Level One Memory System
ARM DDI 0301H
Copyright © 2004-2009 ARM Limited. All rights reserved.
7-8
ID012310
Non-Confidential, Unrestricted Access
The base address of each TCM can be placed anywhere in the physical address map, and does
not have to be backed by memory implemented externally. The Instruction and Data TCMs have
separate base addresses.
You can disable each TCM to avoid an access being made to it. This gives a reduction in the
power consumption. You can disable each TCM independently from the enabling of the
associated cache, as determined by CP15 register c9. The disabling of a TCM invalidates the
base address, so there is no unexpected hit behavior for the TCM.
The timing of a TCM access is the same as for a cache access. The ARM1176JZF-S processor
does not support wait states on the TCM interfaces.
Table 7-2 lists the access types for TCM configured as Non-secure.
Table 7-3 lists the access types for TCM configured as Secure.
7.3.1
TCM behavior
TCM forms a continuous area of memory that is always valid if the TCM is enabled. The TCM
is used as part of the physical memory map of the system, and is not backed by a level of external
memory with the same physical addresses. For this reason, the TCM behaves differently from
the caches for regions of memory that are marked as being Write-Through Cacheable. In such
regions, no external writes occur in the event of a write to memory locations contained in the
TCM.
7.3.2
Restriction on page table mappings
The TCMs are implemented in a physically indexed, physically addressed manner, giving the
following behavior:
•
aliases to the same physical address can exist in memory regions that are held in the TCM.
As a result, the page mapping restrictions for the TCM are less restrictive than for the cache, as
Restrictions on page table mappings page coloring
on page 6-41 describes.
Table 7-2 Access to Non-secure TCM
Access type
NS attribute of corresponding
page table
Behavior
Non-secure access
X
Access done on TCM
Secure access
0
TCM not visible, go to Level 2 memory
Secure access
1
access done on TCM.
Table 7-3 Access to Secure TCM
Access type
NS attribute of corresponding
page table
Behavior
Non-secure access
X
TCM not visible
Secure access
0
Access done on TCM
Secure access
1
TCM is not visible, go to Level 2 memory.