Intel Xeon Processor MP with up to 2MB L3 Cache
6-11
Features
Note:
Writing to a read-command register or reading from a write-command register will produce invalid
results.
The default command after reset is to a reserved value (00h). After reset, “Receive Byte” SMBus
packets will return invalid data until another command is sent to the thermal sensor.
6.4.6
SMBus Thermal Sensor Registers
6.4.6.1
Thermal Reference Registers
Once the SMBus thermal sensor reads the processor thermal diode, it performs an analog to digital
conversion and stores the result in the Thermal Reference Register (TRR). The supported range is
+127 to 0 decimal and is expressed as an eight-bit number representing temperature in degrees
Celsius. This eight-bit value consists of seven data bits and a sign bit (MSB) as shown in
Table 44.The values shown are also used to program the Thermal Limit Registers.
The values of these registers should be treated as saturating values. Values above 127 are
represented as 127 decimal, while values of zero and below may be represented as 0 to -127
decimal. If the thermal sensor returns a value with the sign bit set (1) and the data is 000_0000
through 111_1110, the temperature should be interpreted as 0 C.
6.4.6.2
Thermal Limit Registers
The SMBus thermal sensor has four Thermal Limit Registers: RRHL is used to read the high limit;
RRLL is read for the low limit; WRHL is used to write the high limit; and the WRLL to write the
low limit. These registers allow the user to define high and low limits for the processor core
thermal diode reading. The encoding for these registers is the same as for the Thermal Reference
Register shown in
Table 44. If the processor thermal diode reading equals or exceeds one of these
limits, then the alarm bit (RHIGH or RLOW) in the Thermal Sensor Status Register is triggered.
6.4.6.3
Status Register
The Status Register shown in
Table 45 indicates which (if any) thermal value thresholds for the
processor core thermal diode have been exceeded. It also indicates if a conversion is in progress or
if an open circuit has been detected in the processor core thermal diode connection. Once set, alarm
bits stay set until they are cleared by a Status Register read. A successful read to the Status Register
Table 44. Thermal Reference Register Values
Temperature
(°C)
Register Value
(binary)
+127
0 111 1111
+126
0 111 1110
+100
0 110 0100
+50
0 011 0010
+25
0 001 1001
+1
0 000 0001
0
0 000 0000