Re: [PATCH 1/4] gpiolib: add support for bias pull disable

Nuno Sá
2022-07-14T08:46:35Z

On Thu, 2022-07-14 at 16:27 +0800, Kent Gibson wrote:
> On Thu, Jul 14, 2022 at 09:14:21AM +0200, Nuno Sá wrote:
> > On Thu, 2022-07-14 at 12:20 +0800, Kent Gibson wrote:
> > > On Wed, Jul 13, 2022 at 08:36:38PM +0300, Andy Shevchenko wrote:
> > > > On Wed, Jul 13, 2022 at 03:14:18PM +0200, Nuno Sá wrote:
> > > > > This change prepares the gpio core to look at firmware flags
> > > > > and
> > > > > set
> > > > > 'FLAG_BIAS_DISABLE' if necessary. It works in similar way to
> > > > > 'GPIO_PULL_DOWN' and 'GPIO_PULL_UP'.
> > > >
> > > > ...
> > > >
> > > > >         GPIO_PULL_UP                    = (1 << 4),
> > > > >         GPIO_PULL_DOWN                  = (1 << 5),
> > > > > +       GPIO_PULL_DISABLE               = (1 << 6),
> > > >
> > > > To me it seems superfluous. You have already two flags:
> > > > PUp
> > > > PDown
> > > > When none is set --> Pdisable
> > > >
> > >
> > > Agree with Andy on this.  The FLAG_BIAS_DISABLE was added, by me,
> > > to
> > > allow the cdev interface to support bias.  cdev requires a "don't
> > > care"
> > > state, distinct from an explicit BIAS_DISABLE.
> > > The FLAG_BIAS_DISABLE allows gpiolib-cdev to communicate that to
> > > gpiolib, without altering the interpretation of the existing
> > > PULL_UP
> > > and
> > > PULL_DOWN flags.
> > > That is not an issue on the machine interface, where the two
> > > GPIO_PULL
> > > flags suffice.
> > >
> >
> > I see, but this means we can only disable the pin BIAS through
> > userspace. I might be wrong but I don't see a reason why it
> > wouldn't be
> > valid to do it from an in kernel path as we do for PULL-UPS and
> > PULL-
> > DOWNS
> >
>
> > > If you are looking for the place where FLAG_BIAS_DISABLE is set
> > > it is
> > > in
> > > gpio_v2_line_config_flags_to_desc_flags() in gpiolib-cdev.c.
> > >
> > > Referring to gpio_set_bias(), the only place in gpiolib the
> > > FLAG_BIAS_DISABLE is used, if neither FLAG_PULL_UP,
> > > FLAG_PULL_DOWN,
> > > nor FLAG_BIAS_DISABLE are set then the bias configuration remains
> > > unchanged (the don't care case) - no change is passed to the
> > > driver.
> > > Otherwise the corresponding PIN_CONFIG_BIAS flag is passed to the
> > > driver.
> > >
> >
> > Exactly, but note FLAG_BIAS_DISABLE can only be set from userspace
> > at
> > this point (IIUTC). If everyone agrees that should be case, so be
> > it.
> > But as I said, I just don't see why it's wrong to do it within the
> > kernel.
> >
>
> Believe it or not gpiolib-cdev is part of the kernel, not userspace -
> it
> just provides an interface to userspace.
>

Yes, I do know that. But don't you still need a userspace process to
open the cdev and do the ioctl()?

> Bias can be disabled by calling gpiod_direction_input() or
> gpiod_direction_output() after setting the FLAG_BIAS_DISABLE, as
> gpiolib-cdev does.
>
> Does that work for you?
>

I'm not seeing how would this work... We would need to make gpiod
consumers having to do this. Something like:

desc = giod_get();
set_bit(FLAG_BIAS_DISABLE, &desc->flags);
set_direction...

Having in mind that we can already specify the direction in gpiod_get,
I don't really think this is something that consumers should have to
worry. Moreover, I would say this means special devicetree properties
for all the consumers of such a gpiochip which want to disable bias...

...

Or do you have something else in mind?

- Nuno Sá