public inbox for linuxppc-dev@ozlabs.org 
 help / color / mirror / Atom feed
From: Sergei Shtylyov <sshtylyov@ru•mvista.com>
To: Laurent Pinchart <laurentp@cse-semaphore•com>
Cc: ben@simtec•co.uk, linuxppc-dev@ozlabs•org,
	linux-mtd@lists•infradead.org,
	David Gibson <david@gibson•dropbear.id.au>
Subject: Re: OF compatible MTD platform RAM driver ?
Date: Tue, 25 Mar 2008 20:02:08 +0300	[thread overview]
Message-ID: <47E93010.5090904@ru.mvista.com> (raw)
In-Reply-To: <200803251744.46001.laurentp@cse-semaphore.com>

Laurent Pinchart wrote:

>>>>>We're talking about a very specific type of RAM, used for permanent storage 
>>>>>with a battery backup. The RAM is really meant to be used as an MTD device 
>>>>>and as such I think it makes sense to describe it as an mtd-compatible device 
>>>>>on the local bus.

>>>>>What about the following definition for the RAM node ?

>>>>>       nvram@2,0000 {

>>>>   Note that there's a OF "device_type" of "nvram", so your (generic) device 
>>>>name seems to add some mess. (IIRC, that OF device type didn't actually 
>>>>represent a "real" device, and only served to provide access to NVRAM for OF).

>>>Ok.

>>    Well, I might have gone too far here -- it should be a real device 
>>(spec'ed in Device Support Extensions recommended practice). It's just that 
>>the spec didn't mention "reg" property, only "#bytes" (the device capacity). 
>>So, it may be worth considering...

> The nvram device descrived in the Device Support Extensions is probably meant 
> to describe the kind of nvram found in RTC chips.

    Well, that is only an assumption -- actually, the sentense in the 
description of the "#bytes" prop about the typical size being from 4 to 32K 
speaks against it. The details of NVRAM implementation are hidden behind 
read/write/seek methods.

> That memory isn't directly accessible.

    That's what we have a "compatible" prop for. ;-)

> As the spec doesn't mention this explicitely we could still reuse 
> the nvram device type for direct-mapped battery-backed ram. I have no strong 
> opinion for or against that.

>>>>>               reg = <2 0x0000 0x00100000>;
>>>>>               bank-width = <2>;
>>>>>       };

>>>>>Or should the node have a device-type property of either 'ram' or 'rom' with 
>>>>>the compatible property just referencing MTD ?

>>>>   The "device_type" properties are not required and their further creation 

>>>>has been discouraged on liunxppc-dev.

>>>What about

>>>	mtdram@2,0000 {
>>>		compatible = "mtd-ram";
>>>		reg = <2 0x0000 0x00100000>;
>>>		bank-width = <2>;
>>>	};

>>>ROMs could use "mtd-rom" for their compatible property.

>>    Heh, there was a whole company against mentioning "mtd" when we started 
>>working on this (of course, the first idea was to call the flash device type 
>>"mtd"). I don't think "mtd" looks good here -- I'd suggest "flash-ram" (if 
>>this is just a linearly mapped NVRAM).

> I'm fine with "flash-ram" (even thought it looks a bit weird). I'll prepare a 
> patch.

    Yeah. I forgeot that "flash" means EEPROM. Actually, the main facts about 
the NVRAM that I'd want to be stated in the "compatible" property is that it's 
non-volatile and directly/lineraly mapped... Just "nvram" doesn't seem 
enopugh, maybe "linear-nvram" is. And we can specify "device_type" of "nvram" 
indeed (and #size).

> Best regards,

WBR, Sergei

  reply	other threads:[~2008-03-25 17:00 UTC|newest]

Thread overview: 38+ messages / expand[flat|nested]  mbox.gz  Atom feed  top
2008-03-10 15:06 OF compatible MTD platform RAM driver ? Laurent Pinchart
2008-03-10 17:00 ` Rune Torgersen
2008-03-11  0:45   ` David Gibson
2008-03-11 10:39     ` Laurent Pinchart
2008-03-11 22:40       ` David Gibson
2008-03-25 14:36         ` Laurent Pinchart
2008-03-25 15:29           ` Sergei Shtylyov
2008-03-25 15:51             ` Laurent Pinchart
2008-03-25 16:23               ` Sergei Shtylyov
2008-03-25 16:44                 ` Laurent Pinchart
2008-03-25 17:02                   ` Sergei Shtylyov [this message]
2008-03-25 17:23                     ` Laurent Pinchart
2008-03-25 17:37                       ` Sergei Shtylyov
2008-03-25 17:56                       ` Rune Torgersen
2008-03-25 18:14                         ` Laurent Pinchart
2008-03-26 12:53                           ` Sergei Shtylyov
2008-03-27  9:13                             ` Laurent Pinchart
2008-03-27 10:03                               ` David Gibson
2008-03-27 12:23                                 ` Sergei Shtylyov
2008-03-28  0:07                                   ` David Gibson
2008-03-28 12:31                                     ` Sergei Shtylyov
2008-03-27 14:31                                 ` Laurent Pinchart
2008-03-28  0:09                                   ` David Gibson
2008-03-30 18:15                                 ` Segher Boessenkool
2008-03-30 21:16                                   ` Paul Mackerras
2008-03-30 22:39                                     ` Segher Boessenkool
2008-03-31  0:42                                       ` Paul Mackerras
2008-03-31  0:59                                         ` Segher Boessenkool
2008-03-31  1:24                                           ` Segher Boessenkool
2008-03-31  8:21                                       ` Laurent Pinchart
2008-03-31 12:21                                         ` Segher Boessenkool
2008-03-26 15:06                           ` Segher Boessenkool
2008-03-26 15:40                             ` Sergei Shtylyov
2008-03-27  9:24                               ` Laurent Pinchart
2008-03-30 18:12                               ` Segher Boessenkool
2008-03-26 15:09                   ` Segher Boessenkool
2008-03-11 15:00     ` Rune Torgersen
2008-03-11 22:41       ` David Gibson

Reply instructions:

You may reply publicly to this message via plain-text email
using any one of the following methods:

* Save the following mbox file, import it into your mail client,
  and reply-to-all from there: mbox

  Avoid top-posting and favor interleaved quoting:
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Posting_style#Interleaved_style

* Reply using the --to, --cc, and --in-reply-to
  switches of git-send-email(1):

  git send-email \
    --in-reply-to=47E93010.5090904@ru.mvista.com \
    --to=sshtylyov@ru$(echo .)mvista.com \
    --cc=ben@simtec$(echo .)co.uk \
    --cc=david@gibson$(echo .)dropbear.id.au \
    --cc=laurentp@cse-semaphore$(echo .)com \
    --cc=linux-mtd@lists$(echo .)infradead.org \
    --cc=linuxppc-dev@ozlabs$(echo .)org \
    /path/to/YOUR_REPLY

  https://kernel.org/pub/software/scm/git/docs/git-send-email.html
Be sure your reply has a Subject: header at the top and a blank line before the message body.
This is a public inbox, see mirroring instructions
for how to clone and mirror all data and code used for this inbox