Understanding the Linux Kernel, 3rd Edition

Clock and Timer Circuits

On the 80×86 architecture, the kernel must explicitly interact with several kinds of clocks and timer circuits . The clock circuits are used both to keep track of the current time of day and to make precise time measurements. The timer circuits are programmed by the kernel, so that they issue interrupts at a fixed, predefined frequency; such periodic interrupts are crucial for implementing the software timers used by the kernel and the user programs. We’ll now briefly describe the clock and hardware circuits that can be found in IBM-compatible PCs.

Real Time Clock (RTC)

All PCs include a clock called Real Time Clock (RTC), which is independent of the CPU and all other chips.

The RTC continues to tick even when the PC is switched off, because it is energized by a small battery. The CMOS RAM and RTC are integrated in a single chip (the Motorola 146818 or an equivalent).

The RTC is capable of issuing periodic interrupts on IRQ 8 at frequencies ranging between 2 Hz and 8,192 Hz. It can also be programmed to activate the IRQ 8 line when the RTC reaches a specific value, thus working as an alarm clock.

Linux uses the RTC only to derive the time and date; however, it allows processes to program the RTC by acting on the /dev/rtc device file (see Chapter 13). The kernel accesses the RTC through the 0x70 and 0x71 I/O ports. The system administrator can read and write the RTC by executing the clock Unix system program that acts directly on these two I/O ports.

Time Stamp ...