nuttx/Documentation/guides/zerolatencyinterrupts.rst

=========================================
High Performance, Zero Latency Interrupts
=========================================

Generic Interrupt Handling
==========================

NuttX includes a generic interrupt handling subsystem that makes it
convenient to deal with interrupts using only IRQ numbers. In order to
integrate with this generic interrupt handling system, the platform
specific code is expected to collect all thread state into a container,
``struct xcptcontext``. This container represents the full state of the
thread and can be saved, restored, and exchanged as a *unit of thread*.

While this state saving has many useful benefits, it does require
processing time. It was reported to me that this state saving required
about two microseconds on an STM32F4Discovery board. That added
interrupt latency might be an issue in some circumstances.

In addition, critical sections that are required in various places
throughout the RTOS can pause interrupt handling momentarily. This
increases the latency for those interrupts which become pending during a
critical section. As this is likely to occur for some instances of an
interrupt and not others, the interrupt latency varies from time to time
(experiences *jitter*). Like the added latency discussed above, that
jitter might be an issue in some circumstances.

**Terminology:** The concepts discussed in this guide are not unique to
NuttX. Other RTOSes have similar concepts but will use different
terminology. The `Nucleus <https://www.embedded.com/design/operating-systems/4461604/Interrupts-in-the-Nucleus-SE-RTOS>`_
RTOS, for example, uses the terms *Native* and *Managed* interrupts.

Bypassing the Generic Interrupt Handling
========================================

Most modern MCUs (such as the ARM Cortex-M family) receive and dispatch
interrupts through a *vector table*. The vector table is a table in
memory. Each entry in the table holds the address of an interrupt
handler corresponding to different interrupts. When the interrupt
occurs, the hardware fetches the corresponding interrupt handler address
and gives control to the interrupt handler.

In the implementation of the generic interrupt handler, these vectored
interrupts are not used as intended by the hardware designer. Rather,
they are used to obtain an IRQ number and then to transfer control to
the common, generic interrupt handling logic.

One way to achieve higher performance interrupts and still retain the
benefits of the generic interrupt handling logic is to simply replace an
interrupt handler address in the vector table with a different interrupt
handler; one that does not vector to the generic interrupt handling
logic logic, but rather to your custom code.

Often, the vector table is in ROM. So you can hard-code a special
interrupt vector by modifying the ROM vector table so that the specific
entry points to your custom interrupt handler. Or, if the architecture
permits, you can use a vector table in RAM. Then you can freely attach
and detach custom vector handlers by writing directly to the vector
table. The ARM Cortex-M port provides interfaces to support this mode
when the ``CONFIG_ARCH_RAMVECTORS`` option is enabled.

So what is the downside? There are two:

* Your custom interrupt handler will not have collected its state into
  the ``struct xcptcontext`` container. Therefore, it cannot communicate
  with operating system. Your custom interrupt handler has been taken
  "out of the game" and can no longer work with the system.

* If your custom interrupt is truly going to be *high performance* then
  you will also have to support nested interrupts! The custom interrupt
  must have a high priority and must be able interrupt the generic
  interrupt handling logic. Otherwise, it will be occasionally delayed
  when there is a collision between your custom interrupt and other,
  lower priority interrupts.

Getting Back into the Game
==========================

As mentioned, the custom interrupt handler cannot use most of the
services of the OS since it has not created a ``struct xcptcontext``
container. So it needs a mechanism to "get back into the game" when it
needs to interact with the operating system to, for example, post a
semaphore, signal a thread, or send a message.

The ARM Cortex-M family supports a special way to do this using the
*PendSV* interrupt:

* The custom logic would connect with the *PendSV* interrupt using the
  standard ``irq_attach()`` interface.

* In the custom interrupt handler, it would schedule the *PendSV*
  interrupt when it needs to communicate with the OS.

* The *PendSV* interrupt is dispatched through the generic interrupt
  system so when the attached *PendSV* interrupt is handled, it will be
  in a context where it can perform any necessary OS interactions.

With the ARMv7_M architecture, the *PendSV* interrupt can be generated
with:

.. code-block:: c

  up_trigger_irq(NVIC_IRQ_PENDSV);

On other architectures, it may be possible to do something like a
software interrupt from the custom interrupt handler to accomplish the
same thing.

The custom logic would be needed to communicate the events of interest
between the high priority interrupt handler and *PendSV* interrupt
handler. A detailed discussion of that custom logic is beyond the
scope of this Wiki page.

Nested Interrupt Handling
=========================

Some general notes about nested interrupt handling are provided in
:doc:`nestedinterrupts`. In this case, handling the nested custom
interrupt is simpler because the generic interrupt handler is not
re-entered. Rather, the generic interrupt handler must simply be made to
co-exist with the custom interrupt interrupt handler.

Modifications may be required to the generic interrupt handling logic
to accomplish. A few points need to be made here:

* The MCU should support interrupt prioritization so that the custom
  interrupt can be scheduled with a higher priority.

* The generic interrupt handlers currently disable interrupts during
  interrupts. Instead, they must be able to keep the custom interrupt
  enabled throughout interrupt process but still prevent re-entrancy by
  other standard interrupts (This can be done by setting an interrupt
  base priority level in the Cortex-M family).

* The custom interrupt handler can now interrupt the generic interrupt
  handler at any place. Is the logic safe in all cases to be
  interrupted? Sometimes interrupt handlers place the MCU in momentarily
  perverse states while registers are being manipulated. Make sure that
  it is safe to take interrupts at any time (or else keep the interrupts
  disabled in the critical times).

* Will the custom interrupt handler have all of the resources it needs
  in place when it occurs? Will it have a valid stack pointer? (In the
  Cortex-M implementation, for example, the MSP may not be valid when
  the custom interrupt handler is entered).

Some of these issues are complex and so you should expect some
complexity in getting the nested interrupt handler to work.

Cortex-M3/4 Implementation
==========================

Such high priority, nested interrupt handler has been implemented for
the Cortex-M3/4 families.

The following paragraphs will summarize that implementation.

Configuration Options
---------------------

``CONFIG_ARCH_HIPRI_INTERRUPT``

If ``CONFIG_ARMV7M_USEBASEPRI`` is selected, then interrupts will be
disabled by setting the *BASEPRI* register to
``NVIC_SYSH_DISABLE_PRIORITY`` so that most interrupts will not have
execution priority. *SVCall* must have execution priority in all
cases.

In the normal cases, interrupts are not nest-able and all interrupts
run at an execution priority between ``NVIC_SYSH_PRIORITY_MIN`` and
``NVIC_SYSH_PRIORITY_MAX`` (with ``NVIC_SYSH_PRIORITY_MAX`` reserved
for *SVCall*).

If, in addition, ``CONFIG_ARCH_HIPRI_INTERRUPT`` is defined, then
special high priority interrupts are supported. These are not "nested"
in the normal sense of the word. These high priority interrupts can
interrupt normal processing but execute outside of OS (although they
can "get back into the game" via a *PendSV* interrupt).

Disabling the High Priority Interrupt
-------------------------------------

In the normal course of things, interrupts must occasionally be
disabled using the ``up_irq_save()`` inline function to prevent
contention in use of resources that may be shared between interrupt
level and non-interrupt level logic. Now the question arises, if we
are using the *BASEPRI* to disable interrupts and have high priority
interrupts enabled (``CONFIG_ARCH_HIPRI_INTERRUPT=y``), do we disable
all interrupts except *SVCall* (we cannot disable *SVCall*
interrupts)? Or do we only disable the "normal" interrupts?

If we are using the *BASEPRI* register to disable interrupts, then the
answer is that we must disable *ONLY* the normal interrupts. That is
because we cannot disable *SVCall* interrupts and we cannot permit
*SVCall* interrupts running at a higher priority than the high
priority interrupts. Otherwise, they will introduce jitter in the high
priority interrupt response time.

Hence, if you need to disable the high priority interrupt, you will
have to disable the interrupt either at the peripheral that generates
the interrupt or at the interrupt controller, the *NVIC*. Disabling
global interrupts via the *BASEPRI* register cannot affect high
priority interrupts.

Dependencies
------------

* ``CONFIG_ARCH_HAVE_IRQPRIO``. Support for prioritized interrupt
  support must be enabled.

* Floating Point Registers. If used with a Cortex-M4 that supports
  hardware floating point, you cannot use hardware floating point in the
  high priority interrupt handler UNLESS you use the common vector logic
  that supports saving of floating point registers on all interrupts.

Configuring High Priority Interrupts
------------------------------------

How do you specify a high priority interrupt? You need to do two
things:

First, You need to change the address in the vector table so that the
high priority interrupt vectors to your special C interrupt handler.
There are two ways to do this:

* If you select ``CONFIG_ARCH_RAMVECTORS``, then vectors will be kept in
  RAM and the system will support the interface: ``int
  up_ramvec_attach(int irq, up_vector_t vector)``. That interface can be
  used to attach your C interrupt handler to the vector at run time.

* Alternatively, you could keep your vectors in FLASH but in order to
  this, you would have to develop your own custom vector table.

Second, you need to set the priority of your interrupt to *NVIC* to
``NVIC_SYSH_HIGH_PRIORITY`` using the standard interface:
``int up_prioritize_irq(int irq, int priority);``

Example Code
------------

You can find an example that tests the high priority, nested interrupts in the NuttX source:

* nuttx/boards/arm/stm32/viewtool-stm32f107/README.txt. Description of
  the configuration

* nuttx/boards/arm/stm32/viewtool-stm32f107/highpri. Test configuration

* nuttx/boards/arm/stm32/viewtool-stm32f107/src/stm32_highpri. Test
  driver.