from: ARMv7 architecture reference
B1.2 System level concepts and terminology
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B1.2.1 Mode, state, and privilege level
Mode, state, and privilege level are key concepts in the ARM architecture.
Mode
The ARM architecture A and R profiles provide a set of modes that support
normal software execution and handle
exceptions. The current mode determines:
• the set of registers that are available to the processor
• the privilege level of the executing software.
For more information, see ARM processor modes and ARM core registers on page
B1-1139.
State
In the ARM architecture, state describes the following distinct concepts:
- Instruction set state......
- Execution state......
- Security state......
- Debug state......
Privilege level
Privilege level is an attribute of software execution, in a particular
security state, determined by the processor mode,
as follows:......