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ELR_EL2: Exception Link Register (EL2)

Purpose

When taking an exception to EL2, holds the address to return to.

Configuration

AArch64 System register ELR_EL2 bits [31:0] are architecturally mapped to AArch32 System register ELR_hyp[31:0].

This register has no effect if EL2 is not enabled in the current Security state.

Attributes

ELR_EL2 is a 64-bit register.

Field descriptions

6362616059585756555453525150494847464544434241403938373635343332
313029282726252423222120191817161514131211109876543210
Return address
Return address

Bits [63:0]

Return address.

An exception return from EL2 using AArch64 makes ELR_EL2 become UNKNOWN.

When EL2 is in AArch32 Execution state and an exception is taken from EL0, EL1, or EL2 to EL3 and AArch64 execution, the upper 32-bits of ELR_EL2 are either set to 0 or hold the same value that they did before AArch32 execution. Which option is adopted is determined by an implementation, and might vary dynamically within an implementation. Correspondingly software must regard the value as being an UNKNOWN choice between the two values.

The reset behavior of this field is:

Accessing ELR_EL2

When the Effective value of HCR_EL2.E2H is 1, without explicit synchronization, access from EL2 using the mnemonic ELR_EL2 or ELR_EL1 are not guaranteed to be ordered with respect to accesses using the other mnemonic.

Accesses to this register use the following encodings in the System register encoding space:

MRS <Xt>, ELR_EL2

op0op1CRnCRmop2
0b110b1000b01000b00000b001

if PSTATE.EL == EL0 then UNDEFINED; elsif PSTATE.EL == EL1 then if EffectiveHCR_EL2_NVx() IN {'1x1'} then X[t, 64] = ELR_EL1; elsif EffectiveHCR_EL2_NVx() IN {'xx1'} then AArch64.SystemAccessTrap(EL2, 0x18); else UNDEFINED; elsif PSTATE.EL == EL2 then X[t, 64] = ELR_EL2; elsif PSTATE.EL == EL3 then X[t, 64] = ELR_EL2;

MSR ELR_EL2, <Xt>

op0op1CRnCRmop2
0b110b1000b01000b00000b001

if PSTATE.EL == EL0 then UNDEFINED; elsif PSTATE.EL == EL1 then if IsFeatureImplemented(FEAT_GCS) && GetCurrentEXLOCKEN() && !Halted() && PSTATE.EXLOCK == '1' && EffectiveHCR_EL2_NVx() IN {'xx1'} then EXLOCKException(); elsif EffectiveHCR_EL2_NVx() IN {'1x1'} then ELR_EL1 = X[t, 64]; elsif EffectiveHCR_EL2_NVx() IN {'xx1'} then AArch64.SystemAccessTrap(EL2, 0x18); else UNDEFINED; elsif PSTATE.EL == EL2 then if IsFeatureImplemented(FEAT_GCS) && GetCurrentEXLOCKEN() && !Halted() && PSTATE.EXLOCK == '1' then EXLOCKException(); else ELR_EL2 = X[t, 64]; elsif PSTATE.EL == EL3 then ELR_EL2 = X[t, 64];

When FEAT_VHE is implemented

MRS <Xt>, ELR_EL1

op0op1CRnCRmop2
0b110b0000b01000b00000b001

if PSTATE.EL == EL0 then UNDEFINED; elsif PSTATE.EL == EL1 then if EffectiveHCR_EL2_NVx() == '011' then AArch64.SystemAccessTrap(EL2, 0x18); elsif EffectiveHCR_EL2_NVx() == '111' then X[t, 64] = NVMem[0x230]; else X[t, 64] = ELR_EL1; elsif PSTATE.EL == EL2 then if ELIsInHost(EL2) then X[t, 64] = ELR_EL2; else X[t, 64] = ELR_EL1; elsif PSTATE.EL == EL3 then X[t, 64] = ELR_EL1;

When FEAT_VHE is implemented

MSR ELR_EL1, <Xt>

op0op1CRnCRmop2
0b110b0000b01000b00000b001

if PSTATE.EL == EL0 then UNDEFINED; elsif PSTATE.EL == EL1 then if IsFeatureImplemented(FEAT_GCS) && GetCurrentEXLOCKEN() && !Halted() && PSTATE.EXLOCK == '1' && !(EffectiveHCR_EL2_NVx() IN {'x11'}) then EXLOCKException(); elsif EffectiveHCR_EL2_NVx() == '011' then AArch64.SystemAccessTrap(EL2, 0x18); elsif EffectiveHCR_EL2_NVx() == '111' then NVMem[0x230] = X[t, 64]; else ELR_EL1 = X[t, 64]; elsif PSTATE.EL == EL2 then if IsFeatureImplemented(FEAT_GCS) && GetCurrentEXLOCKEN() && !Halted() && PSTATE.EXLOCK == '1' && ELIsInHost(EL2) then EXLOCKException(); elsif ELIsInHost(EL2) then ELR_EL2 = X[t, 64]; else ELR_EL1 = X[t, 64]; elsif PSTATE.EL == EL3 then ELR_EL1 = X[t, 64];