Re: [PATCH v2 2/7] dt-bindings: clock: renesas,r9a06g032-sysctrl: Add h2mode property

[Geert Uytterhoeven]

Hi Krzysztof,

On Tue, Nov 22, 2022 at 11:30 AM Krzysztof Kozlowski
<krzysztof.kozlowski@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> On 22/11/2022 10:07, Herve Codina wrote:
> > On Tue, 22 Nov 2022 09:42:48 +0100
> > Krzysztof Kozlowski <krzysztof.kozlowski@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> >
> >> On 22/11/2022 09:25, Geert Uytterhoeven wrote:
> >>> Hi Krzysztof,
> >>>
> >>> On Tue, Nov 22, 2022 at 8:45 AM Krzysztof Kozlowski
> >>> <krzysztof.kozlowski@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> >>>> On 21/11/2022 21:46, Geert Uytterhoeven wrote:
> >>>>>> This does not change anything. Herve wrote:
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>>> probe some devices (USB host and probably others)
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>> Why some can be probed earlier and some not, if there are no
> >>>>>> dependencies? If there are dependencies, it's the same case with sysctrl
> >>>>>> touching the register bit and the USB controller touching it (as well
> >>>>>> via syscon, but that's obvious, I assume).
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>> Where is the synchronization problem?
> >>>>>
> >>>>> The h2mode bit (and probably a few other controls we haven't figured out
> >>>>> yet) in the sysctrl must be set before any of the USB devices is active.
> >>>>> Hence it's safest for the sysctrl to do this before any of the USB drivers
> >>>>> probes.
> >>>>
> >>>> Again, this does not differ from many, many of other devices. All of
> >>>> them must set something in system controller block, before they start
> >>>> operating (or at specific time). It's exactly the same everywhere.
> >>>
> >>> The issue here is that there are two _different drivers_ (USB host
> >>> and device). When both are modular, and the driver that depends on the
> >>> sysctrl setting is loaded second, you have a problem: the sysctrl change
> >>> must not be done when the first driver is already using the hardware.
> >>>
> >>> Hence the sysctrl driver should take care of it itself during early
> >>> initialization (it's the main clock controller, so it's a dependency
> >>> for all other I/O device drivers).
> >>
> >> I assumed you have there bit for the first device (which can switch
> >> between USB host and USB device) to choose appropriate mode. The
> >> bindings also expressed this - "the USBs are". Never said anything about
> >> dependency between these USBs.
> >>
> >> Are you saying that the mode for first device cannot be changed once the
> >> second device (which is only host) is started? IOW, the mode setup must
> >> happen before any of these devices are started?
> >>
> >> Anyway with sysctrl approach you will have dependency and you cannot
> >> rely on clock provider-consumer relationship to order that dependency.
> >> What if you make all clocks on and do not take any clocks in USB device?
> >> Broken dependency. What if you want to use this in a different SoC,
> >> where the sysctrl does not provide clocks? Broken dependency.
> >
> > The issue is really related to the Renesas sysctrl itself and not related
> > to the USB drivers themselves.
> > From the drivers themselves, the issue is not seen (I mean the driver
> > takes no specific action related to this issue).
> > If we change the SOC, the issue will probably not exist anymore.
>
> Yeah, and in the next SoC you will bring 10 of such properties to
> sysctrl arguing that if one was approved, 10 is also fine. Somehow
> people on the lists like to use that argument - I saw it somewhere, so I
> am allowed to do here the same.

Like pin control properties? ;-)
This property represents a wiring on the board...
I.e. a system integration issue.

> I understand that the registers responsible for configuration are in
> sysctrl block, but it does not mean that it should be described as part
> of sysctrl Devicetree node. If there was no synchronization problem,
> this would be regular example of register in syscon which is handled
> (toggled) by the device (so USB device/host controller). Since there is
> synchronization problem, you argue that it is correct representation of
> hardware. No, it is not, because logically in DT you do not describe
> mode or existence of other devices in some other node and it still does
> not describe this ordering.

So we have to drop the property, and let the sysctrl block look
for <name>@<reg> nodes, and check which ones are enabled?

Running out of ideas...

Gr{oetje,eeting}s,

                        Geert

--
Geert Uytterhoeven -- There's lots of Linux beyond ia32 -- geert@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

In personal conversations with technical people, I call myself a hacker. But
when I'm talking to journalists I just say "programmer" or something like that.
                                -- Linus Torvalds