84
Datasheet
Features
The processor incorporates the SMBus thermal sensor and thermal reference byte onto the
processor package for the Intel Xeon processor MP on the 0.13 micron process processor and Intel
Xeon processor in the INT-mPGA package. Upper and lower thermal reference thresholds can be
individually programmed for the SMBus thermal sensor. Comparator circuits sample the register
where the single byte of thermal data (thermal byte reading) is stored. These circuits compare the
single byte result against programmable threshold bytes. If enabled, the alert signal on the
processor SMBus (SM_ALERT#) will be asserted when the sensor detects that either threshold is
reached or crossed. Analysis of SMBus thermal sensor data may be useful in detecting changes in
the system environment that may require attention.
During manufacturing, the thermal reference byte (TRB) is programmed into the Processor
Information ROM. The thermal reference byte represents the approximate temperature reading
from the thermal diode when the processor is operating at its maximum specified TCASE under
steady state temperature and application conditions. The TRB is derived for the processor through
device characterization and the value varies with processor core frequency, similar to the TCASE
specifications.
The processor SMBus thermal sensor and thermal reference byte may be used to monitor long term
temperature trends, but can not be used to manage the short term temperature of the processor or
predict the activation of the thermal control circuit. As mentioned earlier, the processors high
thermal ramp rates make this infeasible. Refer to the Intel XeonTM Processor (MP) Thermal
Design Guidelines for more details.
The SMBus thermal sensor feature in the processor cannot be used to measure TCASE. The TCASE
specification in
Section 5 must be met regardless of the reading of the processor's thermal sensor in
order to ensure adequate cooling for the entire Intel Xeon processor MP on the 0.13 micron process
processor. The SMBus thermal sensor feature is only available while VCC and SM_VCC are at
valid levels and the processor is not in a low-power state.
6.4.5
Thermal Sensor Supported SMBus Transactions
The thermal sensor responds to five of the SMBus packet types: Write Byte, Read Byte, Send Byte,
Receive Byte, and Alert Response Address (ARA). The Send Byte packet is used for sending one-
shot commands only. The Receive Byte packet accesses the register commanded by the last Read
Byte packet and can be used to continuously read from a register. If a Receive Byte packet was
preceded by a Write Byte or send Byte packet more recently than a Read Byte packet, then the
behavior is undefined.
Table 38 through
Table 42 diagram the five packet types. In these figures,
‘S’ represents the SMBus start bit, ‘P’ represents a stop bit, ‘Ack’ represents an acknowledge, and
‘///’ represents a negative acknowledge (NACK). The shaded bits are transmitted by the thermal
sensor, and the bits that aren’t shaded are transmitted by the SMBus host controller.
Table 43 shows
the encoding of the command byte.
Table 38. Write Byte SMBus Packet
S
Slave
Address
Write
Ack
Command
Code
Ack
Data
Ack
P
17-bits
1
18-bits
11