Files
sim 9bfe96e44d fix(ppc-manual): 543 dead links, from two generator bugs and wrong relative paths
- Category pages linked each family as `<slug>.md`, relative to categories/,
  where no family page lives. They now link `../<category>/<slug>.md`.
- Form pages linked a member into its *own* category directory, so every
  VMX128 sibling (`vsldoi128`) pointed at vmx128/ although its family page is
  under vmx/. They now link into the family's directory.
- Hand-written "Related" and sibling mentions linked other categories' pages
  as if they were in the same directory. 109 are retargeted through the page
  index; 29 that pointed a family page at itself (`vrefp128` on vrefp.md) and
  6 naming instructions the manual has no page for are plain text now.

Regenerated at the existing Canary pin (f21ebd49e): upstream has moved on, and
re-pinning belongs in its own change. The generator reports 0 family pages
changed and is idempotent; the only dead links left are TEMPLATE.md's
placeholders.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
2026-09-16 22:37:12 +02:00

130 lines
5.9 KiB
Markdown
Raw Permalink Blame History

This file contains ambiguous Unicode characters
This file contains Unicode characters that might be confused with other characters. If you think that this is intentional, you can safely ignore this warning. Use the Escape button to reveal them.
# `dcbf` — Data Cache Block Flush
> **Category:** [Memory](../categories/memory.md) · **Form:** [X](../forms/X.md) · **Opcode:** `0x7c0000ac`
<!-- GENERATED: BEGIN -->
## Assembler Mnemonics
| Mnemonic | XML entry | Flags | Description |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `dcbf` | `dcbf` | — | Data Cache Block Flush |
## Syntax
```asm
dcbf [RA0], [RB]
```
## Encoding
### `dcbf` — form `X`
- **Opcode word:** `0x7c0000ac`
- **Primary opcode (bits 05):** `31`
- **Extended opcode:** `86`
- **Synchronising:** no
| Bits | Field | Meaning |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 05 | `OPCD` | primary opcode |
| 610 | `RT/FRT/VRT` | destination |
| 1115 | `RA/FRA/VRA` | source A |
| 1620 | `RB/FRB/VRB` | source B |
| 2130 | `XO` | extended opcode (10 bits) |
| 31 | `Rc` | record-form flag |
## Operands
| Field | Role | Description |
| --- | --- | --- |
| `RA0` | dcbf: read | Source GPR; when the encoded register number is 0 the operand is the literal 64-bit zero, **not** `r0`. |
| `RB` | dcbf: read | Source GPR. |
## Register Effects
### `dcbf`
- **Reads (always):** `RA0`, `RB`
- **Reads (conditional):** _none_
- **Writes (always):** _none_
- **Writes (conditional):** _none_
## Status-Register Effects
_No condition-register or status-register effects._
## Operation (pseudocode)
```
; No hand-written pseudocode for this instruction yet.
; The authoritative semantics are the Canary emitter snapshot under
; Implementation References; about half of Canary's emitters open
; with the PPC-style definition as a comment (`RD <- (RA) + (RB)`).
; Every side effect is also enumerated in the Register Effects and
; Status-Register Effects tables above.
```
## C Translation Example
```c
/* No hand-written C yet. Translate the Canary emitter snapshot */
/* under Implementation References; its HIR maps directly: */
/* f.LoadGPR(n) / f.StoreGPR(n, v) -> r[n] / r[n] = v */
/* f.LoadFPR / StoreFPR, f.LoadVR / StoreVR -> f[n], v[n] */
/* f.Load(ea, T), f.Store(ea, v) -> raw read / write; emitters */
/* wrap them in f.ByteSwap for the big-endian guest value */
/* f.UpdateCR(n, v) -> CR field n from v's LOW 32 BITS vs 0 */
/* f.LoadCA / f.StoreCA -> xer.CA; f.StoreSAT -> vscr.SAT */
/* i.XO.RA, i.D.DS, ... -> the bit-fields listed under Operands */
/* The Register Effects and Status-Register Effects tables above */
/* enumerate every side effect a faithful translation must emit. */
```
## Implementation References
**`dcbf`**
- Canary XML: [`tools/ppc-instructions.xml` — search for `mnem="dcbf"`](https://github.com/xenia-canary/xenia-canary/blob/f21ebd49e979e44f081f474df78c3fbfee9cb3f2/tools/ppc-instructions.xml)
- Canary emitter: [`src/xenia/cpu/ppc/ppc_emit_memory.cc:1125`](https://github.com/xenia-canary/xenia-canary/blob/f21ebd49e979e44f081f474df78c3fbfee9cb3f2/src/xenia/cpu/ppc/ppc_emit_memory.cc#L1125)
- Sylpheed opcode: [`crates/sylpheed-ppc/src/opcode.rs:44`](../../../crates/sylpheed-ppc/src/opcode.rs#L44)
- Sylpheed decoder: [`crates/sylpheed-ppc/src/decoder.rs:888`](../../../crates/sylpheed-ppc/src/decoder.rs#L888)
<details><summary>Canary emitter (frozen snapshot @ <code>f21ebd49e9</code>)</summary>
```cpp
int InstrEmit_dcbf(PPCHIRBuilder& f, const InstrData& i) {
if (!cvars::disable_prefetch_and_cachecontrol) {
Value* ea = CalculateEA_0(f, i.X.RA, i.X.RB);
f.CacheControl(ea, 128,
CacheControlType::CACHE_CONTROL_TYPE_DATA_STORE_AND_FLUSH);
}
return 0;
}
```
</details>
<!-- GENERATED: END -->
## Special Cases & Edge Conditions
- **Flush = write-back + invalidate.** If the addressed line is dirty in the data cache, it is written to memory; whether dirty or clean, the line is then removed from the cache. Subsequent loads must refill from memory.
- **Cache line size.** Xenon's L1/L2 lines are **128 bytes**. The hardware ignores the low seven bits of `EA`, so `dcbf RA, RB` flushes the line containing `EA` regardless of where in that line `EA` lies. There is no `dcbf128` variant — the hint is sized to the architectural line.
- **`RA0` semantics.** When `RA = 0`, the base is the literal zero — `dcbf 0, RB` flushes the line containing address `RB`. The instruction has no destination register.
- **Canary emits host cache hints only.** It keeps no guest-visible cache model: unless the `disable_prefetch_and_cachecontrol` cvar is set, `dcbf` becomes a host `clflush` over the 128-byte cache line (its comment notes Xenon's 128-byte lines), and guest memory is always coherent on the host. This is correct behaviour for an emulator.
- **Unprivileged.** `dcbf` is a problem-state instruction — usable from user code. Storage protection still applies; flushing an unmapped page raises a DSI exception.
- **Pair with `sync`.** Hardware `dcbf` does not by itself impose ordering; software that needs the flushed data visible to other masters (DMA, GPU) issues a [`sync`](../alu/sync.md) afterwards.
- **Self-modifying code companion.** When patching code, the recipe is `dcbst` (push dirty data through to memory) → `sync` → [`icbi`](icbi.md) (invalidate I-cache) → [`isync`](../alu/isync.md). `dcbf` is the heavier alternative when the writer also wants the line out of D-cache.
## Related Instructions
- [`dcbst`](dcbst.md) — write-back without invalidate (lighter than `dcbf`).
- [`dcbi`](dcbi.md) — invalidate without write-back (privileged; loses dirty data).
- [`dcbt`](dcbt.md), [`dcbtst`](dcbtst.md) — touch hints to bring lines in.
- [`dcbz`](dcbz.md), `dcbz128` — allocate-and-zero a line.
- [`icbi`](icbi.md) — instruction-cache invalidate, used together for self-modifying code.
- [`sync`](../alu/sync.md) — full memory barrier, typically follows `dcbf`.
## IBM Reference
- [AIX 7.3 — `dcbf` (Data Cache Block Flush)](https://www.ibm.com/docs/en/aix/7.3.0?topic=set-dcbf-data-cache-block-flush-instruction)
- `PowerISA v2.07B Book II` § "Storage Control Instructions" for cache-coherence semantics.