Re: [RFC] Optimize swab operations on mips_r2 cpu

["Kevin D. Kissell" <kevink@mips.com>]

Franck wrote:
> 2006/1/25, Kevin D. Kissell <kevink@mips.com>:
>> Franck wrote:
>>> OK. So the patch I sent to you 3 months ago that adds support for
>>> 4ks[cd] cpu and smartmips extension is wrong. It added new
>>> CONFIG_CPU_4KS[CD] macro whereas it must have used MIPS32_R[12] macros
>>> like Kevin suggested...
>> Not really.  As we discussed at the time, the 4KSc is a superset of
>> MIPS32 which includes some, but not all MIPS32R2 features (plus other
>> stuff), and the 4KSd is a strict superset of MIPS32R2.  So some additional
>> information is required to express the desired support.  I was just pointing
>> out, in the case of the SWAB optimizations, that there was no need to invent
>> yet another way of describing MIPS32R2.
> 
> Let's say that the 4KSC has "wsbh" instruction which is part of
> MIPS32R2 instructrion set (I haven't checked it). The question is how
> the 4KSC would use the SWAB optimizations since it doesn't define
> CONFIG_CPU_MIPS32_R2  ? The 4KSC might not be the only one case...

The 4KSc happens not to have the MIPS32R2 WSBH (is that pronounced
"wasabi"? ;o) instruction, but it does have the MIPS32R2 ROTR, because
it's part of the SmartMIPS ASE.  Our options here include:

* Say "to heck with it" and deny the 4KSc use of the ROTR, and stay
   with a "#ifdef CONFIG_CPU_MIPS32R2" conditional.

* Define CONFIG_CPU_MIPS4KSC as an additional oddball CPU flag, and
   make it "#if defined(CONFIG_CPU_MIPS32R2) || defined(CONFIG_CPU_MIPS4KSC)

* Have an ASE-support flag, CONFIG_CPU_SMARTMIPS, which would cover both
   the 4KSc and 4KSd.  In that case code using ROTR could be conditional on
   #if defined(CPU_CONFIG_MIPS32R2) || defined(CONFIG_CPU_SMARTMIPS).

I personally think that the third option is the cleanest and most conceptually
correct, but I'm not the guy operationally responsible for maintaining
that code.

		Regards,

		Kevin K.