+.. SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0
+
+=======
+IO-APIC
+=======
+
+:Author: Ingo Molnar <mingo@kernel.org>
+
Most (all) Intel-MP compliant SMP boards have the so-called 'IO-APIC',
which is an enhanced interrupt controller. It enables us to route
hardware interrupts to multiple CPUs, or to CPU groups. Without an
not boot Linux, then consult the linux-smp mailing list archives first.
If your box boots fine with enabled IO-APIC IRQs, then your
-/proc/interrupts will look like this one:
+/proc/interrupts will look like this one::
- ---------------------------->
hell:~> cat /proc/interrupts
CPU0
0: 1360293 IO-APIC-edge timer
NMI: 0
ERR: 0
hell:~>
- <----------------------------
Some interrupts are still listed as 'XT PIC', but this is not a problem;
none of those IRQ sources is performance-critical.
In the unlikely case that your board does not create a working mp-table,
you can use the pirq= boot parameter to 'hand-construct' IRQ entries. This
is non-trivial though and cannot be automated. One sample /etc/lilo.conf
-entry:
+entry::
append="pirq=15,11,10"
The actual numbers depend on your system, on your PCI cards and on their
PCI slot position. Usually PCI slots are 'daisy chained' before they are
connected to the PCI chipset IRQ routing facility (the incoming PIRQ1-4
-lines):
+lines)::
,-. ,-. ,-. ,-. ,-.
PIRQ4 ----| |-. ,-| |-. ,-| |-. ,-| |--------| |
PIRQ1 ----| |- `----| |- `----| |- `----| |--------| |
`-' `-' `-' `-' `-'
-Every PCI card emits a PCI IRQ, which can be INTA, INTB, INTC or INTD:
+Every PCI card emits a PCI IRQ, which can be INTA, INTB, INTC or INTD::
,-.
INTD--| |
do not use interrupts normally, thus they are not daisy chained either.
so if you have your SCSI card (IRQ11) in Slot1, Tulip card (IRQ9) in
-Slot2, then you'll have to specify this pirq= line:
+Slot2, then you'll have to specify this pirq= line::
append="pirq=11,9"
the following script tries to figure out such a default pirq= line from
-your PCI configuration:
+your PCI configuration::
echo -n pirq=; echo `scanpci | grep T_L | cut -c56-` | sed 's/ /,/g'
note that this script won't work if you have skipped a few slots or if your
board does not do default daisy-chaining. (or the IO-APIC has the PIRQ pins
connected in some strange way). E.g. if in the above case you have your SCSI
-card (IRQ11) in Slot3, and have Slot1 empty:
+card (IRQ11) in Slot3, and have Slot1 empty::
append="pirq=0,9,11"
If you have 2 PCI buses, then you can use up to 8 pirq values, although such
boards tend to have a good configuration.
-Be prepared that it might happen that you need some strange pirq line:
+Be prepared that it might happen that you need some strange pirq line::
append="pirq=0,0,0,0,0,0,9,11"
linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org if you have any problems that are not covered
by this document.
--- mingo
-