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+================
+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 or
+AT_HWCAP2 entry of the auxiliary 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_AA64ISAR0_EL1.AES == 0b0001.
+
+HWCAP_PMULL
+ Functionality implied by ID_AA64ISAR0_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.rst.
+
+ 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.
+
+HWCAP2_DCPODP
+
+ Functionality implied by ID_AA64ISAR1_EL1.DPB == 0b0010.
+
+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 == 0b0010.
+
+HWCAP_SVE
+ Functionality implied by ID_AA64PFR0_EL1.SVE == 0b0001.
+
+HWCAP2_SVE2
+
+ Functionality implied by ID_AA64ZFR0_EL1.SVEVer == 0b0001.
+
+HWCAP2_SVEAES
+
+ Functionality implied by ID_AA64ZFR0_EL1.AES == 0b0001.
+
+HWCAP2_SVEPMULL
+
+ Functionality implied by ID_AA64ZFR0_EL1.AES == 0b0010.
+
+HWCAP2_SVEBITPERM
+
+ Functionality implied by ID_AA64ZFR0_EL1.BitPerm == 0b0001.
+
+HWCAP2_SVESHA3
+
+ Functionality implied by ID_AA64ZFR0_EL1.SHA3 == 0b0001.
+
+HWCAP2_SVESM4
+
+ Functionality implied by ID_AA64ZFR0_EL1.SM4 == 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_AA64ISAR1_EL1.LRCPC == 0b0010.
+
+HWCAP_FLAGM
+ Functionality implied by ID_AA64ISAR0_EL1.TS == 0b0001.
+
+HWCAP2_FLAGM2
+
+ Functionality implied by ID_AA64ISAR0_EL1.TS == 0b0010.
+
+HWCAP_SSBS
+ Functionality implied by ID_AA64PFR1_EL1.SSBS == 0b0010.
+
+HWCAP_PACA
+ Functionality implied by ID_AA64ISAR1_EL1.APA == 0b0001 or
+ ID_AA64ISAR1_EL1.API == 0b0001, as described by
+ Documentation/arm64/pointer-authentication.rst.
+
+HWCAP_PACG
+ Functionality implied by ID_AA64ISAR1_EL1.GPA == 0b0001 or
+ ID_AA64ISAR1_EL1.GPI == 0b0001, as described by
+ Documentation/arm64/pointer-authentication.rst.
+
+HWCAP2_FRINT
+
+ Functionality implied by ID_AA64ISAR1_EL1.FRINTTS == 0b0001.
+
+
+4. Unused AT_HWCAP bits
+-----------------------
+
+For interoperation with userspace, the kernel guarantees that bits 62
+and 63 of AT_HWCAP will always be returned as 0.