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download PDF document: cpufreq.4.pdf

CPUFREQ(4) FreeBSD Kernel Interfaces Manual CPUFREQ(4)
NAME cpufreq - CPU frequency control framework
SYNOPSIS device cpufreq
#include <sys/cpu.h>
int cpufreq_levels(device_t dev, struct cf_level *levels, int *count);
int cpufreq_set(device_t dev, const struct cf_level *level, int priority);
int cpufreq_get(device_t dev, struct cf_level *level);
int cpufreq_drv_settings(device_t dev, struct cf_setting *sets, int *count);
int cpufreq_drv_type(device_t dev, int *type);
int cpufreq_drv_set(device_t dev, const struct cf_setting *set);
int cpufreq_drv_get(device_t dev, struct cf_setting *set);
DESCRIPTION The cpufreq driver provides a unified kernel and user interface to CPU frequency control drivers. It combines multiple drivers offering different settings into a single interface of all possible levels. Users can access this interface directly via sysctl(8) or by indicating to /etc/rc.d/power_profile that it should switch settings when the AC line state changes via rc.conf(5).
SYSCTL VARIABLES These settings may be overridden by kernel drivers requesting alternate settings. If this occurs, the original values will be restored once the condition has passed (e.g., the system has cooled sufficiently). If a sysctl cannot be set due to an override condition, it will return EPERM.
The frequency cannot be changed if TSC is in use as the timecounter and the hardware does not support invariant TSC. This is because the timecounter system needs to use a source that has a constant rate. (On invariant TSC hardware, the TSC runs at the P0 rate regardless of the configured P-state.) Modern hardware mostly has invariant TSC. The timecounter source can be changed with the kern.timecounter.hardware sysctl. Available modes are in kern.timecounter.choice sysctl entry.
dev.cpu.%d.freq Current active CPU frequency in MHz.
dev.cpu.%d.freq_driver The specific cpufreq driver used by this cpu.
helpful for understanding which settings are offered by which driver for debugging purposes.
debug.cpufreq.lowest Lowest CPU frequency in MHz to offer to users. This setting is also accessible via a tunable with the same name. This can be used to disable very low levels that may be unusable on some systems.
debug.cpufreq.verbose Print verbose messages. This setting is also accessible via a tunable with the same name.
debug.hwpstate_pstate_limit If enabled, the AMD hwpstate driver limits administrative control of P-states (including by powerd(8)) to the value in the 0xc0010061 MSR, known as "PStateCurLim[CurPstateLimit]." It is disabled (0) by default. On some hardware, the limit register seems to simply follow the configured P-state, which results in the inability to ever raise the P-state back to P0 from a reduced frequency state.
SUPPORTED DRIVERS The following device drivers offer absolute frequency control via the cpufreq interface. Usually, only one of these can be active at a time.
acpi_perf ACPI CPU performance states est(4) Intel Enhanced SpeedStep hwpstate AMD Cool'n'Quiet2 used in K10 through Family 17h hwpstate_intel(4) Intel SpeedShift driver ichss Intel SpeedStep for ICH powernow AMD PowerNow! and Cool'n'Quiet for K7 and K8 smist Intel SMI-based SpeedStep for PIIX4
The following device drivers offer relative frequency control and have an additive effect:
acpi_throttle ACPI CPU throttling p4tcc Pentium 4 Thermal Control Circuitry
KERNEL INTERFACE Kernel components can query and set CPU frequencies through the cpufreq kernel interface. This involves obtaining a cpufreq device, calling cpufreq_levels() to get the currently available frequency levels, checking the current level with cpufreq_get(), and setting a new one from the list with cpufreq_set(). Each level may actually reference more than one cpufreq driver but kernel components do not need to be aware of this. The total_set element of struct cf_level provides a summary of the frequency and power for this level. Unknown or irrelevant values are set to CPUFREQ_VAL_UNKNOWN.
The cpufreq_levels() method takes a cpufreq device and an empty array of levels. The count value should be set to the number of levels available and after the function completes, will be set to the actual number of levels returned. If there are more levels than count will allow, it should return E2BIG.
The cpufreq_get() method takes a pointer to space to store a level. After successful completion, the output will be the current active level level is set without overwriting the older saved level. If cpufreq_set() is called with a NULL level, the saved level will be restored. If there is no saved level, cpufreq_set() will return ENXIO. If priority is lower than the current active level's priority, this method returns EPERM.
DRIVER INTERFACE Kernel drivers offering hardware-specific CPU frequency control export their individual settings through the cpufreq driver interface. This involves implementing these methods: cpufreq_drv_settings(), cpufreq_drv_type(), cpufreq_drv_set(), and cpufreq_drv_get(). Additionally, the driver must attach a device as a child of a CPU device so that these methods can be called by the cpufreq framework.
The cpufreq_drv_settings() method returns an array of currently available settings, each of type struct cf_setting. The driver should set unknown or irrelevant values to CPUFREQ_VAL_UNKNOWN. All the following elements for each setting should be returned:
struct cf_setting { int freq; /* CPU clock in MHz or 100ths of a percent. */ int volts; /* Voltage in mV. */ int power; /* Power consumed in mW. */ int lat; /* Transition latency in us. */ device_t dev; /* Driver providing this setting. */ };
On entry to this method, count contains the number of settings that can be returned. On successful completion, the driver sets it to the actual number of settings returned. If the driver offers more settings than count will allow, it should return E2BIG.
The cpufreq_drv_type() method indicates the type of settings it offers, either CPUFREQ_TYPE_ABSOLUTE or CPUFREQ_TYPE_RELATIVE. Additionally, the driver may set the CPUFREQ_FLAG_INFO_ONLY flag if the settings it provides are information for other drivers only and cannot be passed to cpufreq_drv_set() to activate them.
The cpufreq_drv_set() method takes a driver setting and makes it active. If the setting is invalid or not currently available, it should return EINVAL.
The cpufreq_drv_get() method returns the currently-active driver setting. The struct cf_setting returned must be valid for passing to cpufreq_drv_set(), including all elements being filled out correctly. If the driver cannot infer the current setting (even by estimating it with cpu_est_clockrate()) then it should set all elements to CPUFREQ_VAL_UNKNOWN.
SEE ALSO acpi(4), est(4), timecounters(4), powerd(8), sysctl(8)
AUTHORS Nate Lawson Bruno Ducrot contributed the powernow driver.
BUGS The following drivers have not yet been converted to the cpufreq interface: longrun(4).