Hi Niels, Ralf, Kevin
Thanks for responding to my query! For the moment, I have fixed the symptoms, but still don't know what the problem is (it could be what you guys suspect it to be). The r4k_flush_icache_range() was being called from inside r4k_tlb_init() and the range being specified was KSEG0 to KSEG0 + 0x80, i.e. the TLB handler. I commented out the call to r4k_flush_icache_range and now the kernel seems to boot normally! But I suspect I have not fixed a problem, merely sidestepped it.
So now maybe I should repeat the question Niels asked: why was that call necessary?
Thanks again, -Steve.
From: Ralf Baechle <ralf@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> To: S C <theansweriz42@xxxxxxxxxxx> CC: linux-mips@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: Re: Strange, strange occurence Date: Sat, 10 Jul 2004 12:04:12 +0200
On Fri, Jul 09, 2004 at 06:50:00PM +0000, S C wrote:
> Using MontaVista Linux 3.1 on a Toshiba RBTx4938 board. Using YAMON, when I
> download the kernel via the debug ethernet port it runs fine. If I download
> the kernel via the Tx4938 inbuilt ethernet controller, it crashes!
If you're using a Montavista kernel you should report to Montavista. We don't have the source so any comment here is speculation.
> The crash is occuring inside the function r4k_flush_icache_range().
>
> I tried 'flush -i' and 'flush -d' on YAMON after the download but before
> the 'go', but that didn't help. I also tried completely disabling caches
> and loading/running uncached, but it gave the same error.
>
> Now, the final twist! Using an ICE, I set a breakpoint at the
> r4k_flush_icache_range function. Then I loaded the kernel as usual, ran it
> with the ICE, stepped through a few instructions inside the
> r4k_flush_icache_range function and then did a 'cont'. The kernel now
> booted fine!
As already pointed out by the other poster Niels Sterrenburg using a debugger unavoidably changes the state of the system to be debugged.
For at least some of the TX49xx processors there is a problem under certain circumstances if a flush of an I-cache line flushes that cache instruction itself. Make sure you're not getting hit by that one.
Ralf
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