Re: [PATCH] - race-free suspend. Was: Re: [linux-pm] [PATCH 0/8] Suspend block api (version 8)

Florian Mickler
2010-06-03T01:27:59Z

On Wed, 2 Jun 2010 16:32:44 -0700
Dmitry Torokhov <dmitry.torokhov@gmail.com> wrote:

> On Wed, Jun 02, 2010 at 09:05:21PM +0200, Florian Mickler wrote:
> > On Wed, 2 Jun 2010 21:02:24 +1000
> > Neil Brown <neilb@suse.de> wrote:
> > >
> > > And this decision (to block suspend) really needs to be made in the driver,
> > > not in userspace?
> >
> > Well, it fits. The requirement is a direct consequence of the intimate
> > knowledge the driver has about the driven devices.
>
> That is not really true. A driver does have intimate knowledge of the
> device, however it does not necessarily have an idea about the data read
> from the device. Consider the gpio_matrix driver: Arve says that it has
> to continue scanning matrix once first interrupt arrvies. But it really
> depends on what key has been pressed - if user pressed KEY_SUSPEND or
> KEY_POWER it cmight be better if we did not wait for key release but
> initiated the action right away. The decision on how system reacts to a
> key press does not belong to the driver but really to userspace.
>

I can't follow the gpio_matrix_driver example, but your point is
obviously true.
A device should never register a constraint because of the data it
handles. That belongs into userspace. Or wherever the data is
consumed.

I'm obviously not trying to say that a network driver should block
suspend while I'm on facebook. Or unblock when visiting m$.com. That
would be absurd.

But, there are of course places in the kernel, where some kernel code
listens to data. For example the packet-filtering. Or sysrq-keys.
But I don't know how that relates to suspend_blockers now... ?

Mind if I rephrase the quote?
From: "Well, it fits. The requirement is a direct consequence of the
intimate knowledge the driver has about the driven devices."
To: "It fits, when the requirement is a direct consequence of the
intimate knowledge the driver has about the driven devices."

Cheers,
Flo

p.s.: tsss.... language... what a broken concept. And yet we have to
work with it.