Synchronous External Abort*. See |
| `Explicit dispatch of events`_. |
| |
| The remainder of this document only discusses the design and implementation of |
| SDEI dispatcher in TF-A, and assumes that the reader is familiar with the SDEI |
| specification, the interfaces, and their requirements. |
| |
| Defining events |
| --------------- |
| |
| A platform choosing to include the SDEI dispatcher must also define the events |
| available on the platform, along with their attributes. |
| |
| The platform is expected to provide two arrays of event descriptors: one for |
| private events, and another for shared events. The SDEI dispatcher provides |
| ``SDEI_PRIVATE_EVENT()`` and ``SDEI_SHARED_EVENT()`` macros to populate the |
| event descriptors. Both macros take 3 arguments: |
| |
| - The event number: this must be a positive 32-bit integer. |
| |
| - For an event that has a backing interrupt, the interrupt number the event is |
| bound to: |
| |
| - If it's not applicable to an event, this shall be left as ``0``. |
| |
| - If the event is dynamic, this should be specified as ``SDEI_DYN_IRQ``. |
| |
| - A bit map of `Event flags`_. |
| |
| To define event 0, the macro ``SDEI_DEFINE_EVENT_0()`` should be used. This |
| macro takes only one parameter: an SGI number to signal other PEs. |
| |
| To define an event that's meant to be explicitly dispatched (i.e., not as a |
| result of receiving an SDEI interrupt), the macro ``SDEI_EXPLICIT_EVENT()`` |
| should be used. It accepts two parameters: |
| |
| - The event number (as above); |
| |
| - Event priority: ``SDEI_MAPF_CRITICAL`` or ``SDEI_MAPF_NORMAL``, as described |
| below. |
| |
| Once the event descriptor arrays are defined, they should be exported to the |
| SDEI dispatcher using the ``REGISTER_SDEI_MAP()`` macro, passing it the pointers |
| to the private and shared event descriptor arrays, respectively. Note that the |
| ``REGISTER_SDEI_MAP()`` macro must be used in the same file where the arrays are |
| defined. |
| |
| Regarding event descriptors: |
| |
| - For Event 0: |
| |
| - There must be exactly one descriptor in the private array, and none in the |
| shared array. |
| |
| - The event should be defined using ``SDEI_DEFINE_EVENT_0()``. |
| |
| - Must be bound to a Secure SGI on the platform. |
| |
| - Explicit events should only be used in the private array. |
| |
| - Statically bound shared and private interrupts must be bound to shared and |
| private interrupts on the platform, respectively. See the section on |
| `Configuration within Exception Handling Framework`_. |
| |
| - Both arrays should be one-dimensional. The ``REGISTER_SDEI_MAP()`` macro |
| takes care of replicating private events for each PE on the platform. |
| |
| - Both arrays must be sorted in the increasing order of event number. |
| |
| The SDEI specification doesn't have provisions for discovery of available events |
| on the platform. The list of events made available to the client, along with |
| their semantics, have to be communicated out of band; for example, through |
| Device Trees or firmware configuration tables. |
| |
| See also `Event definition example`_. |
| |
| Event flags |
| ~~~~~~~~~~~ |
| |
| Event flags describe the properties of the event. They are bit maps that can be |
| ``OR``\ ed to form parameters to macros that define events (see |
| `Defining events`_). |
| |
| - ``SDEI_MAPF_DYNAMIC``: Marks the event as dynamic. Dynamic events can be |
| bound to (or released from) any Non-secure interrupt at runtime via the |
| ``SDEI_INTERRUPT_BIND`` and ``SDEI_INTERRUPT_RELEASE`` calls. |
| |
| - ``SDEI_MAPF_BOUND``: Marks the event as statically bound to an interrupt. |
| These events cannot be re-bound at runtime. |
| |
| - ``SDEI_MAPF_NORMAL``: Marks the event as having *Normal* priority. This is |
| the default priority. |
| |
| - ``SDEI_MAPF_CRITICAL``: Marks the event as having *Critical* priority. |
| |
| Event definition example |
| ------------------------ |
| |
| .. code:: c |
| |
| static sdei_ev_map_t plat_private_sdei[] = { |
| /* Event 0 definition */ |
| SDEI_DEFINE_EVENT_0(8), |
| |
| /* PPI */ |
| SDEI_PRIVATE_EVENT(8, 23, SDEI_MAPF_BOUND), |
| |
| /* Dynamic private events */ |
| SDEI_PRIVATE_EVENT(100, SDEI_DYN_IRQ, SDEI_MAPF_DYNAMIC), |
| SDEI_PRIVATE_EVENT(101, SDEI_DYN_IRQ, SDEI_MAPF_DYNAMIC) |
| |
| /* Events for explicit dispatch */ |
| SDEI_EXPLICIT_EVENT(2000, SDEI_MAPF_NORMAL); |
| SDEI_EXPLICIT_EVENT(2000, SDEI_MAPF_CRITICAL); |
| }; |
| |
| /* Shared event mappings */ |
| static sdei_ev_map_t plat_shared_sdei[] = { |
| SDEI_SHARED_EVENT(804, 0, SDEI_MAPF_DYNAMIC), |
| |
| /* Dynamic shared events */ |
| SDEI_SHARED_EVENT(3000, SDEI_DYN_IRQ, SDEI_MAPF_DYNAMIC), |
| SDEI_SHARED_EVENT(3001, SDEI_DYN_IRQ, SDEI_MAPF_DYNAMIC) |
| }; |
| |
| /* Export SDEI events */ |
| REGISTER_SDEI_MAP(plat_private_sdei, plat_shared_sdei); |
| |
| Configuration within Exception Handling Framework |
| ------------------------------------------------- |
| |
| The SDEI dispatcher functions alongside the Exception Handling Framework. This |
| means that the platform must assign priorities to both Normal and Critical SDEI |
| interrupts for the platform: |
| |
| - Install priority descriptors for Normal and Critical SDEI interrupts. |
| |
| - For those interrupts that are statically bound (i.e. events defined as having |
| the ``SDEI_MAPF_BOUND`` property), enumerate their properties for the GIC |
| driver to configure interrupts accordingly. |
| |
| The interrupts must be configured to target EL3. This means that they should |
| be configured as *Group 0*. Additionally, on GICv2 systems, the build option |
| ``GICV2_G0_FOR_EL3`` must be set to ``1``. |
| |
| See also :ref:`porting_guide_sdei_requirements`. |
| |
| Determining client EL |
| --------------------- |
| |
| The SDEI specification requires that the *physical* SDEI client executes in the |
| highest Non-secure EL implemented on the system. This means that the dispatcher |
| will only allow SDEI calls to be made from: |
| |
| - EL2, if EL2 is implemented. The Hypervisor is expected to implement a |
| *virtual* SDEI dispatcher to support SDEI clients in Guest Operating Systems |
| executing in Non-secure EL1. |
| |
| - Non-secure EL1, if EL2 is not implemented or disabled. |
| |
| See the function ``sdei_client_el()`` in ``sdei_private.h``. |
| |
| .. _explicit-dispatch-of-events: |
| |
| Explicit dispatch of events |
| --------------------------- |
| |
| Typically, an SDEI event dispatch is caused by the PE receiving interrupts that |
| are bound to an SDEI event. However, there are cases where the Secure world |
| requires dispatch of an SDEI event as a direct or indirect result of a past |
| activity, such as receiving a Secure interrupt or an exception. |
| |
| The SDEI dispatcher implementation provides ``sdei_dispatch_event()`` API for |
| this purpose. The API has the following signature: |
| |
| .. code:: c |
| |
| int sdei_dispatch_event(int ev_num); |
| |
| The parameter ``ev_num`` is the event number to dispatch. The API returns ``0`` |
| on success, or ``-1`` on failure. |
| |
| The following figure depicts a scenario involving explicit dispatch of SDEI |
| event. A commentary is provided below: |
| |
| .. uml:: ../resources/diagrams/plantuml/sdei_explicit_dispatch.puml |
| |
| As part of initialisation, the SDEI client registers a handler for a platform |
| event [1], enables the event [3], and unmasks the current PE [5]. Note that, |
| unlike in `general SDEI dispatch`_, this doesn't involve interrupt binding, as |
| bound or dynamic events can't be explicitly dispatched (see the section below). |
| |
| At a later point in time, a critical event [#critical-event]_ is trapped into |
| EL3 [7]. EL3 performs a first-level triage of the event, and a RAS component |
| assumes further handling [8]. The dispatch completes, but intends to involve |
| Non-secure world in further handling, and therefore decides to explicitly |
| dispatch an event [10] (which the client had already registered for [1]). The |
| rest of the sequence is similar to that in the `general SDEI dispatch`_: the |
| requested event is dispatched to the client (assuming all the conditions are |
| met), and when the handler completes, the preempted execution resumes. |
| |
| Conditions for event dispatch |
| ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ |
| |
| All of the following requirements must be met for the API to return ``0`` and |
| event to be dispatched: |
| |
| - SDEI events must be unmasked on the PE. I.e. the client must have called |
| ``PE_UNMASK`` beforehand. |
| |
| - Event 0 can't be dispatched. |
| |
| - The event must be declared using the ``SDEI_EXPLICIT_EVENT()`` macro |
| described above. |
| |
| - The event must be private to the PE. |
| |
| - The event must have been registered for and enabled. |
| |
| - A dispatch for the same event must not be outstanding. I.e. it hasn't already |
| been dispatched and is yet to be completed. |
| |
| - The priority of the event (either Critical or Normal, as configured by the |
| platform at build-time) shouldn't cause priority inversion. This means: |
| |
| - If it's of Normal priority, neither Normal nor Critical priority dispatch |
| must be outstanding on the PE. |
| |
| - If it's of a Critical priority, no Critical priority dispatch must be |
| outstanding on the PE. |
| |
| Further, the caller should be aware of the following assumptions made by the |
| dispatcher: |
| |
| - The caller of the API is a component running in EL3; for example, a RAS |
| driver. |
| |
| - The requested dispatch will be permitted by the Exception Handling Framework. |
| I.e. the caller must make sure that the requested dispatch has sufficient |
| priority so as not to cause priority level inversion within Exception |
| Handling Framework. |
| |
| - The caller must be prepared for the SDEI dispatcher to restore the Non-secure |
| context, and mark that the active context. |
| |
| - The call will block until the SDEI client completes the event (i.e. when the |
| client calls either ``SDEI_EVENT_COMPLETE`` or ``SDEI_COMPLETE_AND_RESUME``). |
| |
| - The caller must be prepared for this API to return failure and handle |
| accordingly. |
| |
| Porting requirements |
| -------------------- |
| |
| The porting requirements of the SDEI dispatcher are outlined in the |
| :ref:`Porting Guide <porting_guide_sdei_requirements>`. |
| |
| Note on writing SDEI event handlers |
| ----------------------------------- |
| |
| *This section pertains to SDEI event handlers in general, not just when using |
| the TF-A SDEI dispatcher.* |
| |
| The SDEI specification requires that event handlers preserve the contents of all |
| registers except ``x0`` to ``x17``. This has significance if event handler is |
| written in C: compilers typically adjust the stack frame at the beginning and |
| end of C functions. For example, AArch64 GCC typically produces the following |
| function prologue and epilogue: |
| |
| :: |
| |
| c_event_handler: |
| stp x29, x30, [sp,#-32]! |
| mov x29, sp |
| |
| ... |
| |
| bl ... |
| |
| ... |
| |
| ldp x29, x30, [sp],#32 |
| ret |
| |
| The register ``x29`` is used as frame pointer in the prologue. Because neither a |
| valid ``SDEI_EVENT_COMPLETE`` nor ``SDEI_EVENT_COMPLETE_AND_RESUME`` calls |
| return to the handler, the epilogue never gets executed, and registers ``x29`` |
| and ``x30`` (in the case above) are inadvertently corrupted. This violates the |
| SDEI specification, and the normal execution thereafter will result in |
| unexpected behaviour. |
| |
| To work this around, it's advised that the top-level event handlers are |
| implemented in assembly, following a similar pattern as below: |
| |
| :: |
| |
| asm_event_handler: |
| /* Save link register whilst maintaining stack alignment */ |
| stp xzr, x30, [sp, #-16]! |
| bl c_event_handler |
| |
| /* Restore link register */ |
| ldp xzr, x30, [sp], #16 |
| |
| /* Complete call */ |
| ldr x0, =SDEI_EVENT_COMPLETE |
| smc #0 |
| b . |
| |
| -------------- |
| |
| *Copyright (c) 2017-2019, Arm Limited and Contributors. All rights reserved.* |
| |
| .. rubric:: Footnotes |
| |
| .. [#std-event] Except event 0, which is defined by the SDEI specification as a |
| standard event. |
| |
| .. [#critical-event] Examples of critical events are *SError*, *Synchronous |
| External Abort*, *Fault Handling interrupt* or *Error |
| Recovery interrupt* from one of RAS nodes in the system. |
| |
| .. _SDEI specification: http://infocenter.arm.com/help/topic/com.arm.doc.den0054a/ARM_DEN0054A_Software_Delegated_Exception_Interface.pdf |
| .. _Software Delegated Exception Interface: `SDEI specification`_ |