Date:   Wed, 2 Aug 2017 22:07:28 +0800
From:   Wu Hao <hao.wu@...el.com>
To:     Alan Tull <atull@...nel.org>
Cc:     Rob Herring <robh+dt@...nel.org>, Moritz Fischer <mdf@...nel.org>,
        linux-fpga@...r.kernel.org,
        linux-kernel <linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org>,
        "linux-api@...r.kernel.org" <linux-api@...r.kernel.org>,
        "Kang, Luwei" <luwei.kang@...el.com>,
        "Zhang, Yi Z" <yi.z.zhang@...el.com>,
        Tim Whisonant <tim.whisonant@...el.com>,
        Enno Luebbers <enno.luebbers@...el.com>,
        Shiva Rao <shiva.rao@...el.com>,
        Christopher Rauer <christopher.rauer@...el.com>,
        "devicetree@...r.kernel.org" <devicetree@...r.kernel.org>
Subject: Re: [PATCH v2 02/22] fpga: add FPGA device framework

On Tue, Aug 01, 2017 at 04:04:44PM -0500, Alan Tull wrote:
> On Tue, Aug 1, 2017 at 3:43 AM, Wu Hao <hao.wu@...el.com> wrote:
> > On Mon, Jul 31, 2017 at 04:40:16PM -0500, Alan Tull wrote:
> >> On Thu, Jul 27, 2017 at 2:10 PM, Rob Herring <robh+dt@...nel.org> wrote:
> >> > On Thu, Jul 27, 2017 at 11:35 AM, Alan Tull <atull@...nel.org> wrote:
> >> >> On Sun, Jun 25, 2017 at 8:51 PM, Wu Hao <hao.wu@...el.com> wrote:
> >> >>
> >> >> Hi Rob,
> >> >>
> >> >> I was hoping to pick your brain a bit on a DT question.
> >> >>
> >> >>> During FPGA device (e.g PCI-based) discovery, platform devices are
> >> >>> registered for different FPGA function units. But the device node path
> >> >>> isn't quite friendly to applications.
> >> >>>
> >> >>> Consider this case, applications want to access child device's sysfs file
> >> >>> for some information.
> >> >>>
> >> >>> 1) Access using bus-based path (e.g PCI)
> >> >>>
> >> >>>   /sys/bus/pci/devices/xxxxx/fpga_func_a.0/sysfs_file
> >> >>>
> >> >>>   From the path, it's clear which PCI device is the parent, but not perfect
> >> >>>   solution for applications. PCI device BDF is not fixed, application may
> >> >>>   need to search all PCI device to find the actual FPGA Device.
> >> >>>
> >> >>> 2) Or access using platform device path
> >> >>>
> >> >>>   /sys/bus/platform/devices/fpga_func_a.0/sysfs_file
> >> >>>
> >> >>>   Applications find the actual function by name easily, but no information
> >> >>>   about which fpga device it belongs to. It's quite confusing if multiple
> >> >>>   FPGA devices are in one system.
> >> >>
> >> >> There's a proposal for adding sysfs nodes that correspond to each FPGA
> >> >> device., with the devices located on each FPGA under them.  It makes
> >> >> it easier to see which device is on which FPGA.
> >> >
> >> > Makes sense.
> >> >
> >> >>> 'FPGA Device' class is introduced to resolve this problem. Each node under
> >> >>> this class represents a fpga device, which may have one or more child
> >> >>> devices. Applications only need to search under this FPGA Device class
> >> >>> folder to find the child device node it needs.
> >> >>>
> >> >>> For example, for the platform has 2 fpga devices, each fpga device has
> >> >>> 3 child devices, the hierarchy looks like this.
> >> >>>
> >> >>> Two nodes are under /sys/class/fpga/:
> >> >>> /sys/class/fpga/fpga.0
> >> >>> /sys/class/fpga/fpga.1
> >> >>>
> >> >>> Each node has 1 function A device and 2 function B devices:
> >> >>> /sys/class/fpga/fpga.0/func_a.0
> >> >>> /sys/class/fpga/fpga.0/func_b.0
> >> >>> /sys/class/fpga/fpga.0/func_b.1
> >> >>>
> >> >>> /sys/class/fpga/fpga.1/func_a.1
> >> >>> /sys/class/fpga/fpga.1/func_b.2
> >> >>> /sys/class/fpga/fpga.1/func_b.3
> >> >
> >> > A class is generally what is the function of the device, not how it is
> >> > attached. Seems like what you want here is a new bus type if the
> >> > existing PCI and platform bus types don't work.
> >> >
> >> >>
> >> >> I can see the value of having sysfs nodes that correspond to fpga
> >> >> devices and being able to find devices under them.  I'm thinking what
> >> >> that would mean for Device Tree when fpga-dev is used on DT enabled
> >> >> systems.  In Device Tree, what is a fpga-dev?
> >> >
> >> > Just properly setting the parent struct device on the functions should
> >> > be enough to figure out which function is in which fpga. I don't see
> >> > why a new class is needed.
> >> >
> >> >> Currently the DT would have a FPGA bridge corresponding to each FPGA's
> >> >> hardware bridge and a heirarchy of bridges, regions and devices under
> >> >> it.  On systems that don't support partial reconfiguration under the
> >> >> OS (so not main bridge that was controlled by the OS), there would be
> >> >> a FPGA region, then its child regions, bridges, and devices.
> >> >
> >> > The FPGA bridges could instantiate fpga bus type devices instead of
> >> > platform devices.
> >>
> >> Yes
> >>
> >> Some FPGA use cases already have a base bridge per FPGA that could
> >> serve as this bus.  But this use case has a static FPGA image +
> >> reprogrammable child fpga regions.  There's no base bridge under Linux
> >> since the FPGA was programmed and the bridge enabled before Linux
> >> boots.   An added base bridge that doesn't touch hardware will be
> >> required for this type of use.
> >
> > Hi Alan
> >
> > Does 'base bridge' mentioned above mean a hardware bridge just like
> > PCIe or USB?
> 
> Whatever connects each FPGA to the CPU.  One base bridge per FPGA
> device to create the fpga bus type devices.  Each PR region's bridge
> would also be a bus.
> 
> >
> > I tried to use fpga bus type device instead of fpga-dev class today,
> > it works for me, e.g Intel FPGA device PCIe driver could create a
> > fpga bus type dev as a child of PCIe device and its sysfs path will be
> > changed to /sys/bus/fpga/devices/fpga.x/ from /sys/class/fpga/fpga.x/.
> > For now, this fpga bus type device is only used as container device,
> > so no driver needed for it.
> 
> That's great!  I'd like to see the code to try it out with device
> tree.  Is it part of fpga-bridge or something separate for now?
> 

Hi Alan

I just sent the patch I did as a RFC Patch[1] to the mailing list. Please
take a look. I only replaced the original fpga-dev class with new 'fpga'
bus type, and keep the original interface not changed.

[1] http://marc.info/?l=linux-fpga&m=150167682312708&w=2

> >
> > Do you have any concern on this? I see fpga bus type works fine, but
> > I didn't see other advantages for this case, as we only use it as a
> > container device to represent a FPGA device in sysfs hierarchy. :)
> 
> I could not see a way to make the fpga-dev class compatible with the
> FPGA Device Tree bindings.  This was a red flag. That's why I asked
> Rob's opinion.  Sysfs classes collect devices of a specific type
> together; busses describe topology.  I think the goal of fpga-dev was
> to describe topology.  It's more correct to define this as a bus, not
> a class.  If it's done right, it can work for device tree also.

Got it. Thanks. :)

Hao

> 
> Alan
> 
> >
> > Thanks
> > Hao
> >
> >>
> >> > That's really up to Linux and outside the scope of
> >> > the bindings.
> >>
> >> Thanks for the feedback.
> >>
> >> Alan Tull
> >>
> >> >
> >> > Rob

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