From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Return-Path: Return-Path: Received: from mga12.intel.com ([192.55.52.136]:39533 "EHLO mga12.intel.com" rhost-flags-OK-OK-OK-OK) by vger.kernel.org with ESMTP id S2405860AbfJPPzJ (ORCPT ); Wed, 16 Oct 2019 11:55:09 -0400 Reply-To: thor.thayer@linux.intel.com Subject: Re: [PATCH v4 1/2] fpga: fpga-mgr: Add readback support References: <1532672551-22146-1-git-send-email-appana.durga.rao@xilinx.com> <4476bf39-b665-50d8-fecd-d50687d10ca2@linux.intel.com> <20190927182308.GA6797@archbox> <20191007212058.GA2929169@archbox> From: Thor Thayer Message-ID: Date: Wed, 16 Oct 2019 10:57:02 -0500 MIME-Version: 1.0 In-Reply-To: <20191007212058.GA2929169@archbox> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8; format=flowed Content-Language: en-US Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Sender: linux-fpga-owner@vger.kernel.org List-Id: linux-fpga@vger.kernel.org To: Moritz Fischer Cc: Appana Durga Kedareswara Rao , Alan Tull , Michal Simek , "kedare06@gmail.com" , "linux-fpga@vger.kernel.org" , "moderated list:ARM/FREESCALE IMX / MXC ARM ARCHITECTURE" , linux-kernel , Nava kishore Manne , Siva Durga Prasad Paladugu , Richard Gong , Dinh Nguyen , agust@denx.de Hi Moritz, On 10/7/19 4:20 PM, Moritz Fischer wrote: > Hi Thor, > > On Mon, Oct 07, 2019 at 01:06:51PM -0500, Thor Thayer wrote: >> Hi Moritz, >> >> On 9/27/19 1:23 PM, Moritz Fischer wrote: >>> Thor, >>> >>> On Fri, Sep 27, 2019 at 09:32:11AM -0500, Thor Thayer wrote: >>>> Hi Kedar & Moritz, >>>> >>>> On 9/27/19 12:13 AM, Appana Durga Kedareswara Rao wrote: >>>>> Hi Alan, >>>>> >>>>> Did you get a chance to send your framework changes to upstream? >>> No they weren't upstreamed. >>> >>>>> @Moritz Fischer: If Alan couldn't send his patch series, Can we take this patch series?? >>>>> Please let me know your thoughts on this. >>> >>> Alan had some comments RE: #defines, I'll have to take another look. >>>>> >>>>> Regards, >>>>> Kedar. >>>> >>>> >>>> I'd like to see some mechanism added as well. Our CvP driver needs a way to >>>> load images to the FPGA over the PCIe bus. >>> >>> Can you elaborate a bit on the CvP use-case and how that would work? Who >>> would use the device how after loading the bitstream? >>> >>> Generally there are several use cases that I have collected mentally >>> over the years: >>> >>> I) DFL use case: >>> - Mixed-set of drivers: Kernel and Userspace >>> - FPGA logic is discoverable through DFL >>> - Userspace application wants to reprogram FPGA >>> >>> II) DT configfs use case: >>> - Mixed-set of drivers: Kernel and Userspace >>> - FPGA logic is *not* discoverable (hence DT overlay) >>> - Userspace application wants to reprogram FPGA >>> >>> III) Thomas' case: >>> - Kernel only drivers (pcie bridge, pcie drivers, ...) >>> - FPGA logic is fully discoverable (i.e. PCIe endpoint >>> implemented in FPGA, connected to SoC via PCIe) >>> - Userspace application wants to reprogram FPGA >>> >>> IV) VFIO case: >>> - Usually exposes either entire device via vfio-pci or part via >>> vfio-mdev >>> - Loading (basic) bitstream at boot from flash >>> - vfio-mdev case can use FPGA region interface + ioctl >>> - Full VFIO case is similar to III) >>> >>> How does your CvP use case fit in? Collecting all the use-cases would >>> help with moving forward on coming up with an API :) >>> >> The CvP case is the same as III) Thomas' case. The FPGA configuration >> bitstream is downloaded over the PCIe. >> >> The one difference in my case is that there isn't an SoC. This is a Intel >> host processor connecting to a non-SoC Stratix10/Arria10. The non-SoC >> A10/S10, boots a minimal image (CvP) setting up the peripheral pins and >> enabling the PCIe endpoint for CvP downloads. >> >> The host can then download bitstreams using the FPGA Manager through debugFS >> and when the bitstream finishes downloading and the FPGA enters User Mode, >> the functionality is available for the host to use. > > I am generally confused by this driver. How does it work exactly? What > happens after altera-cvp binds a PCI device? > > You can use it to download a bitstream (say we had the debugfs > interface), and then what happens next? How do I use the device? It > already has a PCI driver bound to it at that point? Sorry for the delay. In the CvP case, I reboot the host device leaving the FPGA board powered so the new PCI interface is enumerated. There may be a better way. I'll need to research Thomas' use case. There may be some good lessons to learn there. Thanks, Thor > > What happens next? > > Please tell me that not the only use-case for this is /dev/mem :) > > Thomas' use-case is different in that behind the FPGA device there are > actual other *discoverable* PCI devices that will get enumerated and > bind to separate drivers. > > Thanks, > Moritz > > PS: I'll be out this week on vacation starting tmr so responses might be delayed >