Re: [PATCH 0/6] irqchip: Hybrid probing

[Marc Zyngier]

On 2020-09-15 22:13, Rob Herring wrote:
> On Sat, Sep 12, 2020 at 01:51:42PM +0100, Marc Zyngier wrote:
> > A recent attempt at converting a couple of interrupt controllers from
> > early probing to standard platform drivers have badly failed, as it
> > became evident that although an interrupt controller can easily probe
> > late, device drivers for the endpoints connected to it are rarely
> > equipped to deal with probe deferral. Changes were swiftly reverted.
> >
> > However, there is some value in *optionally* enabling this, if only
> > for development purposes, as there is otherwise a "chicken and egg"
> > problem, and a few people (cc'd) are working on a potential solution.
> >
> > This short series enables the infrastructure for modular building
> > whilst retaining the usual early probing for monolithic build, and
> > introduces it to the three drivers that were previously made to probe
> > as platform drivers.
>
> I hardly expected more OF_DECLARE macros when I opened this up. Given
> desires to get rid of them, I don't think adding to it is the way
> forward. That wrapping a platform driver around OF_DECLARE looks pretty
> horrible IMO.

Nobody said it was cute. It's a band aid that allows us to move from the
status-quo that exists today. How would you propose we allow people to
go and start "fixing" drivers if you don't give them the opportunity
to even start trying?

> I browsed some of the discussion around this. It didn't seem like it's
> a large number of drivers that have to be fixed to defer probe
> correctly. Am I missing something?

Well, that was enough drivers for the two platforms that had it enabled
to break horribly, without a way to go back to a working state. Do you
find that acceptable? I don't.

> I'd rather keep the pressure on getting fw_devlink on by default.

So far, fw_devlink breaks everything under the sun, even without modular
irqchips. Most of my systems fail to boot if I enable it. So yes, it
really needs some work. And this series allows this work to happen.

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