Re: [RFC][PATCH V3] axi: add AXI bus driver

[Greg KH]

On Tue, Apr 12, 2011 at 12:12:47AM +0200, RafaÅ MiÅecki wrote:
> 2011/4/11 Greg KH <greg@xxxxxxxxx>:
> > On Mon, Apr 11, 2011 at 11:36:39PM +0200, RafaÅ MiÅecki wrote:
> >> 2011/4/11 Greg KH <greg@xxxxxxxxx>:
> >> > Please read the documentation for how to do this properly. ÂI find it
> >> > really hard to believe that you wrote that comment instead of putting in
> >> > the 2 lines of code required for this function.
> >> >
> >> > Especially as-it-is, your code does not work properly and leaks memory
> >> > badly. ÂWhy would you do that on purpose?
> >>
> >> I tried to read some documentation about this.
> >>
> >> 1) driver-mode/device.txt says only that:
> >> > Callback to free the device after all references have
> >> > gone away. This should be set by the allocator of the
> >> > device (i.e. the bus driver that discovered the device).
> >> I *really* do not know how my driver should "free" core on AXI bus.
> >
> > The structure that you have created, added to the bus, is now ready to
> > have its memory freed. ÂSo free it.
> >
> > This usually means something like:
> > Â Â Â Âstruct my_obj = to_my_obj(dev);
> > Â Â Â Âkfree(my_obj);
> > in the release function.
> 
> I register core->dev to the bus (I set core->dev.bus and
> core->dev.parent, is that what you mean?). This core->dev is "struct
> dev" embedded in "struct axi_device". By embedded I mean it is *not* a
> pointer, I do not alloc it, it's part of the "struct axi_device".

That is exactly as it should be.

Then in your release function, free the struct axi_device.  It's that
simple.  To try to free it before then would be wrong and cause
problems.

> >> 2) LDD3 says:
> >> > The method is called when the last reference to the device is removed; it is called
> >> > from the embedded kobjectâs release method. All device structures registered with
> >> > the core must have a release method, or the kernel prints out scary complaints.
> >> Well, I do not register any structs for AXI core.
> >
> > Yes you did, otherwise you would have never seen that callback warning
> > you that you needed a release function.
> 
> I was thinking about alloc, sorry, ignore this one.
> 
> 
> >> 4) SSB in it's ssb_release_dev just calls kfree on struct that was
> >> allocated when registering drivers. *I do not* allocate such a struct,
> >> so I believe I do exactly the same memory leak as SSB does.
> >
> > Well someone allocated it, right? ÂWho did it? ÂIf it wasn't you, where
> > did that structure come from and why are you registering it on your bus?
> >
> >> Can you spend 2 more minues in addition to commenting my ideas and
> >> help me with writing that 2 lines I missed? Where do I leak memory in
> >> my driver? Which struct should I kfree?
> >
> > The structure that you wrap around 'struct device' for your bus.
> 
> As explained above, this I do not dynamically alloc this 'struct
> device'. So is there really any memory leak?

Yes, no one ever freed your struct axi_device that you created.

thanks,

greg k-h
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