The first Carbon Performance Analysis Kit (CPAK) demonstrating the AMBA 5 CHI protocol has been released on Carbon System Exchange. The design features the Arm Cortex-A57 configured for AMBA 5 CHI and the Arm CoreLink CCN-504 Cache Coherent Network. The design is a modest system with a single core running 64-bit bare-metal software with memory and a PL011 UART, but for anybody who digs into the details there is a lot to learn.
Here is a diagram of the system:
Engineers who have been working with Arm IP for some time will quickly realize AMBA 5 CHI is not an extension of any previous AMBA specifications. AMBA 5 CHI is both more and less complex compared to AMBA 4. CHI is more complex at the protocol layer, but less complex at the physical layer. AXI and ACE use Masters and Slaves, but CHI uses Request Nodes, Home Nodes, Slave Nodes, and Miscellaneous Nodes. All of these nodes are referenced using shorthand abbreviations as shown in the table below.
The latest r1p3 A57 is now available on Carbon IP Exchange. CHI can be selected as the external memory interface. The relevant section from the IP Exchange configuration form is shown below.
The CHI memory interface relies on the System Address Map (SAM) signals. All of the A57 input signals starting with SAM*are important in constructing a working system. These values are available as parameters on the A57 model, and are configured appropriately in the CPAK to work with the CCN-504.
The CCN-504 Cache Coherent Network provides the connection between the A57 and memory. The CPAK uses two SN-F interfaces since dual memory controllers is one of the key features of the IP. A similar set of SAM* parameters is available on the CCN-504 to configure the system address map. Like other ARM IP, the CCN uses the concept of PERIPHBASE to set the address of the internal, software programmable registers.
The CCN-504 includes an integrated level 3 cache. The CPAK demonstrates the use of the L3 cache.
The CPAK startup assembly code also demonstrates other CCN-504 configuration including how to setup barrier termination, load node ID lists, programming system address map control registers, and more.
One of the best ways to start learning about AMBA 5 CHI is looking at the waveforms between the A57 and the CCN-504. The lastest SoC Designer 7.15.5 supports CHI waveforms and displays Flits, the basic unit of transfer in the AMBA 5 CHI link layer.
A new CPAK by The specified item was not found. running 64-bit bare-metal software on the Cortex-A57 processor with CHI memory interface connected to the CCN-504 and memory is now available. It demonstrates the AMBA 5 CHI protocol, serves as a starting point for optimization of CCN-based systems, and is a valuable learning tool for projects considering AMBA 5 CHI.