Re: [PATCH v4 2/5] ARC: clocksource: DT based probe

From: Marc Zyngier
Date: Thu Apr 14 2016 - 05:32:32 EST


On 14/04/16 10:26, Vineet Gupta wrote:
> On Wednesday 13 April 2016 09:52 PM, Marc Zyngier wrote:
>>> -int arc_counter_setup(void)
>>>> +static void __init arc_cs_setup_rtc(struct device_node *node)
>>>> {
>>>> - write_aux_reg(ARC_REG_TIMER1_LIMIT, ARC_TIMER_MAX);
>>>> - write_aux_reg(ARC_REG_TIMER1_CNT, 0);
>>>> - write_aux_reg(ARC_REG_TIMER1_CTRL, TIMER_CTRL_NH);
>>>> + int exists = cpuinfo_arc700[smp_processor_id()].extn.rtc;
>>>> +
>>>> + if (WARN(!exists, "Local-64-bit-Ctr clocksource not detected"))
>>>> + return;
>>>> +
>>>> + /* Local to CPU hence not usable in SMP */
>>>> + if (WARN(IS_ENABLED(CONFIG_SMP), "Local-64-bit-Ctr not usable in SMP"))
>>>> + return;
>> Sorry if this outlines my lack of understanding of the ARC architecture,
>> but what makes per-cpu timer unsuitable for SMP? I'd have thought that
>> it was actually what you wanted...
>
> This is clocksource, not clockevent. cs needs to synchronized across all cores so
> that concurrent gtod call from threads on different cores gives you similar
> values. This obviously is not true for the local RTC hardware timer.

Unsynchronized counters on SMP HW, who would have thought! ;-) I guess
each and every architecture has to repeat the same mistakes.

Thanks for shedding some light on it.

M.
--
Jazz is not dead. It just smells funny...