Intel IXP400 Access-Layer Components Feature Control IxFeatureCtrl API, Hardware Feature Control

Intel® IXP400 Software

Access-Layer Components:

Feature Control (IxFeatureCtrl) API 12

This chapter describes the Intel® IXP400 Software v2.0’s “Feature Control API” access-layer component.

IxFeatureCtrl is a component that detects the capabilities of the Intel® IXP42X Product Line of Network Processors and IXC1100 Control Plane Processor and Intel® IXP46X Product Line of Network Processors. It provides a configurable software interface that can be used to simulate different processors variants in the IXP42X product line and IXP46X product line.

12.1What’s New

The following changes or additions have been made to the API:

•The function ixFeatureCtrlDeviceRead() has been added. This function may be called to quickly determine whether the host processor is a IXP46X product line or IXP42X product line processor.

•The function ixFeatureCtrlSoftwareBuildGet() has been added. This function refers to the value set by the compiler flag to determine the type of device the software is built for. This is useful for detecting if the IXP400 software was built for one specific product line versus another product line.

•Support for the IXP46X product line has been added in all of the functions and register definitions.

12.2Overview

IxFeatureCtrl provides three major functions. First, functions are provided that read the hardware capabilities of the processor. The IxFeatureCtrl API is also capable of disabling the peripherals or components on the processor. Finally, the API provides a modifiable software configuration structure that can be read or modified by other software components to determine the run-time capabilities of a system.

12.3Hardware Feature Control

Detecting and controlling the hardware features of the processor is performed using several registers on the host processor. The registers include:

•CP15, Register 0, ID Register - This register contains product identification data. This software component refers to this data as the Product ID. The product ID is returned from the function ixFeatureCtrlProductIdRead() and it contains the processor type, variant, and

Programmer’s Guide	IXP400 Software Version 2.0	April 2005
	Document Number: 252539, Revision: 007	183