summaryrefslogtreecommitdiff
path: root/Documentation/powerpc/syscall64-abi.rst
diff options
context:
space:
mode:
Diffstat (limited to 'Documentation/powerpc/syscall64-abi.rst')
-rw-r--r--Documentation/powerpc/syscall64-abi.rst110
1 files changed, 110 insertions, 0 deletions
diff --git a/Documentation/powerpc/syscall64-abi.rst b/Documentation/powerpc/syscall64-abi.rst
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..e49f69f941b9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Documentation/powerpc/syscall64-abi.rst
@@ -0,0 +1,110 @@
+===============================================
+Power Architecture 64-bit Linux system call ABI
+===============================================
+
+syscall
+=======
+
+syscall calling sequence\ [1]_ matches the Power Architecture 64-bit ELF ABI
+specification C function calling sequence, including register preservation
+rules, with the following differences.
+
+.. [1] Some syscalls (typically low-level management functions) may have
+ different calling sequences (e.g., rt_sigreturn).
+
+Parameters and return value
+---------------------------
+The system call number is specified in r0.
+
+There is a maximum of 6 integer parameters to a syscall, passed in r3-r8.
+
+Both a return value and a return error code are returned. cr0.SO is the return
+error code, and r3 is the return value or error code. When cr0.SO is clear,
+the syscall succeeded and r3 is the return value. When cr0.SO is set, the
+syscall failed and r3 is the error code that generally corresponds to errno.
+
+Stack
+-----
+System calls do not modify the caller's stack frame. For example, the caller's
+stack frame LR and CR save fields are not used.
+
+Register preservation rules
+---------------------------
+Register preservation rules match the ELF ABI calling sequence with the
+following differences:
+
+=========== ============= ========================================
+r0 Volatile (System call number.)
+r3 Volatile (Parameter 1, and return value.)
+r4-r8 Volatile (Parameters 2-6.)
+cr0 Volatile (cr0.SO is the return error condition)
+cr1, cr5-7 Nonvolatile
+lr Nonvolatile
+=========== ============= ========================================
+
+All floating point and vector data registers as well as control and status
+registers are nonvolatile.
+
+Invocation
+----------
+The syscall is performed with the sc instruction, and returns with execution
+continuing at the instruction following the sc instruction.
+
+Transactional Memory
+--------------------
+Syscall behavior can change if the processor is in transactional or suspended
+transaction state, and the syscall can affect the behavior of the transaction.
+
+If the processor is in suspended state when a syscall is made, the syscall
+will be performed as normal, and will return as normal. The syscall will be
+performed in suspended state, so its side effects will be persistent according
+to the usual transactional memory semantics. A syscall may or may not result
+in the transaction being doomed by hardware.
+
+If the processor is in transactional state when a syscall is made, then the
+behavior depends on the presence of PPC_FEATURE2_HTM_NOSC in the AT_HWCAP2 ELF
+auxiliary vector.
+
+- If present, which is the case for newer kernels, then the syscall will not
+ be performed and the transaction will be doomed by the kernel with the
+ failure code TM_CAUSE_SYSCALL | TM_CAUSE_PERSISTENT in the TEXASR SPR.
+
+- If not present (older kernels), then the kernel will suspend the
+ transactional state and the syscall will proceed as in the case of a
+ suspended state syscall, and will resume the transactional state before
+ returning to the caller. This case is not well defined or supported, so this
+ behavior should not be relied upon.
+
+
+vsyscall
+========
+
+vsyscall calling sequence matches the syscall calling sequence, with the
+following differences. Some vsyscalls may have different calling sequences.
+
+Parameters and return value
+---------------------------
+r0 is not used as an input. The vsyscall is selected by its address.
+
+Stack
+-----
+The vsyscall may or may not use the caller's stack frame save areas.
+
+Register preservation rules
+---------------------------
+
+=========== ========
+r0 Volatile
+cr1, cr5-7 Volatile
+lr Volatile
+=========== ========
+
+Invocation
+----------
+The vsyscall is performed with a branch-with-link instruction to the vsyscall
+function address.
+
+Transactional Memory
+--------------------
+vsyscalls will run in the same transactional state as the caller. A vsyscall
+may or may not result in the transaction being doomed by hardware.