Re: [PATCH v4 0/8] wifi: ath12k: Introduce device group abstraction

[Kalle Valo <kvalo@kernel.org>]

Harshitha Prem <quic_hprem@quicinc.com> writes:

> To support multi-link operation, multiple devices with different bands say
> 2 GHz or 5 GHz or 6 GHz can be combined together as a group and provide
> an abstraction to mac80211.
>
> Device group abstraction - when there are multiple devices that are
> connected by any means of communication interface between them, then these
> devices can be combined together as a single group using a group id to form
> a group abstraction. In ath12k driver, this abstraction would be named as
> ath12k_hw_group (ag).
>
> Please find below illustration of device group abstraction with two
> devices.
>
>                  Grouping of multiple devices (in future)
> +------------------------------------------------------------------------+
> |  +-------------------------------------+       +-------------------+   |
> |  |   +-----------+ | | +-----------+   |       |   +-----------+   |   |
> |  |   | ar (2GHz) | | | | ar (5GHz) |   |       |   | ar (6GHz) |   |   |
> |  |   +-----------+ | | +-----------+   |       |   +-----------+   |   |
> |  |          ath12k_base (ab)           |       | ath12k_base (ab)  |   |
> |  |         (Dual band device)          |       |                   |   |
> |  +-------------------------------------+       +-------------------+   |
> |                 ath12k_hw_group (ag) based on group id                 |
> +------------------------------------------------------------------------+
>
> Say for example, device 1 has two radios (2 GHz and 5 GHz band) and
> device 2 has one radio (6 GHz).
>
> In existing code -
>         device 1 will have two hardware abstractions hw1 (2 GHz) and hw2
>         (5 GHz) will be registered separately to mac80211 as phy0 and phy1
>         respectively. Similarly, device 2 will register its hw (6GHz) as
>         phy2 to mac80211.
>
> In future, with multi-link abstraction
>
>         combination 1 - Different group id for device1 and device 2
>                 Device 1 will create a single hardware abstraction hw1
>                 (2 GHz and  5 GHz) and will be registered to mac80211 as
>                 phy0. similarly, device 2 will register its hardware
>                 (6 GHz) to mac80211 as phy1.
>
>         combination 2 - Same group id for device1 and device 2
>                 Both device details are combined together as a group, say
>                 group1, with single hardware abstraction of radios 2 GHz,
>                 5 GHz and 6 GHz band details and will be registered to
>                 mac80211 as phy0.
>
> Add base infrastructure changes to add device grouping abstraction with
> a single device.
>
> This patch series brings the base code changes with following order:
>         1. Refactor existing code which would facilitate in introducing
>            device group abstraction.
>         2. Create a device group abstraction during device probe.
>         3. Start the device group only after QMI firmware ready event is
>            received for all the devices that are combined in the group.
>         4. Move the hardware abstractions (ath12k_hw - ah) from device
>            (ath12k_base - ab) to device group abstraction (ag) as it would
>            ease in having different combinations of group abstraction that
>            can be registered to mac80211.
>
> v4:
>   - Modified the cover letter
> v3:
>   - Removed depends-on tag of "wifi: ath12k: Refactor the hardware recovery
>     procedures" as it is merged to ToT
>   - Addressed the deadlock warning seen during rmmod.

Thanks, after a quick test I don't see the warning anymore.

-- 
https://patchwork.kernel.org/project/linux-wireless/list/

https://wireless.wiki.kernel.org/en/developers/documentation/submittingpatches