Linux Watchdog driver development
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From: Scott Cheloha <cheloha@linux.ibm.com>
To: linux-watchdog@vger.kernel.org
Cc: bjking@linux.ibm.com, nlynch@linux.ibm.com, aik@ozlabs.ru,
	npiggin@gmail.com, vaishnavi@linux.ibm.com, wvoigt@us.ibm.com
Subject: [RFC v1 0/2] Add driver for PAPR watchdog timers
Date: Wed, 13 Apr 2022 11:48:57 -0500	[thread overview]
Message-ID: <20220413164859.179067-1-cheloha@linux.ibm.com> (raw)

This series adds a driver for PAPR hypercall-based watchdog timers,
tentatively named "pseries-wdt".

I wanted to get some clarification on a few things before submitting
the series as a patch, hence the RFC.  The first patch adding the
hypercall to hvcall.h is straightforward, but I have questions about
the second patch (the driver).  In particular:

- In pseries_wdt_probe() we register the watchdog device with
  devm_watchdog_register_device().  However, in pseries_wdt_remove(),
  calling watchdog_unregister_devce() causes a kernel panic later,
  so I assume this is the wrong thing to do.

  Do we need to do anything to clean up the watchdog device during
  pseries_wdt_remove()?  Or does devm_watchdog_register_device()
  ensure the cleanup is handled transparently?

- In pseries_wdt_probe(), is it incorrect to devm_kfree() my
  allocation in the event that devm_watchdog_register_device()
  fails?

- The enormous hypercall input/output comment is mostly for my
  edification.  It seems like the sort of thing that will rot over time.
  I intend to remove most of it.  However, as far as I know the PAPR
  revision containing these details is not published yet.  Should I
  leave the comment in to ease review for now and remove it later?
  Or should I omit it from the initial commit entirely?

- Should we print something to the console when probing/removing the
  watchdog0 device or is that just noise?

  Most drivers (as distinct from devices) seem to print something
  during initialization, so that's what I've done in
  pseries_wdt_module_init() when the capability query succeeds.

- The timeout action is currently hardcoded to a hard reset.  This
  could be made configurable through a module parameter.  I intend
  to do this in a later patch unless someone needs it included
  in the initial patch.

- We set EIO if the hypercall fails in pseries_wdt_start() or
  pseries_wdt_stop().  There is nothing userspace can do if this
  happens.  All hypercall failures in these contexts are unexpected.

  Given all of that, is there is a more appropriate errno than EIO?

- The H_WATCHDOG spec indicates that H_BUSY is possible.  Is it
  probable, though?  Should we spin and retry the hypercall in
  the event that we see it?  Or is that pointless?



             reply	other threads:[~2022-04-13 16:49 UTC|newest]

Thread overview: 6+ messages / expand[flat|nested]  mbox.gz  Atom feed  top
2022-04-13 16:48 Scott Cheloha [this message]
  -- strict thread matches above, loose matches on Subject: below --
2022-04-13 16:51 [RFC v1 0/2] Add driver for PAPR watchdog timers Scott Cheloha
2022-04-14  2:23 ` Guenter Roeck
2022-04-14 12:39   ` Nathan Lynch
2022-04-19  8:49 ` Alexey Kardashevskiy
2022-04-19 13:55   ` Guenter Roeck

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