3. IRQ chip model (hierarchy) of LoongArch¶
Currently, LoongArch based processors (e.g. Loongson-3A5000) can only work together with LS7A chipsets. The irq chips in LoongArch computers include CPUINTC (CPU Core Interrupt Controller), LIOINTC (Legacy I/O Interrupt Controller), EIOINTC (Extended I/O Interrupt Controller), HTVECINTC (Hyper-Transport Vector Interrupt Controller), PCH-PIC (Main Interrupt Controller in LS7A chipset), PCH-LPC (LPC Interrupt Controller in LS7A chipset) and PCH-MSI (MSI Interrupt Controller).
CPUINTC is a per-core controller (in CPU), LIOINTC/EIOINTC/HTVECINTC are per-package controllers (in CPU), while PCH-PIC/PCH-LPC/PCH-MSI are controllers out of CPU (i.e., in chipsets). These controllers (in other words, irqchips) are linked in a hierarchy, and there are two models of hierarchy (legacy model and extended model).
3.1. Legacy IRQ model¶
In this model, IPI (Inter-Processor Interrupt) and CPU Local Timer interrupt go to CPUINTC directly, CPU UARTS interrupts go to LIOINTC, while all other devices interrupts go to PCH-PIC/PCH-LPC/PCH-MSI and gathered by HTVECINTC, and then go to LIOINTC, and then CPUINTC:
+-----+ +---------+ +-------+
| IPI | --> | CPUINTC | <-- | Timer |
+-----+ +---------+ +-------+
^
|
+---------+ +-------+
| LIOINTC | <-- | UARTs |
+---------+ +-------+
^
|
+-----------+
| HTVECINTC |
+-----------+
^ ^
| |
+---------+ +---------+
| PCH-PIC | | PCH-MSI |
+---------+ +---------+
^ ^ ^
| | |
+---------+ +---------+ +---------+
| PCH-LPC | | Devices | | Devices |
+---------+ +---------+ +---------+
^
|
+---------+
| Devices |
+---------+
3.2. Extended IRQ model¶
In this model, IPI (Inter-Processor Interrupt) and CPU Local Timer interrupt go to CPUINTC directly, CPU UARTS interrupts go to LIOINTC, while all other devices interrupts go to PCH-PIC/PCH-LPC/PCH-MSI and gathered by EIOINTC, and then go to to CPUINTC directly:
+-----+ +---------+ +-------+
| IPI | --> | CPUINTC | <-- | Timer |
+-----+ +---------+ +-------+
^ ^
| |
+---------+ +---------+ +-------+
| EIOINTC | | LIOINTC | <-- | UARTs |
+---------+ +---------+ +-------+
^ ^
| |
+---------+ +---------+
| PCH-PIC | | PCH-MSI |
+---------+ +---------+
^ ^ ^
| | |
+---------+ +---------+ +---------+
| PCH-LPC | | Devices | | Devices |
+---------+ +---------+ +---------+
^
|
+---------+
| Devices |
+---------+
3.4. References¶
Documentation of Loongson-3A5000:
Documentation of Loongson’s LS7A chipset:
Note
CPUINTC is CSR.ECFG/CSR.ESTAT and its interrupt controller described in Section 7.4 of “LoongArch Reference Manual, Vol 1”;
LIOINTC is “Legacy I/OInterrupts” described in Section 11.1 of “Loongson 3A5000 Processor Reference Manual”;
EIOINTC is “Extended I/O Interrupts” described in Section 11.2 of “Loongson 3A5000 Processor Reference Manual”;
HTVECINTC is “HyperTransport Interrupts” described in Section 14.3 of “Loongson 3A5000 Processor Reference Manual”;
PCH-PIC/PCH-MSI is “Interrupt Controller” described in Section 5 of “Loongson 7A1000 Bridge User Manual”;
PCH-LPC is “LPC Interrupts” described in Section 24.3 of “Loongson 7A1000 Bridge User Manual”.