linux-kernel - Re: [PATCH 7/8] docs: dma-api: update streaming DMA API physical address constraints

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Message-ID: <20250626070602.3d42b607@mordecai.tesarici.cz>
Date: Thu, 26 Jun 2025 07:06:02 +0200
From: Petr Tesarik <ptesarik@...e.com>
To: Marek Szyprowski <m.szyprowski@...sung.com>,
	Robin@....codeaurora.org, "Murphy <robin.murphy"@arm.com
Cc: Bagas Sanjaya <bagasdotme@...il.com>, Jonathan Corbet <corbet@....net>,
 Andrew Morton <akpm@...ux-foundation.org>, Leon Romanovsky
 <leon@...nel.org>, Keith Busch <kbusch@...nel.org>, Caleb Sander Mateos
 <csander@...estorage.com>, Sagi Grimberg <sagi@...mberg.me>, Jens Axboe
 <axboe@...nel.dk>, John Garry <john.g.garry@...cle.com>, "open
 list:DOCUMENTATION" <linux-doc@...r.kernel.org>, open list
 <linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org>, "open list:MEMORY MANAGEMENT"
 <linux-mm@...ck.org>, iommu@...ts.linux.dev
Subject: Re: [PATCH 7/8] docs: dma-api: update streaming DMA API physical
 address constraints

On Thu, 26 Jun 2025 08:49:17 +0700
Bagas Sanjaya <bagasdotme@...il.com> wrote:

> On Tue, Jun 24, 2025 at 03:39:22PM +0200, Petr Tesarik wrote:
> > diff --git a/Documentation/core-api/dma-api.rst b/Documentation/core-api/dma-api.rst
> > index cd432996949c..65132ec88104 100644
> > --- a/Documentation/core-api/dma-api.rst
> > +++ b/Documentation/core-api/dma-api.rst
> > @@ -210,18 +210,12 @@ DMA_BIDIRECTIONAL	direction isn't known
> >  	this API should be obtained from sources which guarantee it to be
> >  	physically contiguous (like kmalloc).
> >  
> > -	Further, the DMA address of the memory must be within the dma_mask of
> > -	the device.  To ensure that the memory allocated by kmalloc is within
> > -	the dma_mask, the driver may specify various platform-dependent flags
> > -	to restrict the DMA address range of the allocation (e.g., on x86,
> > -	GFP_DMA guarantees to be within the first 16MB of available DMA
> > -	addresses, as required by ISA devices).
> > -
> > -	Note also that the above constraints on physical contiguity and
> > -	dma_mask may not apply if the platform has an IOMMU (a device which
> > -	maps an I/O DMA address to a physical memory address).  However, to be
> > -	portable, device driver writers may *not* assume that such an IOMMU
> > -	exists.
> > +	Mapping may also fail if the memory is not within the DMA mask of the
> > +	device.  However, this constraint does not apply if the platform has
> > +	an IOMMU (a device which maps an I/O DMA address to a physical memory
> > +	address), or the kernel is configured with SWIOTLB (bounce buffers).
> > +	It is reasonable to assume that at least one of these mechanisms
> > +	allows streaming DMA to any physical address.

Now I realize this last sentence may be contentious...

@Marek, @Robin Do you agree that device drivers should not be concerned
about the physical address of a buffer passed to the streaming DMA API?

I mean, are there any real-world systems with:
  * some RAM that is not DMA-addressable,
  * no IOMMU,
  * CONFIG_SWIOTLB is not set?

FWIW if _I_ received a bug report that a device driver fails to submit
I/O on such a system, I would politely explain the reporter that their
kernel is misconfigured, and they should enable CONFIG_SWIOTLB.

Just my two cents,
Petr T

> >  .. warning::
> >    
> 
> LGTM, thanks!
> 
> Reviewed-by: Bagas Sanjaya <bagasdotme@...il.com>

Thank you for the review, Bagas.