System Address Map

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4 System Address Map

A system based on the 845 chipset supports 4 GB of addressable memory space and 64 KB+3 of addressable I/O space. The I/O and memory spaces are divided by system configuration software into regions. The memory ranges are useful either as system memory or as specialized memory, while the I/O regions are used solely to control the operation of devices in the system.

When the MCH receives a write request whose address targets an invalid space, the data is ignored. For reads, the MCH responds by returning all zeros on the requesting interface.

4.1Memory Address Ranges

The system memory map is broken into two categories:

Extended Memory Range (1 MB to 4 GB). The second is extended memory, existing between 1MB and 4GB. It contains a 32-bit memory space, which is used for mapping PCI, AGP, APIC, SMRAM, and BIOS memory spaces.

DOS Compatible Area (below 1 MB). The final range is a DOS legacy space, which is used for BIOS and legacy devices on the LPC interface.

Figure 3. Addressable Memory Space

Additional System

Memory Address

Range

PCI Memory Address

Range

System Memory Address Range

DOS Legacy Address

Range

16GB

4GB

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hub Interface

AGP

 

Graphics

 

I/O

 

APICs

 

Aperture

 

Aperture

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Top of Low

Memory

1 MB

Independently Programmable

Non-overlapping W indows

sys_addr_map_1

These address ranges are always mapped to system memory, regardless of the system configuration. Memory may be taken out of the system memory segment for use by System Management Mode (SMM) hardware and software. The Top of Low Memory (TOM) register defines the top of system memory.

Note that the address of the highest 16 MB quantity of valid memory in the system is placed into the GBA15 register. For memory populations <3 GB, this value will be the same as the one programmed into the TOM register. For other memory configurations, the two are unlikely to be the same, since the PCI configuration portion of the BIOS software will program the TOM register to the maximum value that is less than the amount of memory in the system and that allows enough room for all populated PCI devices.

Intel® 82845 MCH for SDR Datasheet

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Intel 845 manual Memory Address Ranges, Addressable Memory Space