Re: [PATCH 02/13] mmc: host: Add facility to support re-tuning

Arend van Spriel
2015-01-14T12:38:33Z

On 01/14/15 11:13, Ulf Hansson wrote:
> On 14 January 2015 at 10:57, Adrian Hunter<adrian.hunter@intel.com> wrote:
>> On 14/01/15 11:47, Ulf Hansson wrote:
>>> On 13 January 2015 at 17:02, Arend van Spriel<arend@broadcom.com> wrote:
>>>> On 01/13/15 16:41, Ulf Hansson wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>> On 13 January 2015 at 16:11, Arend van Spriel<arend@broadcom.com> wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>> On 01/13/15 15:56, Ulf Hansson wrote:
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> [...]
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> Thank you for looking at the patches.
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> I am not sure I know what you mean. sdhci already has a re-tuning
>>>>>>>>>> timer, so
>>>>>>>>>> this is just moving it into core, where it won't be used by other
>>>>>>>>>> drivers
>>>>>>>>>> unless they enable it.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> I am kind of questioning the re-tuning timer in sdhci. What is it good
>>>>>>>>> for?
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> It is part of the SD Host Controller Standard Specification. The timer
>>>>>>>> ensures that re-tuning is done before temperature changes could affect
>>>>>>>> the
>>>>>>>> "sampling point". It is needed for re-tuning mode 1 for UHS-I modes
>>>>>>>> like
>>>>>>>> SDR104.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Does the spec say what value the timer should have?
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> It is read from the Capabilities register in the SD host controller, ie.
>>>>>> in
>>>>>> field "Timer Count for Re-Tuning" (see below).
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Regards,
>>>>>> Arend
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Timer Count for Re-Tuning
>>>>>> This field indicates an initial value of the Re-Tuning Timer for
>>>>>> Re-Tuning
>>>>>> Mode 1 to 3. Setting to 0 disables Re-Tuning Timer.
>>>>>> 0h Re-Tuning Timer disabled
>>>>>> 1h 1 seconds
>>>>>> 2h 2 seconds
>>>>>> 3h 4 seconds
>>>>>> 4h 8 seconds
>>>>>> ..... ......................
>>>>>> n 2(n-1) seconds
>>>>>> ..... ......................
>>>>>> Bh 1024 seconds
>>>>>> Eh - Ch Reserved
>>>>>> Fh Get information from other source
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> Thanks for sharing this information, but unfortunate I don't
>>>>> understand much from it.
>>>>>
>>>>> Is the host driver intended to read/poll this register to find a good
>>>>> value?
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> You can download the spec (and others) here [1]. sdhci currently implements
>>>> retuning mode 1, which is decribed in the spec:
>>>>
>>>> Re-Tuning Timer Control Example for Re-Tuning Mode 1
>>>> The initial value of re-tuning timer is provided by Timer Count for
>>>> Re-Tuning field in this register. The timer starts counting by loading the
>>>> initial value. When the timer expires, the Host Driver marks an expiration
>>>> flag. On receiving a command request, the Host driver checks the expiration
>>>> flag. If the expiration flag is set, then the Host Driver should perform the
>>>> re-tuning procedure before issuing a command. If the expiration flag is not
>>>> set, then the Host Driver issues a command without performing the re-tuning
>>>> procedure. Every time the re-tuning procedure is performed, the timer loads
>>>> the new initial value and the expiration flag is cleared.
>>>>
>>>> So the host controller could indeed update this register for subsequent
>>>> retuning.
>>>
>>> Arend, thanks for the link and information. So, I decided to go for a
>>> look in there.
>>>
>>> > From the same section you quoted above:
>>> ------
>>> (1) Re-Tuning Mode 1
>>> The host controller does not have any internal logic to detect when
>>> the re-tuning needs to be performed. In this case, the Host Driver
>>> should maintain all re-tuning timings by using a Re-Tuning Timer. To
>>> enable inserting the re-tuning procedure during data transfers, the
>>> data length per read/write command shall be limited up to 4MB.
>>> ------

Hi Ulf,

After sending my email I read that part as well and figured my response
was incorrect.

>>> That means, we can't get _any_ help from the controller HW (in mode 1)
>>> to find a good value for the timer.
>>
>> In fact the timer value *is* defined in the Capabilities Register (Offset
>> 040h) bits 43-40 Timer Count for Re-Tuning
>>
>> It has been supported since 2011, see:
>>
>> commit cf2b5eea1ea0ff9b3184bc6771bcb93a9fdcd1d9
>> "mmc: sdhci: add support for retuning mode 1"
>>
>
> The value from the register is also just randomly selected, only
> difference is that it's the HW that has randomly set it.

I think you can not say it like that. The value from the register is set
by the manufacturer of the host controller. I would not say they would
set that randomly. It is just hard-coded in their IP design. Now whether
the value comes from actual hardware validation is hard to say.

> Even if the above commit was merged, I don't think it was the correct
> way of dealing with re-tuning.

It seems a reasonable choice to follow the specification.

> First of all, re-tuning this is a mmc protocol specific thing should
> be managed from the mmc core, like the approach you have taken in your
> $subject patchset. Second I question whether the timer is useful at
> all.

Not sure I understand what the alternative approach is here. You
mentioned earlier something about "the request retry path". Does that
mean you proposal is to only do a re-tuning procedure when a request
fails. That does not seem like "the correct way of dealing with
re-tuning" either as it introduces additional delay of the failed
request. I would rather see some algorithm to adapt the timer value and
thus keep a re-tuning timer. If you are concerned about doing
unnecessary re-tuning cycles retuning could be limited to ADTC request
as from what I understand about retuning is that it is only needed for
requests that involve using the DAT lines.

Regards,
Arend

> Kind regards
> Uffe