Re: [GIT PULL] Andes(nds32) Port for Linux 4.17

[Greentime Hu]

2018-04-03 0:04 GMT+08:00 Linus Torvalds <torvalds@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>:
> On Sun, Apr 1, 2018 at 11:01 PM, Greentime Hu <green.hu@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>>
>> This tag contains the core nds32 Linux port(including interrupt controller
>> driver and timer driver), which has been through 7 rounds of review on mailing
>> list.
>
> Can I get an overview of the nds32 architecture (uses, quirks, reasons
> for existing?) to add to the initial merge message? Just an overview,
> not some kind of architecture manual thing.
>
> Yeah, yeah, I can google it myself and write something up, but it's
> the kind of information I'd like to see when merging an architecture I
> hadn't really ever heard about, and I suspect most others haven't
> either.
>

Hi, Linus:

Andes nds32 architecture supports Linux for Andes's N10, D10, N13,
N15, D15 processor cores.

Based on the patented 16/32-bit AndeStar RISC-like architecture, we
designed the configurable AndesCore series of embedded processor
families. AndesCores range from highly performance-efficient
small-footprint cores for microcontrollers and deeply-embedded
applications to 1GHz+ cores running Linux, covering general-purpose
N-series cores for a wide range of computing need, DSP-capable
D-series cores for digital signal control, instruction-extensible
E-series cores for application-specific acceleration, and secure
S-series cores for best protection of the most valuable.

Our customers together have shipped over 2.5 billion SoCâs with Andes
processors embedded (including non-MMU IP cores). It will help our
customers to get better Linux support if we are merged into mainline.