When was APIC developed

[av8or]

I'm not sure if this is the correct forum or not, but if it's not then please move it to the correct thread.

Anyway, I'm wondering when APIC (Advanced Programable Interrupt Controller) was developed and when it first started showing up in PCs. I've searched the web and haven't really found what I was looking for. Maybe I just didn't type the correct search criteria.

Anyway, if you know, please pass that information on to me.

Thanks

[mdwatts]

Originally posted by av8or
I'm not sure if this is the correct forum or not, but if it's not then please move it to the correct thread.


Likely more suited to /dev/randon. $5 please. :p

And thanks for asking whether this is the correct forum or not. :cool:

[bwkaz]

I don't know, but it probably started to be widely put into motherboards some time after this comment was added to the 2.4 kernel Configure.help:

IO-APIC support on uniprocessors
CONFIG_X86_UP_IOAPIC
An IO-APIC (I/O Advanced Programmable Interrupt Controller) is an
SMP-capable replacement for PC-style interrupt controllers. Most
SMP systems and a small number of uniprocessor systems have one.
If you have a single-CPU system with an IO-APIC, you can say Y here
to use it. If you say Y here even though your machine doesn't have
an IO-APIC, then the kernel will still run with no slowdown at all.

If you have a system with several CPUs, you do not need to say Y
here: the IO-APIC will be used automatically. (You did mean APIC, and not ACPI, correct? Those are two different things...)

This comment is in 2.4.23, and I don't have any older kernel sources hanging around to check on. It might even be in 2.2 kernels, but I'm not sure on that.

[JohnT]

I don't know any exact dates but it was devolped by Intel for use on Dual processor systems. I would say they were both developed about the same time. I remember NT 3.1 being APIC capable, as I believe 95 was also. M/B this will give you some kind of timeline.