Amiga.org

Operating System Specific Discussions => Amiga OS => Amiga OS -- Development => Topic started by: beakster2 on February 29, 2008, 01:20:18 AM

Title: PPC Questions
Post by: beakster2 on February 29, 2008, 01:20:18 AM

Yo,

I've just downloaded the Phase5 PPC devkit from http://powerup.amigaworld.de/index.php?lang=en&page=13 and I'm trying to get my head around it.  Ultimately I'd like to have a shot at integrating some Open Source PPC Emulation code into UAE, but I have a lot to learn first.

Questions:
1)  Where can I get the source code for PPC.library?  I understand that this abstracts all communication with the PPC Co-Processor, so I need to understand how method such as PPCRunObject() work.

2) The documentation states that on the PPC side a small kernel runs which controls memory management and communication back to the 68k side.  Is this kernel loaded and started by the ppc.library, or is this something which loads from a ROM on the CyberstormPPC board when the computer is booted.  If it is on a ROM where can I get the source for it?

Thanks

Title: Re: PPC Questions
Post by: Piru on February 29, 2008, 01:37:10 AM

The source code is not available to any of these.

Title: Re: PPC Questions
Post by: bloodline on February 29, 2008, 01:42:57 AM

Well the PowerUP software isn't going to help if you want PPC emulation in UAE... You'll want to figure out some way up integrate the PPC core from something like PearPPC and then find out the timing and interrupt interaction between the PPC and the 68k... Piru might be able to give you some clues... And perhaps Ralph Schmidt... Probably best to ask on the MorphOS dev boards... Many of the old Phase5 engineers are around there.

Title: Re: PPC Questions
Post by: beakster2 on February 29, 2008, 01:43:20 AM

Damn, I thought that would be the case.

I don't suppose the Warpup Powerpc.library code is available anywhere?

My next step is to go through the code of the Linux APUS bootstraping code, but I have a feeling this uses ppc.library to hand control over.

I guess I'll need to start looking at disassembling :-(.

Title: Re: PPC Questions
Post by: Piru on February 29, 2008, 01:46:31 AM

Quote

I don't suppose the Warpup Powerpc.library code is available anywhere?

It's not.

Title: Re: PPC Questions
Post by: bloodline on February 29, 2008, 01:48:37 AM

APUS Would be your best option I reckon... Not sure what you'll learn from it though...

Title: Re: PPC Questions
Post by: beakster2 on February 29, 2008, 01:49:09 AM

Quote

bloodline wrote:
Well the PowerUP software isn't going to help if you want PPC emulation in UAE...

I think the PowerUp ppc.library would help me alot.  At the moment all I know is that the AmigaOS VBlank interrupt is used to signal the PPC processor, but if I could actually see the code which hands over control to the PPC then I would know what I needed to intercept in UAE to start the PPC emulation process running (and vice versa for switching back to 68k).

Thanks for the tip about the MorphOS forums I'll wait and see who gets back to me here then post on there if I dont have any luck.  :-)