[ECOS] Question about fixed vector table(ARM).

[HuangQiang]

-----Original Message-----
From: Mark Salter [mailto:msalter@redhat.com]
Sent: 16 May 2002 12:59
To: jameshq@liverpool.ac.uk
Cc: ecos-discuss@sources.redhat.com
Subject: Re: [ECOS] Question about fixed vector table(ARM).

Thank you for your reply.

why can't we just use(for example for IRQ):

0x18  ldr pc, .IRQ      ; Can this jump to anywhere in the address
space(32-bit)?
.
.
0x50(label)    IRQ:    ; process the IRQ vector here.



by the above :  ext IRQ occurs --> load the instruction from 0x18 (ldr pc, .
IRQ) --> jump the IRQ label

while have fixed vector table:   reset occurs --> jump to fixed vector table
0x38 (what will be in here? Is it the address to label IRQ?) --> jump to IRQ
label address --> process IRQ

Thanks a lot!

>>>>> HuangQiang  writes:

> Thank you very much. I still have one question about the fixed vector
table.
> In ARM vectors.s file takes care of the vector table(from 0x00) setup and
> fixed vector table(from 0x20) setup. While branch to the vector it first
> branch to the vector table(from 0x00) and then directed to fixed vector
> table(from 0x20) then to the actual services routine. Why this fixed
vector
> table is needed here? Can't we just setup the vector table (from 0x00) and
> branch to the services routine indirection of fixed vector table?

A branch instruction has only a 24-bit range, so you would not
have access to the full address range if you used a branch in
the CPU vector table. We use the table at 0x20 to hold full 32-bit
addresses of the service routines. The instructions in the CPU
vector table simply load those 32-bit values to the PC register.

--Mark


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