--- /dev/null
+
+ AMD K6 MPN SUBROUTINES
+
+
+
+This directory contains code optimized for AMD K6 CPUs, meaning K6, K6-2 and
+K6-3.
+
+The mmx and k62mmx subdirectories have routines using MMX instructions. All
+K6s have MMX, the separate directories are just so that ./configure can omit
+them if the assembler doesn't support MMX.
+
+
+
+
+STATUS
+
+Times for the loops, with all code and data in L1 cache, are as follows.
+
+ cycles/limb
+
+ mpn_add_n/sub_n 3.25 normal, 2.75 in-place
+
+ mpn_mul_1 6.25
+ mpn_add/submul_1 7.65-8.4 (varying with data values)
+
+ mpn_mul_basecase 9.25 cycles/crossproduct (approx)
+ mpn_sqr_basecase 4.7 cycles/crossproduct (approx)
+ or 9.2 cycles/triangleproduct (approx)
+
+ mpn_divrem_1 20.0
+ mpn_mod_1 20.0
+ mpn_divexact_by3 11.0
+
+ mpn_l/rshift 3.0
+
+ mpn_copyi/copyd 1.0
+
+ mpn_com_n 1.5-1.85 \
+ mpn_and/andn/ior/xor_n 1.5-1.75 | varying with
+ mpn_iorn/xnor_n 2.0-2.25 | data alignment
+ mpn_nand/nior_n 2.0-2.25 /
+
+ mpn_popcount 12.5
+ mpn_hamdist 13.0
+
+
+K6-2 and K6-3 have dual-issue MMX and get the following improvements.
+
+ mpn_l/rshift 1.75
+
+ mpn_copyi/copyd 0.56 or 1.0 \
+ |
+ mpn_com_n 1.0-1.2 | varying with
+ mpn_and/andn/ior/xor_n 1.2-1.5 | data alignment
+ mpn_iorn/xnor_n 1.5-2.0 |
+ mpn_nand/nior_n 1.75-2.0 /
+
+ mpn_popcount 9.0
+ mpn_hamdist 11.5
+
+
+Prefetching of sources hasn't yet given any joy. With the 3DNow "prefetch"
+instruction, code seems to run slower, and with just "mov" loads it doesn't
+seem faster. Results so far are inconsistent. The K6 does a hardware
+prefetch of the second cache line in a sector, so the penalty for not
+prefetching in software is reduced.
+
+
+
+
+NOTES
+
+All K6 family chips have MMX, but only K6-2 and K6-3 have 3DNow.
+
+Plain K6 executes MMX instructions only in the X pipe, but K6-2 and K6-3 can
+execute them in both X and Y (and together).
+
+Branch misprediction penalty is 1 to 4 cycles (Optimization Manual
+chapter 6 table 12).
+
+Write-allocate L1 data cache means prefetching of destinations is unnecessary.
+Store queue is 7 entries of 64 bits each.
+
+Floating point multiplications can be done in parallel with integer
+multiplications, but there doesn't seem to be any way to make use of this.
+
+
+
+OPTIMIZATIONS
+
+Unrolled loops are used to reduce looping overhead. The unrolling is
+configurable up to 32 limbs/loop for most routines, up to 64 for some.
+
+Sometimes computed jumps into the unrolling are used to handle sizes not a
+multiple of the unrolling. An attractive feature of this is that times
+smoothly increase with operand size, but an indirect jump is about 6 cycles
+and the setups about another 6, so it depends on how much the unrolled code
+is faster than a simple loop as to whether a computed jump ought to be used.
+
+Position independent code is implemented using a call to get eip for
+computed jumps and a ret is always done, rather than an addl $4,%esp or a
+popl, so the CPU return address branch prediction stack stays synchronised
+with the actual stack in memory. Such a call however still costs 4 to 7
+cycles.
+
+Branch prediction, in absence of any history, will guess forward jumps are
+not taken and backward jumps are taken. Where possible it's arranged that
+the less likely or less important case is under a taken forward jump.
+
+
+
+MMX
+
+Putting emms or femms as late as possible in a routine seems to be fastest.
+Perhaps an emms or femms stalls until all outstanding MMX instructions have
+completed, so putting it later gives them a chance to complete on their own,
+in parallel with other operations (like register popping).
+
+The Optimization Manual chapter 5 recommends using a femms on K6-2 and K6-3
+at the start of a routine, in case it's been preceded by x87 floating point
+operations. This isn't done because in gmp programs it's expected that x87
+floating point won't be much used and that chances are an mpn routine won't
+have been preceded by any x87 code.
+
+
+
+CODING
+
+Instructions in general code are shown paired if they can decode and execute
+together, meaning two short decode instructions with the second not
+depending on the first, only the first using the shifter, no more than one
+load, and no more than one store.
+
+K6 does some out of order execution so the pairings aren't essential, they
+just show what slots might be available. When decoding is the limiting
+factor things can be scheduled that might not execute until later.
+
+
+
+NOTES
+
+Code alignment
+
+- if an opcode/modrm or 0Fh/opcode/modrm crosses a cache line boundary,
+ short decode is inhibited. The cross.pl script detects this.
+
+- loops and branch targets should be aligned to 16 bytes, or ensure at least
+ 2 instructions before a 32 byte boundary. This makes use of the 16 byte
+ cache in the BTB.
+
+Addressing modes
+
+- (%esi) degrades decoding from short to vector. 0(%esi) doesn't have this
+ problem, and can be used as an equivalent, or easier is just to use a
+ different register, like %ebx.
+
+- K6 and pre-CXT core K6-2 have the following problem. (K6-2 CXT and K6-3
+ have it fixed, these being cpuid function 1 signatures 0x588 to 0x58F).
+
+ If more than 3 bytes are needed to determine instruction length then
+ decoding degrades from direct to long, or from long to vector. This
+ happens with forms like "0F opcode mod/rm" with mod/rm=00-xxx-100 since
+ with mod=00 the sib determines whether there's a displacement.
+
+ This affects all MMX and 3DNow instructions, and others with an 0F prefix
+ like movzbl. The modes affected are anything with an index and no
+ displacement, or an index but no base, and this includes (%esp) which is
+ really (,%esp,1).
+
+ The cross.pl script detects problem cases. The workaround is to always
+ use a displacement, and to do this with Zdisp if it's zero so the
+ assembler doesn't discard it.
+
+ See Optimization Manual rev D page 67 and 3DNow Porting Guide rev B pages
+ 13-14 and 36-37.
+
+Calls
+
+- indirect jumps and calls are not branch predicted, they measure about 6
+ cycles.
+
+Various
+
+- adcl 2 cycles of decode, maybe 2 cycles executing in the X pipe
+- bsf 12-27 cycles
+- emms 5 cycles
+- femms 3 cycles
+- jecxz 2 cycles taken, 13 not taken (optimization manual says 7 not taken)
+- divl 20 cycles back-to-back
+- imull 2 decode, 2 execute
+- mull 2 decode, 3 execute (optimization manual decoding sample)
+- prefetch 2 cycles
+- rcll/rcrl implicit by one bit: 2 cycles
+ immediate or %cl count: 11 + 2 per bit for dword
+ 13 + 4 per bit for byte
+- setCC 2 cycles
+- xchgl %eax,reg 1.5 cycles, back-to-back (strange)
+ reg,reg 2 cycles, back-to-back
+
+
+
+
+REFERENCES
+
+"AMD-K6 Processor Code Optimization Application Note", AMD publication
+number 21924, revision D amendment 0, January 2000. This describes K6-2 and
+K6-3. Available on-line,
+
+ http://www.amd.com/K6/k6docs/pdf/21924.pdf
+
+"AMD-K6 MMX Enhanced Processor x86 Code Optimization Application Note", AMD
+publication number 21828, revision A amendment 0, August 1997. This is an
+older edition of the above document, describing plain K6. Available
+on-line,
+
+ http://www.amd.com/K6/k6docs/pdf/21828.pdf
+
+"3DNow Technology Manual", AMD publication number 21928F/0-August 1999.
+This describes the femms and prefetch instructions, but nothing else from
+3DNow has been used. Available on-line,
+
+ http://www.amd.com/K6/k6docs/pdf/21928.pdf
+
+"3DNow Instruction Porting Guide", AMD publication number 22621, revision B,
+August 1999. This has some notes on general K6 optimizations as well as
+3DNow. Available on-line,
+
+ http://www.amd.com/products/cpg/athlon/techdocs/pdf/22621.pdf
+
+
+
+----------------
+Local variables:
+mode: text
+fill-column: 76
+End: