[linux-pm] [Update][PATCH 4/8] PM / Domains: Support for generic I/O PM domains (v6)

[Rafael J. Wysocki]

On Wednesday, June 22, 2011, Kevin Hilman wrote:
> "Rafael J. Wysocki" <rjw at sisk.pl> writes:
> 
> > On Tuesday, June 21, 2011, Kevin Hilman wrote:
> >> "Rafael J. Wysocki" <rjw at sisk.pl> writes:
> 
> [...]
> 
> >> 
> >> There's a guiding assumption in this generic PM domain layer that the
> >> runtime PM callbacks need only be called if power to the underlying PM
> >> domain is actually being cut.  As a result, devices no longer have a
> >> callback called for other low-power states where the power may not
> >> actually be cut (a.k.a low-power with memory & logic retention.)
> >> 
> >> However, there are devices (at least on OMAP, but I presume on all SoCs)
> >> where the driver will need to do other "stuff" for *all* low-power
> >> transitions, not just the power-off ones (e.g. device specific idle mode
> >> registers, clearing device-specific events/state that prevent low power
> >> transitions, etc.)
> >> 
> >> Because of this, I don't currently see how to use these generic PM
> >> domains on devices with multiple power states since the runtime PM
> >> callbacks are only called for a subset of the power states.
> >> 
> >> I haven't given this too much thought yet (especially the system PM
> >> aspects), but in order for generic PM domains to be more broadly useful
> >> for runtime PM, I'm starting to think that this series should add
> >> another set of callbacks: .power_off, .power_on or something similar.
> >> The .runtime_suspend/.runtime_resume callbacks would then be used for
> >> all power states and the .power_off/.power_on callbacks used only when
> >> power is actually cut.
> >
> > Well, I _really_ would like to avoid adding more callbacks to struct
> > dev_pm_ops, if that's what you mean, because we already seem to have
> > problems with managing the existing ones.
> 
> I agree, I don't really want to see more callbacks either.
> 
> > Also, IMO, you can always map every system with more power states to the
> > model where there are only "device active" (runtime PM RPM_ACTIVE) "device
> > stopped" (runtime PM RPM_SUSPENDED, need not save state) and "device
> > power off" (runtime PM RPM_SUSPENDED, must save state) "software" states
> > represented here.
> 
> Yes, but note that you list 2 RPM_SUSPENDED states, but there is only
> one .runtime_suspend callback, so the driver is only be notified of one
> of the them.

That's correct.

> More specifically, the problem is that using generic PM domains, there
> are no callbacks to the driver for "device stopped", since the driver's
> .runtime_suspend() is not called until "device power off."

Yes, it is, because that is not necessary for the first user (the shmobile
domain added by [8/8]).  However, I have a plan to add such a mechanism
using the subsys_data field from struct dev_pm_info (it's only used for
the clocks management right now, but it's going to see more usage anyway :-)).

> What I tried to say in my initial reply is that many devices actually
> have device specific stuff to do in preparation for "device stopped", or
> the hardware will not actually reach the targetted power state.  Without
> a callback, no device-specific preparation for "device stopped" can be
> done.
> 
> thinking out loud: hmm..., the more I think of this, maybe we should
> actually be using RPM_IDLE to represent your definition of "device
> stopped."

I don't think that will work as expected.

> > If anything more fine grained is necessary or useful, I'd say you need
> > a more complicated model, but I'd prefer to avoid further
> > complications in this patchset.
> 
> Unfortunately, PM on embedded devices is very fine grained and very
> complicated.

Which hopefully doesn't mean the code has to cover all of the possible
complications from the start. :-)

Thanks,
Rafael