elf_hwcaps.txt

ARM64 ELF hwcaps
================

This document describes the usage and semantics of the arm64 ELF hwcaps.


1. Introduction
---------------

Some hardware or software features are only available on some CPU
implementations, and/or with certain kernel configurations, but have no
architected discovery mechanism available to userspace code at EL0. The
kernel exposes the presence of these features to userspace through a set
of flags called hwcaps, exposed in the auxilliary vector.

Userspace software can test for features by acquiring the AT_HWCAP entry
of the auxilliary vector, and testing whether the relevant flags are
set, e.g.

bool floating_point_is_present(void)
{
	unsigned long hwcaps = getauxval(AT_HWCAP);
	if (hwcaps & HWCAP_FP)
		return true;

	return false;
}

Where software relies on a feature described by a hwcap, it should check
the relevant hwcap flag to verify that the feature is present before
attempting to make use of the feature.

Features cannot be probed reliably through other means. When a feature
is not available, attempting to use it may result in unpredictable
behaviour, and is not guaranteed to result in any reliable indication
that the feature is unavailable, such as a SIGILL.


2. Interpretation of hwcaps
---------------------------

The majority of hwcaps are intended to indicate the presence of features
which are described by architected ID registers inaccessible to
userspace code at EL0. These hwcaps are defined in terms of ID register
fields, and should be interpreted with reference to the definition of
these fields in the ARM Architecture Reference Manual (ARM ARM).

Such hwcaps are described below in the form:

    Functionality implied by idreg.field == val.

Such hwcaps indicate the availability of functionality that the ARM ARM
defines as being present when idreg.field has value val, but do not
indicate that idreg.field is precisely equal to val, nor do they
indicate the absence of functionality implied by other values of
idreg.field.

Other hwcaps may indicate the presence of features which cannot be
described by ID registers alone. These may be described without
reference to ID registers, and may refer to other documentation.


3. The hwcaps exposed in AT_HWCAP
---------------------------------

HWCAP_FP

    Functionality implied by ID_AA64PFR0_EL1.FP == 0b0000.

HWCAP_ASIMD

    Functionality implied by ID_AA64PFR0_EL1.AdvSIMD == 0b0000.

HWCAP_EVTSTRM

    The generic timer is configured to generate events at a frequency of
    approximately 100KHz.

HWCAP_AES

    Functionality implied by ID_AA64ISAR1_EL1.AES == 0b0001.

HWCAP_PMULL

    Functionality implied by ID_AA64ISAR1_EL1.AES == 0b0010.

HWCAP_SHA1

    Functionality implied by ID_AA64ISAR0_EL1.SHA1 == 0b0001.

HWCAP_SHA2

    Functionality implied by ID_AA64ISAR0_EL1.SHA2 == 0b0001.

HWCAP_CRC32

    Functionality implied by ID_AA64ISAR0_EL1.CRC32 == 0b0001.

HWCAP_ATOMICS

    Functionality implied by ID_AA64ISAR0_EL1.Atomic == 0b0010.

HWCAP_FPHP

    Functionality implied by ID_AA64PFR0_EL1.FP == 0b0001.

HWCAP_ASIMDHP

    Functionality implied by ID_AA64PFR0_EL1.AdvSIMD == 0b0001.

HWCAP_CPUID

    EL0 access to certain ID registers is available, to the extent
    described by Documentation/arm64/cpu-feature-registers.txt.

    These ID registers may imply the availability of features.

HWCAP_ASIMDRDM

    Functionality implied by ID_AA64ISAR0_EL1.RDM == 0b0001.

HWCAP_JSCVT

    Functionality implied by ID_AA64ISAR1_EL1.JSCVT == 0b0001.

HWCAP_FCMA

    Functionality implied by ID_AA64ISAR1_EL1.FCMA == 0b0001.

HWCAP_LRCPC

    Functionality implied by ID_AA64ISAR1_EL1.LRCPC == 0b0001.

HWCAP_DCPOP

    Functionality implied by ID_AA64ISAR1_EL1.DPB == 0b0001.

HWCAP_SHA3

    Functionality implied by ID_AA64ISAR0_EL1.SHA3 == 0b0001.

HWCAP_SM3

    Functionality implied by ID_AA64ISAR0_EL1.SM3 == 0b0001.

HWCAP_SM4

    Functionality implied by ID_AA64ISAR0_EL1.SM4 == 0b0001.

HWCAP_ASIMDDP

    Functionality implied by ID_AA64ISAR0_EL1.DP == 0b0001.

HWCAP_SHA512

    Functionality implied by ID_AA64ISAR0_EL1.SHA2 == 0b0002.

HWCAP_SVE

    Functionality implied by ID_AA64PFR0_EL1.SVE == 0b0001.

HWCAP_ASIMDFHM

   Functionality implied by ID_AA64ISAR0_EL1.FHM == 0b0001.

HWCAP_DIT

    Functionality implied by ID_AA64PFR0_EL1.DIT == 0b0001.

HWCAP_USCAT

    Functionality implied by ID_AA64MMFR2_EL1.AT == 0b0001.

HWCAP_ILRCPC

    Functionality implied by ID_AA64ISR1_EL1.LRCPC == 0b0002.

HWCAP_FLAGM

    Functionality implied by ID_AA64ISAR0_EL1.TS == 0b0001.

HWCAP_SSBS

    Functionality implied by ID_AA64PFR1_EL1.SSBS == 0b0010.