[[core_debug]]
== Sdext (ISA Extension)

This chapter describes the Sdext ISA extension. It must be implemented
to make external debug work, and is only useful in conjunction with
external debug.

Modifications to the RISC-V core to support debug are kept to a minimum.
There is a special execution mode (Debug Mode) and a few extra CSRs. The
DM takes care of the rest.

In order to be compatible with this specification an implementation must
implement everything described in this chapter that is not explicitly
listed as optional.

If Sdext is implemented and Sdtrig is not implemented, then accessing
any of the Sdtrig CSRs must raise an illegal instruction exception.

[[debugmode]]
=== Debug Mode

Debug Mode is a special processor mode used only when a hart is halted
for external debugging. Because the hart is halted, there is no forward
progress in the normal instruction stream. How Debug Mode is implemented
is not specified here.

When executing code due to an abstract command, the hart stays in Debug
Mode and the following apply:

. All implemented instructions operate just as they do in M-mode, unless
an exception is mentioned in this list.
. All operations are executed with machine mode privilege, except that
additional Debug Mode CSRs are accessible and in may be ignored
according to <<mprven>>. Full permission checks, or a relaxed set of permission
checks, will apply according to <<relaxedpriv>>.
. All interrupts (including NMI) are masked.
. Traps don't take place. Instead, they end execution of the program
buffer and the hart remains in Debug Mode. Because they do not trap to
M-mode, they do not update registers such as , `mepc`, `mcause`,
`mtval`, `mtval2`, and `mtinst`. The same is true for the equivalent
privileged registers that are updated when trapping to other modes.
Registers that may be updated as part of execution before the exception
are allowed to be updated. For example, vector load/store instructions
which raise exceptions may partially update the destination register and
set `vstart` appropriately.
. Triggers don't match or fire.
. If <<stopcount>> is 0 then counters continue. If it is 1 then counters are stopped.
. If <<stoptime>> is 0 then continues to update. If it is 1 then will not update. It will resynchronize with after leaving Debug Mode.
. Instructions that place the hart into a stalled state act as a `nop`.
This includes `wfi`, `wrs.sto`, and `wrs.nto`.
. Almost all instructions that change the privilege mode have  behavior.
This includes `ecall`, `mret`, `sret`, and `uret`. (To change the
privilege mode, the debugger can write and in ). The only exception is
`ebreak`, which ends execution of the Program Buffer when executed.
. All control transfer instructions may act as illegal instructions if
their destination is in the Program Buffer. If one such instruction acts
as an illegal instruction, all such instructions must act as illegal
instructions.
. All control transfer instructions may act as illegal instructions if
their destination is outside the Program Buffer. If one such instruction
acts as an illegal instruction, all such instructions must act as
illegal instructions.
. Instructions that depend on the value of the PC (e.g. `auipc`) may act
as illegal instructions.
. Effective XLEN is DXLEN.
. Forward progress is guaranteed.

[NOTE]
====
When <<mprven>>, the external debugger can set MPRV and MPP appropriately to have
hardware perform memory accesses with the appropriate endianness,
address translation, permission checks, and PMP/PMA checks (subject to <<relaxedpriv>>). This is also the only way to access all of physical memory when
34-bit physical addresses are supported on a Sv32 hart. If hardware ties <<mprven>> to 0 then the external debugger is expected to simulate all the effects
of MPRV, including any extensions that affect memory accesses. For these
reasons it is recommended to tie <<mprven>> to 1.
====

=== Load-Reserved/Store-Conditional Instructions

The reservation registered by an `lr` instruction on a memory address
may be lost when entering Debug Mode or while in Debug Mode. This means
that there may be no forward progress if Debug Mode is entered between
`lr` and `sc` pairs.

[NOTE]
====
This is a behavior that debug users must be aware of. If they have a
breakpoint set between a `lr` and `sc` pair, or are stepping through
such code, the `sc` may never succeed. Fortunately in general use there
will be very few instructions in such a sequence, and anybody debugging
it will quickly notice that the reservation is not occurring. The
solution in that case is to set a breakpoint on the first instruction
after the `sc` and run to it. A higher level debugger may choose to
automate this.
====

=== Wait for Interrupt Instruction

If halt is requested while `wfi` is executing, then the hart must leave
the stalled state, completing this instruction's execution, and then
enter Debug Mode.

=== Wait-on-Reservation-Set Instructions

If halt is requested while `wrs.sto` or `wrs.nto` is executing, then the
hart must leave the stalled state, completing this instruction's
execution, and then enter Debug Mode.

=== Single Step

[[stepbit]]
==== Step Bit In Dcsr

This method is only available to external debuggers, and is the
preferred way to single step.

An external debugger can cause a halted hart to execute a single
instruction or trap and then re-enter Debug Mode by setting <<step>> before
resuming. If <<step>> is set when a hart resumes then it will single step,
regardless of the reason for resuming.

If control is transferred to a trap handler while executing the
instruction, then Debug Mode is re-entered immediately after the PC is
changed to the trap handler, and the appropriate `tval` and `cause`
registers are updated. In this case none of the trap handler is
executed, and if the cause was a pending interrupt no instructions might
be executed at all.

If executing or fetching the instruction causes a trigger to fire with
action=1, Debug Mode is re-entered immediately after that trigger has
fired. In that case <<cause>> is set to 2 (trigger) instead of 4 (single step).
Whether the instruction is executed or not depends on the specific
configuration of the trigger.

If the instruction that is executed causes the PC to change to an
address where an instruction fetch causes an exception, that exception
does not occur until the next time the hart is resumed. Similarly, a
trigger at the new address does not fire until the hart actually
attempts to execute that instruction.

If the instruction being stepped over would normally stall the hart,
then instead the instruction is treated as a `nop`. This includes `wfi`,
`wrs.sto`, and `wrs.nto`.

[[stepicount]]
==== Icount Trigger

Native debuggers won't have access to <<dcsr>>, but can use the <<icount>> trigger by setting <<count>> to 1.

This approach does have some limitations:

. Interrupts will fire as usual. Debuggers that want to disable interrupts
while stepping must disable them by changing `mstatus`, and specially handle
instructions that read 'mstatus'.
. `wfi` instructions are not treated specially and might take a very long
time to complete.

This mechanism cleanly supports a system which supports multiple
privilege levels, where the OS or a debug stub runs in M-Mode while the
program being debugged runs in a less privileged mode. Systems that only
support M-Mode can use <<icount>> as well, but count must be able to count several instructions (depending on the software implementation). See [[nativestep]].

=== Reset

If the halt signal (driven by the hart's halt request bit in the Debug
Module) or <<resethaltreq>> are asserted when a hart comes out of reset, the hart must
enter Debug Mode before executing any instructions, but after performing
any initialization that would usually happen before the first
instruction is executed.

=== Halt

When a hart halts:

. <,cause>> is updated.
. <<prv>> and <<v>> are set to reflect current privilege mode.
. <<dpc>> is set to the next instruction that should be executed.
. If the current instruction can be partially executed and should be
restarted to complete, then the relevant state for that is updated. E.g.
if a halt occurs during a partially executed vector instruction, then
`vstart` is updated, and <<dpc>> is updated to the address of the partially
executed instruction. This is analogous to how vector instructions
behave for exceptions.
. The hart enters Debug Mode.

=== Resume

When a hart resumes:

. `pc` changes to the value stored in <<dpc>>.
. The current privilege mode and virtualization mode are changed to that
specified by <<prv>> and <<v>>.
. If the new privilege mode is less privileged than M-mode, `MPRV` in 'mstatus` is cleared.
. The hart is no longer in debug mode.

=== XLEN

While in Debug Mode, XLEN is DXLEN. It is up to the debugger to
determine the XLEN during normal program execution (by looking at 'misa') and
to clearly communicate this to the user.

[[debreg]]
=== Core Debug Registers

The supported Core Debug Registers must be implemented for each hart
that can be debugged. They are CSRs, accessible using the RISC-V `csr`
opcodes and optionally also using abstract debug commands.

Attempts to access an unimplemented Core Debug Register raise an illegal
instruction exception.

These registers are only accessible from Debug Mode.

include::core_registers.adoc[]

[[virtreg]]
=== Virtual Debug Registers

include::sw_registers.adoc[]
