Re: [PATCH RESEND] mfd: Add Freescale i.MX8qxp Control and Status Registers (CSR) module driver

[Liu Ying]

On Tue, 2022-11-15 at 07:33 -0600, Rob Herring wrote:
> On Mon, Nov 14, 2022 at 11:22 PM Liu Ying <victor.liu@xxxxxxx> wrote:
> > On Mon, 2022-11-14 at 14:54 -0600, Rob Herring wrote:
> > > On Mon, Nov 7, 2022 at 9:58 PM Liu Ying <victor.liu@xxxxxxx> wrote:
> > > > Hi Lee,
> > > > 
> > > > On Mon, 2022-11-07 at 09:05 +0000, Lee Jones wrote:
> > > > > On Wed, 02 Nov 2022, Liu Ying wrote:
> > > > > 
> > > > > > Hi Lee,
> > > > > > 
> > > > > > On Tue, 2022-11-01 at 13:53 +0800, Liu Ying wrote:
> > > > > > > Hi Lee,
> > > > > > > 
> > > > > > > On Mon, 2022-10-31 at 15:40 +0000, Lee Jones wrote:
> > > > > > > > On Mon, 17 Oct 2022, Liu Ying wrote:
> > > > > > > > 
> 
> [...]
> 
> > > > > > > > > +     ret = devm_of_platform_populate(&pdev->dev);
> > > > > > > > 
> > > > > > > > The use of this API does not constitute a MFD.
> > > > > > > > 
> > > > > > > > Please use "simple-mfd" instead.
> > > > > > > 
> > > > > > > simple-mfd devices have "ONLY_BUS" set in simple-pm-bus.c, so the
> > > > > > > simple-pm-bus driver would not populate child devices of simple-mfd
> > > > > > > devices.
> > > > > 
> > > > > Right, simple-pm-bus will not populate child devices, because:
> > > > 
> > > > simple-pm-bus.c may populate child devices of simple-pm-bus devices
> > > > because "ONLY_BUS" is _not_ set for simple-pm-bus devices.
> > > > 
> > > > simple-pm-bus.c would _not_ populate child devices of simple-mfd
> > > > devices because "ONLY_BUS" is set for simple-mfd devices.
> > > > 
> > > > >   /*
> > > > >    * These are transparent bus devices (not simple-pm-bus matches) that
> > > > >    * have their child nodes populated automatically.  So, don't need to
> > > > >    * do anything more. We only match with the device if this driver is
> > > > >    * the most specific match because we don't want to incorrectly bind to
> > > > >    * a device that has a more specific driver.
> > > > >    */
> > > > > 
> > > > > So "simple-mfd" must be populated elsewhere i.e. drivers/of/platform.c.
> > > > 
> > > > If simple-mfd device is a child device of one device listed in
> > > > of_default_bus_match_table[], then it may be populated by
> > > > drivers/of/platform.c.  But, in my case, simple-mfd device is a child
> > > > device of simple-pm-bus device(not listed in that table), so it will
> > > > not be populated by drivers/of/platform.c.  Instead,
> > > > drivers/bus/simple-pm-bus.c would populate the simple-mfd device.
> > > > 
> > > > > > > Also, the simple-pm-bus driver would not enable runtime
> > > > > > > power management for simple-mfd devices due to "ONLY_BUS", which
> > > > > > > means it would not propagate power management operations from child
> > > > > > > devices of simple-mfd devices to parent devices of simple-mfd
> > > > > > > devices.  That's why a dedicated fsl-imx8qxp-csr driver is needed.
> > > > > 
> > > > > This is more of an issue.
> > > > > 
> > > > > Why can't this device use "simple-pm-bus" to have support for both
> > > > > auto-registration AND Runtime PM?
> > > > 
> > > > If I change the compatible string of the CSR module from
> > > > "fsl,imx8qxp-mipi-lvds-csr", "syscon", "simple-mfd"
> > > > to
> > > > "fsl,imx8qxp-mipi-lvds-csr", "syscon", "simple-pm-bus",
> > > > all devices I'm interested in are populated and all relevant drivers
> > > > can probe.  But, this change makes 'make dt_binding_check' for the
> > > > existing fsl,imx8qxp-csr.yaml fail:
> > > 
> > > As 'simple-bus' is for MMIO devices, so is 'simple-pm-bus' with the
> > > addition of PM capabilities. That means you have registers defined
> > > (reg), but you don't.
> > > 
> > > Either you have a block with mixed functions or you have separate
> > > blocks. If the register space is all mixed together, then it is the
> > > former and an MFD. Don't be designing your binding based on Linux
> > > behavior.
> > 
> > Thanks for clarifying how to differetiate MFD and 'simple-bus'/'simple-
> > pm-bus'.  I would say the register space of the CSR module is mixed
> > together, e.g., LVDS PHY child device has a register offset 0x00,
> > PXL2DPI child device has a register offset 0x40 and LDB child device
> > has register offsets 0x20 and 0xe0 in i.MX8qxp MIPI DSI/LVDS combo
> > subsystem CSR module register space.  So, it appears to be a MFD.
> > 
> > Lee, what do you think?  If it is indeed an MFD, a new MFD driver for
> > the CSR module is needed then.
> 
> There already exists a driver which does what you need, so why create
> a 2nd one? Just add the "fsl,imx8qxp-mipi-lvds-csr" compatible to the
> simple-pm-bus match table and don't set ONLY_BUS. Isn't that enough?

Adding "fsl,imx8qxp-mipi-lvds-csr" and "fsl,imx8qm-lvds-csr" compatible
strings to the simple-pm-bus match table does work, but it tends to
make people think the CSR module is a bus instead of a MFD.  It's kinka
straightforward if a MFD device driver lives in drivers/mfd directory.
However, since "simple-mfd" compatible is also in that match table, I
would add the CSR module's compatible strings to that match table if no
objections.

Thanks,
Liu Ying