摘要:
An apparatus for processing data 2 includes a processor 8, a memory 6 and memory control circuitry 12. The processor 8 operates in a plurality of hardware modes including a privileged mode and a user mode. When operating in the privileged mode, the processor 8 is blocked by the memory control circuitry 12 from fetching instructions from memory address regions 34, 38, 42 within the memory 6 which are writeable within the user mode if a security flag within register 46 is set to indicate that this blocking mechanism is active.
摘要:
Access to memory address space is controlled by memory access control circuitry using access control data. The ability to change the access control data is controlled by domain control circuitry. Whether or not an instruction stored within a particular domain, being a set of memory addresses, is able to modify the access control data is dependent upon the domain concerned. Thus, the ability to change access control data can be restricted to instructions stored within particular defined locations within the memory address space thereby enhancing security. This capability allows systems to be provided in which call forwarding to an operating system can be enforced via call forwarding code and where trusted regions of the memory address space can be established into which a secure operating system may write data with increased confidence that that data will only be accessible by trusted software executing under control of a non-secure operating system.
摘要:
An interrupt controller 2 is provided with priority registers 6 storing priority values P0-P9 used to determine prioritisation between received interrupt signals I0-I9. A priority value accessing circuit 10 provides multiple mappings to the priority values stored in dependence upon the priority value manager 16, 18, seeking to make an access. In this way, a first priority value manager 18, such as a secure operating system, can be given exclusive access to the highest priority values whilst a second priority value manager 16, such as a non-secure operating system, can be given access to a range of priority values as stored which are of a lower priority and yet as written or read by the non-secure operating system appear to the non-secure operating system to have a different, such as higher, priority level.
摘要:
A data processor core 10 comprising a memory access interface portion 30 operable to perform data transfer operations between an external data source and at least one memory associated with said data processor core and a data processing portion 12 operable to perform further data processing operations in response to receipt of said processor clock signal CLK. The two portions of the core being operable to be independently enabled such that one portion may be active while the other is inactive.
摘要:
A data processing apparatus 2 supports multiple memory access program instructions LDM, STM which serve to load data values from multiple program registers 16 to respective memory locations or to store data values from multiple memory locations to respective program registers. A memory management unit 8 within the system stores device or strongly ordered memory attribute values which control whether or not a multiple memory access instruction involving such a memory location may be early terminated when an interrupt is received during its operation. Early termination is permitted in those circumstances where the multiple memory access instruction may be safely restarted and rerun in its entirety, whereas early termination is not permitted and the operation completes before the interrupt is taken in those circumstances where the memory locations are subject to a guaranteed number of memory accesses as this appears within the controlling program instructions.
摘要:
The present invention provides an apparatus and method for synchronizing a first pipeline and a second pipeline of a processor arranged to execute a sequence of instructions. The processor is arranged to route an instruction in the sequence through either the first or the second pipeline dependent on predetermined criteria, each pipeline having a plurality of pipeline stages including a retirement stage. Counter logic is provided for maintaining a first counter relating to the first pipeline and a second counter relating to the second pipeline. For each instruction in the first pipeline a determination is made as to when that instruction reaches a point within the first pipeline where an exception status of that instruction is resolved, and the counter logic is arranged to increment the first counter responsive to such determination. The processor is arranged to generate an indication within the second pipeline each time an instruction is routed to the first pipeline, and the counter logic is further arranged to increment the second counter responsive to that indication. Synchronisation logic is then provided which is arranged, when an instruction is in the retirement stage of the second pipeline, to determine with reference to the values of the first and second counters whether that instruction can be retired. If so, the retirement stage is arranged to cause an update of a state of the data processing apparatus dependent on the result of execution of that instruction.
摘要:
A data processing system 2 includes a stack pointer register 26, 28, 30, 32 storing a stack pointer value for use in stack access operations to a stack data store 44, 46, 48, 50. Stack alignment checking circuitry 36 which is selectively disabled may be provided to check memory address alignment of the stack pointer value associated with a stack memory access. The action of the stack alignment checking circuitry 36 is independent of any further other alignment checking performed in respect of all memory accesses. Thus, general alignment checking circuitry 38 may be provided and independently selectively disabled in respect of any memory access.
摘要:
A data processing system 2 supporting multiple modes of operation is provided with illegal change detecting circuitry 22 which detects attempts by program instructions to perform an illegal change of mode, such as a change to a higher level of privilege in response to execution of a mode changing program instruction or an exception return instruction. If such a change is detected, then an illegal change bit CPSR.IL is set. An instruction decoder 12 is responsive to the illegal change bit having a set value to treat subsequent program instructions as undefined instructions. These undefined instructions may then trigger an undefined instruction exception or other type of response.
摘要:
A data processing apparatus for performing data processing operations in response to execution of program instructions and debug circuitry for performing operations. The data processing apparatus includes a data store for storing a current debug exception mask value. The data processing circuitry is configured to set the mask value to a first value in the data store in response to executing critical code and on termination of execution of the critical code to reset the mask value to not store the first value. The data processing circuitry is configured, in response to receipt of a control signal indicating a debug exception is to be taken, to allow the exception to be taken if the mask value is not set to the first value and not to allow said exception to be taken if the mask value is set to the first value.
摘要:
A data processing system includes a plurality of transaction masters (4, 6, 8, 10) each with an associated local cache memory (12, 14, 16, 18) and coupled to coherent interconnect circuitry (20). Monitoring circuitry (24) within the coherent interconnect circuitry (20) maintains a state variable (flag) in respect of each of the transaction masters to monitor whether an exclusive store access state is pending for that transaction master. When a transaction master is to execute a store-exclusive instruction, then a current value of the subject state variable for that transaction master is compared with a previous value of that variable stored when the exclusive store access was setup. If there is a match, then store-exclusive instruction is allowed to proceed and the state variables of all other transaction masters for which there is a pending exclusive store access state are changed. If there is not a match, then the execution of the store-exclusive instruction is marked as failing.