lowRISC / lowRISC/sonata-system

Enable 8-bit and 16-bit memory accesses via the SBA interface to the debug module

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Dominant language
C++
Stars
54
Forks
37
PR merge metrics
No merged PRs in 30d

Description

Today the `sbaccess16` and `sbaccess8` fields in the debug module's `sbcs` register are fixed to 0: https://github.com/lowRISC/sonata-system/blob/5683774c60883e7a98883a5a8d98e2c75da09eee/vendor/cheriot_debug_module/src/dm_csrs.sv#L525

This prevents memory reads and writes of smaller that 32 bits from being completed using the SBA interface, and particularly blocks the ability to implement software breakpoints, as that requires reading/writing 16 bit instructions. While hardware supported breakpoints are available, they are limited in quantity, so we would like to verify that software breakpoints work as an alternative.

Is it possible to enable these smaller SBA access sizes?

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First steps

  1. Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
  2. Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
  3. Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
  4. Open a pull request that references the issue number.

Research direction

Start in vendor/cheriot_debug_module/src/dm_csrs.sv around line 525, where sbaccess16 and sbaccess8 are fixed. Trace the SBA access-size handling and determine whether 8-bit and 16-bit reads and writes can be supported. Done means smaller SBA accesses complete and software breakpoints using 16-bit instructions can be verified.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Domain
devtools, embedded-iot
Issue type
Feature
Difficulty
4/5
Estimated time
3-5 days
Activity status
Stale
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
35/100

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