linux-kernel - Re: [RFC PATCH 0/8] Add configurable block device LED triggers

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Message-ID: <b108799e-24a2-d5ec-e18e-b7ae8bded085@gmail.com>
Date:   Thu, 29 Jul 2021 12:03:04 -0500
From:   Ian Pilcher <arequipeno@...il.com>
To:     Pavel Machek <pavel@....cz>
Cc:     linux-block@...r.kernel.org, linux-leds@...r.kernel.org,
        axboe@...nel.dk, linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org,
        kernelnewbies@...nelnewbies.org
Subject: Re: [RFC PATCH 0/8] Add configurable block device LED triggers

On 7/29/21 3:54 AM, Pavel Machek wrote:
> We normally have a trigger ("block device activity") which can then
> expose parameters ("I watch for read" and "I monitor sda1").
> 
> Is there a reason normal solution can not be used?

This big difference is that this allows different devices to drive
different LEDs.  For example, my NAS has 5 drive bays, each of which
has its own activity LED.  With these patches, I can create a
separate trigger for each of those LEDs and associate the drive in each
bay with the correct LED:

   sdb --> trigger1 --> LED1
    ⋮         ⋮         ⋮
   sdf --> trigger5 --> LED5

(sda is the SATA DOM boot drive.)

Note that this also supports associating multiple devices with a single
trigger, so it can be used for more complicated schemes.  For example,
if my NAS had an additional LED and an optical drive, I could do this:

   sr0 --+
         |
         +--> trigger0 --> LED0
         |
   sda --+

   sdb -----> trigger1 --> LED1
    ⋮         ⋮         ⋮
   sdf -----> trigger5 --> LED5

As far as I know, the current triggers (disk-activity, disk-read,
disk-write, and ide-disk) don't support this sort of arbitrary
device-trigger association.

This patch set also support triggering LEDs from pretty much any block
device (virtual as well as physical), not just ATA devices, although
that's just a matter of the place from which the trigger is "fired".

I hope this explains things.

Thanks!

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