[PATCH v2 6/7] docs: nova-core: Document basics of the Falcon

Joel Fernandes
2025-05-03T04:08:25Z

Instances of the Falcon microcontroller appear in modern Nvidia GPUs and
are crucial to the GPU boot process. Document some concepts which will
make nova-core boot code easier to digest. All the information is
derived from public sources such as public documents, OpenRM and Nouveau
code.

Signed-off-by: Joel Fernandes <joelagnelf at nvidia.com>
---
 Documentation/gpu/nova/core/falcon.rst | 156 +++++++++++++++++++++++++
 Documentation/gpu/nova/index.rst       |   1 +
 2 files changed, 157 insertions(+)
 create mode 100644 Documentation/gpu/nova/core/falcon.rst

diff --git a/Documentation/gpu/nova/core/falcon.rst
b/Documentation/gpu/nova/core/falcon.rst
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..f2b89cc2a159
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Documentation/gpu/nova/core/falcon.rst
@@ -0,0 +1,156 @@
+=============================+Falcon (FAst Logic Controller)
+=============================+The following sections describe the Falcon core
and the ucode running on it.
+The descriptions are based on the Ampere GPU or earlier designs; however, they
+should mostly apply to future designs as well, but everything is subject to
+change. The overview provided here is mainly tailored towards understanding the
+interactions of nova-core driver with the Falcon.
+
+NVIDIA GPUs embed small RISC-like microcontrollers called Falcon cores, which
+handle secure firmware tasks, initialization, and power management. Modern
+NVIDIA GPUs may have multiple such Falcon instances (e.g., GSP (the GPU system
+processor) and SEC2 (the security engine)) and also may integrate a RISC-V
core.
+This core is capable of running both RISC-V and Falcon code.
+
+The code running on the Falcons is also called Ucode and will be referred to as
+such in the following sections.
+
+Falcons have separate instruction and data memories (IMEM/DMEM) and provide a
+small DMA engine (via the FBIF - "Frame Buffer Interface") to load
code from
+system memory. The nova-core driver must reset and configure the Falcon, load
+its firmware via DMA, and start its CPU.
+
+Falcon security levels
+=====================+Falcons can run in Non-secure (NS), Light Secure (LS), or
Heavy Secure (HS)
+modes.
+
+Heavy Secured (HS) also known as Privilege Level 3 (PL3)
+--------------------------------------------------------
+HS ucode is the most trusted code and has access to pretty much everything on
+the chip. The HS binary includes a signature in it which is verified at boot.
+This signature verification is done by the hardware itself, thus establishing a
+root of trust. For example, the FWSEC-FRTS command (see fwsec.rst) runs on the
+GSP in HS mode. FRTS, which involves setting up and loading content into the
WPR
+(Write Protect Region), has to be done by the HS ucode and cannot be done by
the
+host CPU or LS ucode.
+
+Light Secured (LS or PL2) and Non Secured (NS or PL0)
+-----------------------------------------------------
+These modes are less secure than HS. Like HS, the LS or NS ucode binary also
+typically includes a signature in it. To load firmware in LS or NS mode onto a
+Falcon, another Falcon needs to be running in HS mode, which also establishes
the
+root of trust. For example, in the case of an Ampere GPU, the CPU runs the
"Booter"
+ucode in HS mode on the SEC2 Falcon, which then authenticates and runs the
+run-time GSP binary (GSP-RM) in LS mode on the GSP Falcon. Similarly, as an
+example, after reset on an Ampere, FWSEC runs on the GSP which then loads the
+devinit engine onto the PMU in LS mode.
+
+Root of trust establishment
+---------------------------
+To establish a root of trust, the code running of a Falcon has to be something
+that that cannot be erased and is hardwired into a read-only-memory (ROM). This
+follows industry norms for verification of firmware. This code is called the
+Boot ROM (BROM). The nova-core driver on the CPU communicates with Falcon's
Boot
+ROM through various Falcon registers prefixed with "BROM" (see
regs.rs).
+
+After nova-core driver reads the necessary ucode from VBIOS, it programs the
+BROM and DMA registers to trigger the Falcon to load the HS ucode from the
system
+memory into the Falcon's IMEM/DMEM. Once the HS ucode is loaded, it is
verified
+by the Falcon's Boot ROM.
+
+Once the verified HS code is running on a Falcon, it can verify and load other
+LS/NS ucode binaries onto other Falcons and start them. The process of
signature
+verification is the same as HS; just in this case, the hardware (BROM)
doesn't
+compute the signature, but the HS ucode does.
+
+Thus the root of trust is:
+     Hardware (Boot ROM running on the Falcon) -> HS ucode -> LS/NS
ucode.
+
+Example on Ampere GPU, the boot verification flow is:
+     Hardware (Boot ROM running on the SEC2) ->
+          HS ucode (Booter running on the SEC2) ->
+               LS ucode (GSP-RM running on the GSP)
+
+.. note::
+     While the CPU can load HS ucode onto a Falcon microcontroller and have it
+     verified by the hardware and run, the CPU itself typically does not load
+     LS or NS ucode and run it. Loading of LS or NS ucode is done mainly by the
+     HS ucode. For example, on an Ampere GPU, after the Booter ucode runs on
the
+     SEC2 in HS mode and loads the GSP-RM binary onto the GSP, it needs to run
+     the "SEC2-RTOS" ucode at runtime. This presents a problem where
there is
+     no one to load the SEC2-RTOS ucode onto the SEC2 (i.e., the CPU is
incapable
+     of loading LS code, and GSP-RM has to run LS mode). To overcome this,
+     the GSP is temporarily made to run HS ucode (which is itself loaded by
+     the CPU via the nova-core driver using a "GSP-provided
sequencer")
+     which then loads the SEC2-RTOS ucode onto the SEC2 in LS mode. The GSP
+     then resumes running its own GSP-RM LS ucode.
+
+Falcon memory subsystem and DMA engine
+=====================================+Falcons have separate instruction and
data memories (IMEM/DMEM)
+and contains a small DMA engine called FBDMA (Framebuffer DMA) which does
+DMA transfers to/from the IMEM/DMEM memory inside the Falcon via the FBIF
+(Framebuffer Interface), to external memory.
+
+DMA transfers are possible from the Falcon's memory to both the system
memory
+and the framebuffer memory (VRAM).
+
+To perform a DMA via the FBDMA, the FBIF is configured to decide how the memory
+is accessed (also known as aperture type). In the nova-core driver, this is
+determined by the `FalconFbifTarget` enum.
+
+The IO-PMP block (Input/Output Physical Memory Protection) unit in the Falcon
+controls access by the FBDMA to the external memory.
+
+Conceptual diagram (not exact) of the Falcon and its memory subsystem is as
follows:
+
+           External Memory (Framebuffer / System DRAM)
+                            ?  ?
+                            ?  ?
+                            ?  ?
+???????????????????????????????????????????????????????
+?                           ?                         ?
+?   ?????????????????       ?                         ?
+?   ?     FBIF      ?????????                         ?  FALCON
+?   ? (FrameBuffer  ?   Memory Interface              ?  PROCESSOR
+?   ?  InterFace)   ?                                 ?
+?   ?  Apertures    ?                                 ?
+?   ?  Configures   ?                                 ?
+?   ?  mem access   ?                                 ?
+?   ?????????????????                                 ?
+?           ?                                         ?
+?           ? FBDMA uses configured FBIF apertures    ?
+?           ? to access External Memory
+?           ?
+?   ?????????????????      ??????????????????
+?   ?    FBDMA      ?  cfg ?     RISC       ?
+?   ? (FrameBuffer  ?<????>?     CORE       ??????>. Direct Core
Access
+?   ?  DMA Engine)  ?      ?                ?      ?
+?   ? - Master dev. ?      ? (can run both  ?      ?
+?   ?????????????????      ? Falcon and     ?      ?
+?           ?        cfg-->? RISC-V code)   ?      ?
+?           ?        /     ?                ?      ?
+?           ?        |     ??????????????????      ?    ??????????????
+?           ?        ?                             ?    ?   BROM     ?
+?           ?        ?                             <???>? (Boot ROM) ?
+?           ?       /                              ?    ??????????????
+?           ?      ?                               ?
+?   ?????????????????                              ?
+?   ?    IO-PMP     ? Controls access by FBDMA     ?
+?   ? (IO Physical  ? and other IO Masters         ?
+?   ? Memory Protect)                              ?
+?   ?????????????????                              ?
+?           ?                                      ?
+?           ? Protected Access Path for FBDMA      ?
+?           ?                                      ?
+?   ?????????????????????????????????????????      ?
+?   ?       Memory                          ?      ?
+?   ?   ?????????????????  ???????????????  ?      ?
+?   ?   ?    IMEM       ?  ?    DMEM     ?  ?<??????
+?   ?   ? (Instruction  ?  ?   (Data     ?  ?
+?   ?   ?  Memory)      ?  ?   Memory)   ?  ?
+?   ?   ?????????????????  ???????????????  ?
+?   ?????????????????????????????????????????
+?????????????????????????????????????????????????????
diff --git a/Documentation/gpu/nova/index.rst b/Documentation/gpu/nova/index.rst
index 301435c5cf67..75a98ab63055 100644
--- a/Documentation/gpu/nova/index.rst
+++ b/Documentation/gpu/nova/index.rst
@@ -28,6 +28,7 @@ vGPU manager VFIO driver and the nova-drm driver.

    core/guidelines
    core/vbios
+   core/falcon
    core/fwsec
    core/devinit
    core/todo
--
2.43.0