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Date:      Tue, 08 Feb 2005 14:07:49 -0700 (MST)
From:      "M. Warner Losh" <imp@bsdimp.com>
To:        jhb@FreeBSD.org
Cc:        cvs-all@FreeBSD.org
Subject:   Re: cvs commit: src/sys/i386/i386 apic_vector.s local_apic.c mp_machdep.c src/sys/i386/include apicvar.h smp.h src/sys/i386/isa clock.c
Message-ID:  <20050208.140749.52472160.imp@bsdimp.com>
In-Reply-To: <200502081550.55445.jhb@FreeBSD.org>
References:  <200502082025.j18KP72E069507@repoman.freebsd.org> <200502081550.55445.jhb@FreeBSD.org>

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In message: <200502081550.55445.jhb@FreeBSD.org>
            John Baldwin <jhb@FreeBSD.org> writes:
: On Tuesday 08 February 2005 03:25 pm, John Baldwin wrote:
: > jhb         2005-02-08 20:25:07 UTC
: >
: >   FreeBSD src repository
: >
: >   Modified files:
: >     sys/i386/i386        apic_vector.s local_apic.c mp_machdep.c
: >     sys/i386/include     apicvar.h smp.h
: >     sys/i386/isa         clock.c
: >   Log:
: >   Use the local APIC timer to drive the various kernel clocks on SMP
: > machines rather than forwarding interrupts from the clock devices around
: > using IPIs: - Add an IDT vector that pushes a clock frame and calls
: >     lapic_handle_timer().
: >   - Add functions to program the local APIC timer including setting the
: >     divisor, and setting up the timer to either down a periodic countdown
: >     or one-shot countdown.
: >   - Add a lapic_setup_clock() function that the BSP calls from
: >     cpu_init_clocks() to setup the local APIC timer if it is going to be
: >     used.  The setup uses a one-shot countdown to calibrate the timer.  We
: >     then program the timer on each CPU to fire at a frequency of hz * 3.
: >     stathz is defined as freq / 23 (hz * 3 / 23), and profhz is defined as
: >     freq / 2 (hz * 3 / 2).  This gives the clocks relatively prime divisors
: >     while keeping a low LCM for the frequency of the clock interrupts.
: >     Thanks to Peter Jeremy for suggesting this approach.
: >   - Remove the hardclock and statclock forwarding code including the two
: >     associated IPIs.  The bitmap IPI handler has now effectively
: > degenerated to just IPI_AST.
: >   - When the local APIC timer is used we don't turn the RTC on at all, but
: >     we still enable interrupts on the ISA timer 0 (i8254) for timecounting
: >     purposes.
: 
: One caveat at the moment is that if you use ACPI throttle states (not Cx, but 
: the hw.acpi.cpu.throttle_* (or whatever it's called now in a post cpufreq 
: world) that the timer might operate at a different frequency.  Currently 
: there isn't a mechanism for notifying the system when the bus (not CPU clock) 
: frequency changes, but once there is this will have to hook into it.

Relying on a frequency that can change will lead to really bad time
keeping, even if there were a notification mechanism.  TSC should be
the only one that's impacted by changes to the clock speed.  All the
other time keeping mechanisms are independent of CPU clock speed.

Warner



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