What does NTSTATUS 0xC000A121 (STATUS_SECONDARY_IC_PROVIDER_NOT_REGISTERED) mean?

STATUS_SECONDARY_IC_PROVIDER_NOT_REGISTERED

The interrupt maps to a secondary controller whose provider is unavailable

STATUS_SECONDARY_IC_PROVIDER_NOT_REGISTERED concerns the Windows model for secondary interrupt controllers. Microsoft distinguishes primary interrupts, whose global system interrupt vectors are provided by firmware/ACPI, from secondary interrupts such as GPIO interrupts whose GSIVs can be assigned dynamically by the operating system. A secondary controller provider must participate so the interrupt can be represented and serviced.

The status is therefore not equivalent to “no ISR installed.” The failure occurs at the interrupt-controller/provider layer. In PoFx/PEP interfaces, the request-interrupt callback documentation explicitly distinguishes primary GSIVs obtained from ACPI from secondary GPIO GSIVs assigned by Windows.

What to inspect

• The GSIV and whether the resource describes a primary or secondary interrupt.
• The secondary interrupt-controller instance expected to manage the interrupt.
• Provider/PEP registration order and whether registration completed before the consumer requested the interrupt.
• ACPI/GPIO resource descriptors that identify the interrupt connection and controller path.

Retrying interrupt connection in the consumer driver cannot compensate for a provider that never registered. Establish which controller owns the secondary interrupt, confirm its provider is active, and then verify the consumer's resource maps to that registered controller instance.

References

• Microsoft: Primary and secondary interrupts
• Microsoft WDK: POFXCALLBACKREQUESTINTERRUPT
• Microsoft: GPIO interrupts
• UEFI Forum: ACPI device resources
• Microsoft Open Specifications: NTSTATUS values

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