linux-kernel - Re: [PATCH v4 4/7] media: open.rst: document devnode-centric and mc-centric types

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Date:   Mon, 28 Aug 2017 11:36:13 +0200
From:   Hans Verkuil <hverkuil@...all.nl>
To:     Mauro Carvalho Chehab <mchehab@...pensource.com>,
        Linux Doc Mailing List <linux-doc@...r.kernel.org>,
        Linux Media Mailing List <linux-media@...r.kernel.org>
Cc:     Mauro Carvalho Chehab <mchehab@...radead.org>,
        linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org, Jonathan Corbet <corbet@....net>,
        Hans Verkuil <hans.verkuil@...co.com>
Subject: Re: [PATCH v4 4/7] media: open.rst: document devnode-centric and
 mc-centric types

On 26/08/17 13:53, Mauro Carvalho Chehab wrote:
> When we added support for omap3, back in 2010, we added a new
> type of V4L2 devices that aren't fully controlled via the V4L2
> device node.
> 
> Yet, we have never clearly documented in the V4L2 specification
> the differences between the two types.
> 
> Let's document them based on the the current implementation.
> 
> Signed-off-by: Mauro Carvalho Chehab <mchehab@...pensource.com>
> ---
>  Documentation/media/uapi/v4l/open.rst | 49 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
>  1 file changed, 49 insertions(+)
> 
> diff --git a/Documentation/media/uapi/v4l/open.rst b/Documentation/media/uapi/v4l/open.rst
> index 96ac972c1fa2..51acb8de8ba8 100644
> --- a/Documentation/media/uapi/v4l/open.rst
> +++ b/Documentation/media/uapi/v4l/open.rst
> @@ -7,6 +7,55 @@ Opening and Closing Devices
>  ***************************
>  
>  
> +.. _v4l2_hardware_control:
> +
> +
> +Types of V4L2 hardware peripheral control
> +=========================================
> +
> +V4L2 hardware periferal is usually complex: support for it is

peripheral

I *really* don't like the term "hardware peripheral". For me that means a
mouse, keyboard, printer, webcam, i.e. some external device that you connect
to a USB bus or similar, but it makes no sense as a definition of an
SoC + sensor(s) hardware design.

I would simple define "V4L2 hardware" as consisting of 1 or more "V4L2 hardware
components".

> +implemented via a V4L2 main driver and often by several additional drivers.
> +The main driver always exposes one or more **V4L2 device nodes**
> +(see :ref:`v4l2_device_naming`).

I think we should mention that the V4L2 device nodes are responsible for
implementing streaming (if applicable) of data.

> +
> +The other drivers are called **V4L2 sub-devices** and provide control to
> +other hardware components usually connected via a serial bus (like
> +I²C, SMBus or SPI). Depending on the main driver, they can be implicitly
> +controlled directly by the main driver or explicitly via
> +the **V4L2 sub-device API** (see :ref:`subdev`).
> +
> +When V4L2 was originally designed, there was only one type of
> +peripheral control: via the **V4L2 device nodes**. We refer to this kind

Again, I prefer the term "V4L2 hardware control".

> +of control as **V4L2 device node centric** (or, simply, "**vdev-centric**").
> +
> +Later (kernel 2.6.39), a new type of periferal control was

periferal -> V4L2 hardware

> +added in order to support complex peripherals that are common for embedded

complex V4L2 hardware

(repeat below where you use this 'peripheral' term)

> +systems. This type of periferal is controlled mainly via the media
> +controller and V4L2 sub-devices. So, it is called
> +**Media controller centric** (or, simply, "**MC-centric**").

add 'control' at the end.

> +
> +For **vdev-centric** hardware peripheral control, the peripheral is
> +controlled via the **V4L2 device nodes**. They may optionally support the
> +:ref:`media controller API <media_controller>` as well, in order to let
> +the application to know which device nodes are available

to know -> know

Actually, I would rephrase this to:

in order to inform the application which device nodes are available

> +(see :ref:`related`).
> +
> +For **MC-centric** hardware peripheral control it is required to configure
> +the pipelines via the :ref:`media controller API <media_controller>` before
> +the periferal can be used. For such devices, the sub-devices' configuration
> +can be controlled via the :ref:`sub-device API <subdev>`, which creates one
> +device node per sub-device.
> +
> +In summary, for **MC-centric** hardware peripheral control:
> +
> +- The **V4L2 device** node is responsible for controlling the streaming
> +  features;
> +- The **media controller device** is responsible to setup the pipelines
> +  at the peripheral;
> +- The **V4L2 sub-devices** are responsible for V4L2 sub-device
> +  specific settings at the sub-device hardware components.

... settings of the corresponding hardware components.

I agree with Laurent that I don't think this summary is needed. I would drop
it for v5 and we can look at the text again and see if it needs more work to
clarify things.

The main thing here is that the note about the V4L2 device node being responsible
for controlling the streaming features is mentioned when the V4L2 device node is
introduced above, since this is true for both MC and vdev-centric HW control.

> +
> +
>  .. _v4l2_device_naming:
>  
>  V4L2 Device Node Naming
> 

Regards,

	Hans