On Mon, Aug 29, 2016 at 11:29 PM, Alan Stern <st...@rowland.harvard.edu> wrote:
> On Mon, 29 Aug 2016, Greg KH wrote:
>
>> > >> I have since compiled 4.8.0_rc1. And just as you guys suggested a part
>> > >> of problem is solved. The minor number now definitely goes up to 512
>> > >> before giving no more free serial devices. But it still doesn't reuse
>> > >> the minors after disconnecting.
>> > >>
>> > >> In my code I'm calling modbus_close and modbus_free which in turn call
>> > >> close() and free() on the file descriptor. Shouldn't this make the
>> > >> minor reusable?
>
> Yes, it should.
>
>> > >> >From what i understand minor numbers are allocated and freed by the
>> > >> driver. So how does the driver know to release the minor number after
>> > >> the file descriptor is closed?
>> > >
>> > > The USB serial driver core code handles this for you automatically after
>> > > the last reference goes away.  Are you sure that userspace is properly
>> > > releasing the device properly?
>> > >
>> > > thanks,
>> > >
>> > > greg k-h
>> >
>> > >From my understanding it is, but let me double check. If i compile the
>> > kernel with some print statements in usb-serial.c, will i get the
>> > output in stdout?
>>
>> You can use dynamic debugging on the usb_serial.ko kernel module to see
>> the open/close messages in the kernel log, along with when minors are
>> allocated.  Read about how to turn that on in the Documentation/
>> directory (search for dynamic debugging).
>
> The command is:
>
>         echo module usbserial =p >/sys/kernel/debug/dynamic_debug/control
>
> (note that you need to mount a debugfs filesystem on /sys/kernel/debug
> first).
>
>> > In the userspace is it sufficient to just call close() on the file
>> > descriptor in /dev ?
>>
>> Yes.
>>
>> > Is it possible that udev has already replaced /dev/ttyUSBx with
>> > /dev/ttyUSBx+1 by the time the program calls close() on it?
>>
>> Yes, if it is open.  And udev does not create the device node, the
>> kernel is doing so.
>>
>> If your program/device does the following:
>>       - userspace open ttyUSB0
>>       - device disconnect
>>       - device connect (ttyUSB1)
>>       - userspace close ttyUSB0
>>       - kernel removes ttyUSB0
>>
>> that could be what is happening here, you are racing and loosing :(
>
> But even in this case, the kernel would re-use the old minor numbers
> once the ttyUSB files had been closed.
>
> Alan Stern
>

Turns out it was in fact a problem with libmodbus. Someone might even
say it was a problem with how i used libmodbus :/
Thanks a bunch for all the support. Never expected kernel threads to
be this supportive :)

I would very much like to contribute, if there is something trivial
that i can work on while learning.

Thanks!
Malith
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