Re: [PATCH] RFC, watchdog: add generic wdt driver API

From: Wolfram Sang
Date: Tue Dec 06 2011 - 16:59:38 EST


Hi Wolfgang,

> > right, this additional API needs new drivers for all the watchdogs? Also, I
> > didn't fully get what you are missing from the combination of the current API
> > and additional userspace-handling? (check [1] for one example, not really

...

> But as Heikow wrote; this is a RFC patch, and the main purpose is to
> try to find out if it has a chance to go into mainline - several
> earlier attempts (which go back as far as 2002 - see for example [1],
> [2]) all failed with similar arguments like yours: "It's too complex,
> we already have watchdog support, nobody needs this". Funny enough
> that we have a number of customers who consider the existing wdt
> support unsufficient for their use cases. We've been using it on all
> kinds on PPC systems, and now on ARM as well.

I never said the features are useless. I also didn't say you should do
everything in userspace. I asked because I wanted to know what exactly are the
things you are missing from what is possible today. So, this could maybe be
added to the current watchdog frameworks. Adding a new framework (with lots of
issues) and requiring a new set of drivers won't cut it.

Regards,

Wolfram

--
Pengutronix e.K. | Wolfram Sang |
Industrial Linux Solutions | http://www.pengutronix.de/ |

Attachment: signature.asc
Description: Digital signature