Re: [PATCH v2 12/16] pinctrl: starfive: Add pinctrl driver for StarFive SoCs

[Andy Shevchenko]

On Mon, Oct 25, 2021 at 1:24 PM Emil Renner Berthing <kernel@xxxxxxxx> wrote:
> On Mon, 25 Oct 2021 at 12:16, Andy Shevchenko <andy.shevchenko@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> > On Sun, Oct 24, 2021 at 12:29 PM Emil Renner Berthing <kernel@xxxxxxxx> wrote:
> > > On Sat, 23 Oct 2021 at 23:02, Emil Renner Berthing <kernel@xxxxxxxx> wrote:
> > > > On Sat, 23 Oct 2021 at 22:29, Andy Shevchenko <andy.shevchenko@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> > > > > On Sat, Oct 23, 2021 at 9:46 PM Emil Renner Berthing <kernel@xxxxxxxx> wrote:

...

> > > > > > I such cases where you get conflicting PIN_CONFIG_BIAS_* settings I
> > > > > > don't see why it's better to do the rmw on the padctl register for the
> > > > > > first bias setting only to then change the bits again a few
> > > > > > microseconds later when the loop encounters the second bias setting.
> > > > > > After the loop is done the end result would still be just the last
> > > > > > bias setting.
> > > > >
> > > > > It could be bias X followed by something else followed by bias Y. You
> > > > > will write something else with bias Y. I admit I don't know this
> > > > > hardware and you and maintainers are supposed to decide what's better,
> > > > > but my guts are telling me that current algo is buggy.
> > > >
> > > > So there is only one padctl register pr. pin. I don't see why first
> > > > setting the bias bits to X, then setting some other bits, and then
> > > > setting the bias bits to Y would be different from just setting all
> > > > the bits in one go. Except for during that little microsecond window
> > > > during the loop that I actually think it's better to avoid.
> > >
> > > Maybe an example is in order. Suppose we get strong pull-up, drive
> > > strength 3 and pull-down config flags (the strong pull-up and pull
> > > down flags conflict) and the padctl value is 0x0c0 (pull-up, input and
> > > schmitt trigger enabled). With your solution of just altering the
> > > padctl bits immediately we'd call starfive_padctl_rmw 3 times in rapid
> > > succession like this:
> > >
> > > starfive_padctl_rmw(pin, 0x130, 0x100);
> > > starfive_padctl_rmw(pin, 0x007, 0x003);
> > > starfive_padctl_rmw(pin, 0x130, 0x010);
> > >
> > > ..and the end result would be 0x0d3, although the strong pull-up would
> > > be enabled for the microseconds between the 1st and 3nd call.
> > > As the code is now it'd just directly do
> > >
> > > starfive_padctl_rmw(pin, 0x137, 0x013)
> > >
> > > ..which again results in 0x0d3, only without the microsecond blink of
> > > the strong pull-up.
> >
> > You missed the point. Hardware on the other end may behave well
> > differently in these two cases.
>
> Right, but that can never be an intended behaviour. Which of the
> conflicting bias settings comes first and is blipped before the 2nd
> remains entirely depends on how the pinctrl framework parses the
> devicetree. I'd much rather have it cleanly go to just one of the
> states, which might be the wrong one, but the conflicting bias
> settings are wrong to begin with.

That's why I said that is up to you and maintainers and people who
know hardware better than me.

-- 
With Best Regards,
Andy Shevchenko