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Unified Diff: LOWERING.rst

Issue 265703002: Add Om1 lowering with no optimizations (Closed) Base URL: https://gerrit.chromium.org/gerrit/p/native_client/pnacl-subzero.git@master
Patch Set: Merge changed from Karl's committed CL Created 6 years, 7 months ago
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Index: LOWERING.rst
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+Target-specific lowering in ICE
+===============================
+
+This document discusses several issues around generating target-specific ICE
+instructions from high-level ICE instructions.
+
+Meeting register address mode constraints
+-----------------------------------------
+
+Target-specific instructions often require specific operands to be in physical
+registers. Sometimes one specific register is required, but usually any
+register in a particular register class will suffice, and that register class is
+defined by the instruction/operand type.
+
+The challenge is that ``Variable`` represents an operand that is either a stack
+location in the current frame, or a physical register. Register allocation
+happens after target-specific lowering, so during lowering we generally don't
+know whether a ``Variable`` operand will meet a target instruction's physical
+register requirement.
+
+To this end, ICE allows certain hints/directives:
+
+ * ``Variable::setWeightInfinite()`` forces a ``Variable`` to get some
+ physical register (without specifying which particular one) from a
+ register class.
+
+ * ``Variable::setRegNum()`` forces a ``Variable`` to be assigned a specific
+ physical register.
+
+ * ``Variable::setPreferredRegister()`` registers a preference for a physical
+ register based on another ``Variable``'s physical register assignment.
+
+These hints/directives are described below in more detail. In most cases,
+though, they don't need to be explicity used, as the routines that create
+lowered instructions have reasonable defaults and simple options that control
+these hints/directives.
+
+The recommended ICE lowering strategy is to generate extra assignment
+instructions involving extra ``Variable`` temporaries, using the
+hints/directives to force suitable register assignments for the temporaries, and
+then let the global register allocator clean things up.
+
+Note: There is a spectrum of *implementation complexity* versus *translation
+speed* versus *code quality*. This recommended strategy picks a point on the
+spectrum representing very low complexity ("splat-isel"), pretty good code
+quality in terms of frame size and register shuffling/spilling, but perhaps not
+the fastest translation speed since extra instructions and operands are created
+up front and cleaned up at the end.
+
+Ensuring some physical register
+^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
+
+The x86 instruction::
+
+ mov dst, src
+
+needs at least one of its operands in a physical register (ignoring the case
+where ``src`` is a constant). This can be done as follows::
+
+ mov reg, src
+ mov dst, reg
+
+so long as ``reg`` is guaranteed to have a physical register assignment. The
+low-level lowering code that accomplishes this looks something like::
+
+ Variable *Reg;
+ Reg = Func->makeVariable(Dst->getType());
+ Reg->setWeightInfinite();
+ NewInst = InstX8632Mov::create(Func, Reg, Src);
+ NewInst = InstX8632Mov::create(Func, Dst, Reg);
+
+``Cfg::makeVariable()`` generates a new temporary, and
+``Variable::setWeightInfinite()`` gives it infinite weight for the purpose of
+register allocation, thus guaranteeing it a physical register.
+
+The ``_mov(Dest, Src)`` method in the ``TargetX8632`` class is sufficiently
+powerful to handle these details in most situations. Its ``Dest`` argument is
+an in/out parameter. If its input value is ``NULL``, then a new temporary
+variable is created, its type is set to the same type as the ``Src`` operand, it
+is given infinite register weight, and the new ``Variable`` is returned through
+the in/out parameter. (This is in addition to the new temporary being the dest
+operand of the ``mov`` instruction.) The simpler version of the above example
+is::
+
+ Variable *Reg = NULL;
+ _mov(Reg, Src);
+ _mov(Dst, Reg);
+
+Preferring another ``Variable``'s physical register
+^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
+
+One problem with this example is that the register allocator usually just
+assigns the first available register to a live range. If this instruction ends
+the live range of ``src``, this may lead to code like the following::
+
+ mov reg:eax, src:esi
+ mov dst:edi, reg:eax
+
+Since the first instruction happens to end the live range of ``src:esi``, it
+would be better to assign ``esi`` to ``reg``::
+
+ mov reg:esi, src:esi
+ mov dst:edi, reg:esi
+
+The first instruction, ``mov esi, esi``, is a redundant assignment and will
+ultimately be elided, leaving just ``mov edi, esi``.
+
+We can tell the register allocator to prefer the register assigned to a
+different ``Variable``, using ``Variable::setPreferredRegister()``::
+
+ Variable *Reg;
+ Reg = Func->makeVariable(Dst->getType());
+ Reg->setWeightInfinite();
+ Reg->setPreferredRegister(Src);
+ NewInst = InstX8632Mov::create(Func, Reg, Src);
+ NewInst = InstX8632Mov::create(Func, Dst, Reg);
+
+Or more simply::
+
+ Variable *Reg = NULL;
+ _mov(Reg, Src);
+ _mov(Dst, Reg);
+ Reg->setPreferredRegister(llvm::dyn_cast<Variable>(Src));
+
+The usefulness of ``setPreferredRegister()`` is tied into the implementation of
+the register allocator. ICE uses linear-scan register allocation, which sorts
+live ranges by starting point and assigns registers in that order. Using
+``B->setPreferredRegister(A)`` only helps when ``A`` has already been assigned a
+register by the time ``B`` is being considered. For an assignment ``B=A``, this
+is usually a safe assumption because ``B``'s live range begins at this
+instruction but ``A``'s live range must have started earlier. (There may be
+exceptions for variables that are no longer in SSA form.) But
+``A->setPreferredRegister(B)`` is unlikely to help unless ``B`` has been
+precolored. In summary, generally the best practice is to use a pattern like::
+
+ NewInst = InstX8632Mov::create(Func, Dst, Src);
+ Dst->setPreferredRegister(Src);
+ //Src->setPreferredRegister(Dst); -- unlikely to have any effect
+
+Ensuring a specific physical register
+^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
+
+Some instructions require operands in specific physical registers, or produce
+results in specific physical registers. For example, the 32-bit ``ret``
+instruction needs its operand in ``eax``. This can be done with
+``Variable::setRegNum()``::
+
+ Variable *Reg;
+ Reg = Func->makeVariable(Src->getType());
+ Reg->setWeightInfinite();
+ Reg->setRegNum(Reg_eax);
+ NewInst = InstX8632Mov::create(Func, Reg, Src);
+ NewInst = InstX8632Ret::create(Func, Reg);
+
+Precoloring with ``Variable::setRegNum()`` effectively gives it infinite weight
+for register allocation, so the call to ``Variable::setWeightInfinite()`` is
+technically unnecessary, but perhaps documents the intention a bit more
+strongly.
+
+The ``_mov(Dest, Src, RegNum)`` method in the ``TargetX8632`` class has an
+optional ``RegNum`` argument to force a specific register assignment when the
+input ``Dest`` is ``NULL``. As described above, passing in ``Dest=NULL`` causes
+a new temporary variable to be created with infinite register weight, and in
+addition the specific register is chosen. The simpler version of the above
+example is::
+
+ Variable *Reg = NULL;
+ _mov(Reg, Src, Reg_eax);
+ _ret(Reg);
+
+Disabling live-range interference
+^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
+
+Another problem with the "``mov reg,src; mov dst,reg``" example happens when
+the instructions do *not* end the live range of ``src``. In this case, the live
+ranges of ``reg`` and ``src`` interfere, so they can't get the same physical
+register despite the explicit preference. However, ``reg`` is meant to be an
+alias of ``src`` so they needn't be considered to interfere with each other.
+This can be expressed via the second (bool) argument of
+``setPreferredRegister()``::
+
+ Variable *Reg;
+ Reg = Func->makeVariable(Dst->getType());
+ Reg->setWeightInfinite();
+ Reg->setPreferredRegister(Src, true);
+ NewInst = InstX8632Mov::create(Func, Reg, Src);
+ NewInst = InstX8632Mov::create(Func, Dst, Reg);
+
+This should be used with caution and probably only for these short-live-range
+temporaries, otherwise the classic "lost copy" or "lost swap" problem may be
+encountered.
+
+Instructions with register side effects
+---------------------------------------
+
+Some instructions produce unwanted results in other registers, or otherwise kill
+preexisting values in other registers. For example, a ``call`` kills the
+scratch registers. Also, the x86-32 ``idiv`` instruction produces the quotient
+in ``eax`` and the remainder in ``edx``, but generally only one of those is
+needed in the lowering. It's important that the register allocator doesn't
+allocate that register to a live range that spans the instruction.
+
+ICE provides the ``InstFakeKill`` pseudo-instruction to mark such register
+kills. For each of the instruction's source variables, a fake trivial live
+range is created that begins and ends in that instruction. The ``InstFakeKill``
+instruction is inserted after the ``call`` instruction. For example::
+
+ CallInst = InstX8632Call::create(Func, ... );
+ VarList KilledRegs;
+ KilledRegs.push_back(eax);
+ KilledRegs.push_back(ecx);
+ KilledRegs.push_back(edx);
+ NewInst = InstFakeKill::create(Func, KilledRegs, CallInst);
+
+The last argument to the ``InstFakeKill`` constructor links it to the previous
+call instruction, such that if its linked instruction is dead-code eliminated,
+the ``InstFakeKill`` instruction is eliminated as well.
+
+The killed register arguments need to be assigned a physical register via
+``Variable::setRegNum()`` for this to be effective. To avoid a massive
+proliferation of ``Variable`` temporaries, the ``TargetLowering`` object caches
+one precolored ``Variable`` for each physical register::
+
+ CallInst = InstX8632Call::create(Func, ... );
+ VarList KilledRegs;
+ Variable *eax = Func->getTarget()->getPhysicalRegister(Reg_eax);
+ Variable *ecx = Func->getTarget()->getPhysicalRegister(Reg_ecx);
+ Variable *edx = Func->getTarget()->getPhysicalRegister(Reg_edx);
+ KilledRegs.push_back(eax);
+ KilledRegs.push_back(ecx);
+ KilledRegs.push_back(edx);
+ NewInst = InstFakeKill::create(Func, KilledRegs, CallInst);
+
+On first glance, it may seem unnecessary to explicitly kill the register that
+returns the ``call`` return value. However, if for some reason the ``call``
+result ends up being unused, dead-code elimination could remove dead assignments
+and incorrectly expose the return value register to a register allocation
+assignment spanning the call, which would be incorrect.
+
+Instructions producing multiple values
+--------------------------------------
+
+ICE instructions allow at most one destination ``Variable``. Some machine
+instructions produce more than one usable result. For example, the x86-32
+``call`` ABI returns a 64-bit integer result in the ``edx:eax`` register pair.
+Also, x86-32 has a version of the ``imul`` instruction that produces a 64-bit
+result in the ``edx:eax`` register pair.
+
+To support multi-dest instructions, ICE provides the ``InstFakeDef``
+pseudo-instruction, whose destination can be precolored to the appropriate
+physical register. For example, a ``call`` returning a 64-bit result in
+``edx:eax``::
+
+ CallInst = InstX8632Call::create(Func, RegLow, ... );
+ ...
+ NewInst = InstFakeKill::create(Func, KilledRegs, CallInst);
+ Variable *RegHigh = Func->makeVariable(IceType_i32);
+ RegHigh->setRegNum(Reg_edx);
+ NewInst = InstFakeDef::create(Func, RegHigh);
+
+``RegHigh`` is then assigned into the desired ``Variable``. If that assignment
+ends up being dead-code eliminated, the ``InstFakeDef`` instruction may be
+eliminated as well.
+
+Preventing dead-code elimination
+--------------------------------
+
+ICE instructions with a non-NULL ``Dest`` are subject to dead-code elimination.
+However, some instructions must not be eliminated in order to preserve side
+effects. This applies to most function calls, volatile loads, and loads and
+integer divisions where the underlying language and runtime are relying on
+hardware exception handling.
+
+ICE facilitates this with the ``InstFakeUse`` pseudo-instruction. This forces a
+use of its source ``Variable`` to keep that variable's definition alive. Since
+the ``InstFakeUse`` instruction has no ``Dest``, it will not be eliminated.
+
+Here is the full example of the x86-32 ``call`` returning a 32-bit integer
+result::
+
+ Variable *Reg = Func->makeVariable(IceType_i32);
+ Reg->setRegNum(Reg_eax);
+ CallInst = InstX8632Call::create(Func, Reg, ... );
+ VarList KilledRegs;
+ Variable *eax = Func->getTarget()->getPhysicalRegister(Reg_eax);
+ Variable *ecx = Func->getTarget()->getPhysicalRegister(Reg_ecx);
+ Variable *edx = Func->getTarget()->getPhysicalRegister(Reg_edx);
+ KilledRegs.push_back(eax);
+ KilledRegs.push_back(ecx);
+ KilledRegs.push_back(edx);
+ NewInst = InstFakeKill::create(Func, KilledRegs, CallInst);
+ NewInst = InstFakeUse::create(Func, Reg);
+ NewInst = InstX8632Mov::create(Func, Result, Reg);
+
+Without the ``InstFakeUse``, the entire call sequence could be dead-code
+eliminated if its result were unused.
+
+One more note on this topic. These tools can be used to allow a multi-dest
+instruction to be dead-code eliminated only when none of its results is live.
+The key is to use the optional source parameter of the ``InstFakeDef``
+instruction. Using pseudocode::
+
+ t1:eax = call foo(arg1, ...)
+ InstFakeKill(eax, ecx, edx)
+ t2:edx = InstFakeDef(t1)
+ v_result_low = t1
+ v_result_high = t2
+
+If ``v_result_high`` is live but ``v_result_low`` is dead, adding ``t1`` as an
+argument to ``InstFakeDef`` suffices to keep the ``call`` instruction live.
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