19. Dual-Ported Memory Manager — RTEMS Classic API Guide 5.4-rc2 (21st August 2026) documentation

# 19. Dual-Ported Memory Manager

## 19.1. Introduction

The dual-ported memory manager provides a mechanism for converting addresses between internal and external representations for multiple dual-ported memory areas (DPMA). The directives provided by the dual-ported memory manager are:

- rtems_port_create - Create a port

- rtems_port_ident - Get ID of a port

- rtems_port_delete - Delete a port

- rtems_port_external_to_internal - Convert external to internal address

- rtems_port_internal_to_external - Convert internal to external address

## 19.2. Background

A dual-ported memory area (DPMA) is an contiguous block of RAM owned by a particular processor but which can be accessed by other processors in the system. The owner accesses the memory using internal addresses, while other processors must use external addresses. RTEMS defines a port as a particular mapping of internal and external addresses.

There are two system configurations in which dual-ported memory is commonly found. The first is tightly-coupled multiprocessor computer systems where the dual-ported memory is shared between all nodes and is used for inter-node communication. The second configuration is computer systems with intelligent peripheral controllers. These controllers typically utilize the DPMA for high-performance data transfers.

## 19.3. Operations

### 19.3.1. Creating a Port

The `rtems_port_create` directive creates a port into a DPMA with the user-defined name. The user specifies the association between internal and external representations for the port being created. RTEMS allocates a Dual-Ported Memory Control Block (DPCB) from the DPCB free list to maintain the newly created DPMA. RTEMS also generates a unique dual-ported memory port ID which is returned to the calling task. RTEMS does not initialize the dual-ported memory area or access any memory within it.

### 19.3.2. Obtaining Port IDs

When a port is created, RTEMS generates a unique port ID and assigns it to the created port until it is deleted. The port ID may be obtained by either of two methods. First, as the result of an invocation of the``rtems_port_create`` directive, the task ID is stored in a user provided location. Second, the port ID may be obtained later using the `rtems_port_ident` directive. The port ID is used by other dual-ported memory manager directives to access this port.

### 19.3.3. Converting an Address

The `rtems_port_external_to_internal` directive is used to convert an address from external to internal representation for the specified port. The `rtems_port_internal_to_external` directive is used to convert an address from internal to external representation for the specified port. If an attempt is made to convert an address which lies outside the specified DPMA, then the address to be converted will be returned.

### 19.3.4. Deleting a DPMA Port

A port can be removed from the system and returned to RTEMS with the `rtems_port_delete` directive. When a port is deleted, its control block is returned to the DPCB free list.

## 19.4. Directives

This section details the dual-ported memory manager’s directives. A subsection is dedicated to each of this manager’s directives and describes the calling sequence, related constants, usage, and status codes.

### 19.4.1. PORT_CREATE - Create a port

CALLING SEQUENCE:

      rtems_status_code rtems_port_create(
          rtems_name  name,
          void       *internal_start,
          void       *external_start,
          uint32_t    length,
          rtems_id   *id
      );

DIRECTIVE STATUS CODES:

  `RTEMS_SUCCESSFUL` | port created successfully
  `RTEMS_INVALID_NAME` | invalid port name
  `RTEMS_INVALID_ADDRESS` | address not on four byte boundary
  `RTEMS_INVALID_ADDRESS` | `id` is NULL
  `RTEMS_TOO_MANY` | too many DP memory areas created

DESCRIPTION:

  This directive creates a port which resides on the local node for the specified DPMA. The assigned port id is returned in id. This port id is used as an argument to other dual-ported memory manager directives to convert addresses within this DPMA.

  For control and maintenance of the port, RTEMS allocates and initializes an DPCB from the DPCB free pool. Thus memory from the dual-ported memory area is not used to store the DPCB.

NOTES:

  This directive may cause the calling task to be preempted due to an obtain and release of the object allocator mutex.

  The internal_address and external_address parameters must be on a four byte boundary.

### 19.4.2. PORT_IDENT - Get ID of a port

CALLING SEQUENCE:

      rtems_status_code rtems_port_ident(
          rtems_name  name,
          rtems_id   *id
      );

DIRECTIVE STATUS CODES:

  `RTEMS_SUCCESSFUL` | port identified successfully
  `RTEMS_INVALID_ADDRESS` | `id` is NULL
  `RTEMS_INVALID_NAME` | port name not found

DESCRIPTION:

  This directive obtains the port id associated with the specified name to be acquired. If the port name is not unique, then the port id will match one of the DPMAs with that name. However, this port id is not guaranteed to correspond to the desired DPMA. The port id is used to access this DPMA in other dual-ported memory area related directives.

NOTES:

  This directive will not cause the running task to be preempted.

### 19.4.3. PORT_DELETE - Delete a port

CALLING SEQUENCE:

      rtems_status_code rtems_port_delete(
          rtems_id id
      );

DIRECTIVE STATUS CODES:

  `RTEMS_SUCCESSFUL` | port deleted successfully
  `RTEMS_INVALID_ID` | invalid port id

DESCRIPTION:

  This directive deletes the dual-ported memory area specified by id. The DPCB for the deleted dual-ported memory area is reclaimed by RTEMS.

NOTES:

  This directive may cause the calling task to be preempted due to an obtain and release of the object allocator mutex.

  The calling task does not have to be the task that created the port. Any local task that knows the port id can delete the port.

### 19.4.4. PORT_EXTERNAL_TO_INTERNAL - Convert external to internal address

CALLING SEQUENCE:

      rtems_status_code rtems_port_external_to_internal(
          rtems_id   id,
          void      *external,
          void     **internal
      );

DIRECTIVE STATUS CODES:

  `RTEMS_INVALID_ADDRESS` | `internal` is NULL
  `RTEMS_SUCCESSFUL` | successful conversion

DESCRIPTION:

  This directive converts a dual-ported memory address from external to internal representation for the specified port. If the given external address is invalid for the specified port, then the internal address is set to the given external address.

NOTES:

  This directive is callable from an ISR.

  This directive will not cause the calling task to be preempted.

### 19.4.5. PORT_INTERNAL_TO_EXTERNAL - Convert internal to external address

CALLING SEQUENCE:

      rtems_status_code rtems_port_internal_to_external(
          rtems_id   id,
          void      *internal,
          void     **external
      );

DIRECTIVE STATUS CODES:

  `RTEMS_INVALID_ADDRESS` | `external` is NULL
  `RTEMS_SUCCESSFUL` | successful conversion

DESCRIPTION:

  This directive converts a dual-ported memory address from internal to external representation so that it can be passed to owner of the DPMA represented by the specified port. If the given internal address is an invalid dual-ported address, then the external address is set to the given internal address.

NOTES:

  This directive is callable from an ISR.

  This directive will not cause the calling task to be preempted.