linux-kernel - Re: [PATCH] mtd: spi-nor: intel-spi: Do not try to make the SPI flash chip writable

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Date:   Tue, 4 Aug 2020 21:06:34 +0200
From:   Arnd Bergmann <arnd@...db.de>
To:     Daniel Gutson <daniel@...ypsium.com>
Cc:     Tudor Ambarus <tudor.ambarus@...rochip.com>,
        Miquel Raynal <miquel.raynal@...tlin.com>,
        Richard Weinberger <richard@....at>,
        Vignesh Raghavendra <vigneshr@...com>,
        Mika Westerberg <mika.westerberg@...ux.intel.com>,
        Boris Brezillon <bbrezillon@...nel.org>,
        linux-mtd <linux-mtd@...ts.infradead.org>,
        "linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org" <linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org>,
        Alex Bazhaniuk <alex@...ypsium.com>,
        Richard Hughes <hughsient@...il.com>,
        Greg Kroah-Hartman <gregkh@...uxfoundation.org>
Subject: Re: [PATCH] mtd: spi-nor: intel-spi: Do not try to make the SPI flash
 chip writable

On Tue, Aug 4, 2020 at 5:49 PM Daniel Gutson <daniel@...ypsium.com> wrote:
> On Tue, Aug 4, 2020 at 12:21 PM Arnd Bergmann <arnd@...db.de> wrote:
>>
>> On Tue, Aug 4, 2020 at 3:58 PM Daniel Gutson
>> <daniel.gutson@...ypsium.com> wrote:
>> >
>> > Context, the intel-spi has a module argument that controls
>> > whether the driver attempts to turn the SPI flash chip writeable.
>> > The default value is FALSE (don't try to make it writeable).
>> > However, this flag applies only for a number of devices, coming from the
>> > platform driver, whereas the devices detected through the PCI driver
>> > (intel-spi-pci) are not subject to this check since the configuration
>> > takes place in intel-spi-pci which doesn't have an argument.
>>
>> This is still factually incorrect, as explained at least three times
>> now.
>>
>> Please either make the same change for both the Bay Trail
>> platform driver and the PCI driver, or explain why you want them to
>> be different rather than incorrectly claiming that you change them to
>> be the same.
>
>
> What about just saying
>
> "This patch removes the attempt by the intel-spi-pci driver to
> make the chip always writable."

Yes, that is much better, though it still sounds like it would at the
moment allow writing to the device from software without also
setting the module parameter. I would say something like

"Disallow overriding the write protection in the PCI driver
with a module parameter and instead honor the current
state of the write protection as set by the firmware."

(note also: imperative form in the patch description rather than
"this patch ...").

      Arnd