Le jeu. 14 oct. 2021 à 18:24, Andre Przywara <andre.przyw...@arm.com> a écrit :
> On Thu, 14 Oct 2021 09:17:52 -0600 > Simon Glass <s...@chromium.org> wrote: > > > Hi Tom, > > > > On Thu, 14 Oct 2021 at 08:56, Tom Rini <tr...@konsulko.com> wrote: > > > > > > On Wed, Oct 13, 2021 at 12:06:02PM -0600, Simon Glass wrote: > > > > Hi François, > > > > > > > > On Wed, 13 Oct 2021 at 11:35, François Ozog < > francois.o...@linaro.org> wrote: > > > > > > > > > > Hi Simon > > > > > > > > > > Le mer. 13 oct. 2021 à 16:49, Simon Glass <s...@chromium.org> a > écrit : > > > > >> > > > > >> Hi Tom, Bin,François, > > > > >> > > > > >> On Tue, 12 Oct 2021 at 19:34, Tom Rini <tr...@konsulko.com> > wrote: > > > > >> > > > > > >> > On Wed, Oct 13, 2021 at 09:29:14AM +0800, Bin Meng wrote: > > > > >> > > Hi Simon, > > > > >> > > > > > > >> > > On Wed, Oct 13, 2021 at 9:01 AM Simon Glass <s...@chromium.org> > wrote: > > > > >> > > > > > > > >> > > > With Ilias' efforts we have dropped OF_PRIOR_STAGE and > OF_HOSTFILE so > > > > >> > > > there are only three ways to obtain a devicetree: > > > > >> > > > > > > > >> > > > - OF_SEPARATE - the normal way, where the devicetree is > built and > > > > >> > > > appended to U-Boot > > > > >> > > > - OF_EMBED - for development purposes, the devicetree is > embedded in > > > > >> > > > the ELF file (also used for EFI) > > > > >> > > > - OF_BOARD - the board figures it out on its own > > > > >> > > > > > > > >> > > > The last one is currently set up so that no devicetree is > needed at all > > > > >> > > > in the U-Boot tree. Most boards do provide one, but some > don't. Some > > > > >> > > > don't even provide instructions on how to boot on the board. > > > > >> > > > > > > > >> > > > The problems with this approach are documented at [1]. > > > > >> > > > > > > > >> > > > In practice, OF_BOARD is not really distinct from > OF_SEPARATE. Any board > > > > >> > > > can obtain its devicetree at runtime, even it is has a > devicetree built > > > > >> > > > in U-Boot. This is because U-Boot may be a second-stage > bootloader and its > > > > >> > > > caller may have a better idea about the hardware available > in the machine. > > > > >> > > > This is the case with a few QEMU boards, for example. > > > > >> > > > > > > > >> > > > So it makes no sense to have OF_BOARD as a 'choice'. It > should be an > > > > >> > > > option, available with either OF_SEPARATE or OF_EMBED. > > > > >> > > > > > > > >> > > > This series makes this change, adding various missing > devicetree files > > > > >> > > > (and placeholders) to make the build work. > > > > >> > > > > > > >> > > Adding device trees that are never used sounds like a hack to > me. > > > > >> > > > > > > >> > > For QEMU, device tree is dynamically generated on the fly > based on > > > > >> > > command line parameters, and the device tree you put in this > series > > > > >> > > has various hardcoded <phandle> values which normally do not > show up > > > > >> > > in hand-written dts files. > > > > >> > > > > > > >> > > I am not sure I understand the whole point of this. > > > > >> > > > > > >> > I am also confused and do not like the idea of adding device > trees for > > > > >> > platforms that are capable of and can / do have a device tree > to give us > > > > >> > at run time. > > > > >> > > > > >> (I'll just reply to this one email, since the same points applies > to > > > > >> all replies I think) > > > > >> > > > > >> I have been thinking about this and discussing it with people for > a > > > > >> few months now. I've been signalling a change like this for over a > > > > >> month now, on U-Boot contributor calls and in discussions with > Linaro > > > > >> people. I sent a patch (below) to try to explain things. I hope > it is > > > > >> not a surprise! > > > > >> > > > > >> The issue here is that we need a devicetree in-tree in U-Boot, to > > > > >> avoid the mess that has been created by OF_PRIOR_STAGE, OF_BOARD, > > > > >> BINMAN_STANDALONE_FDT and to a lesser extent, OF_HOSTFILE. Between > > > > >> Ilias' series and this one we can get ourselves on a stronger > footing. > > > > >> There is just OF_SEPARATE, with OF_EMBED for debugging/ELF use. > > > > >> For more context: > > > > >> > > > > >> > http://patchwork.ozlabs.org/project/uboot/patch/20210919215111.3830278-3-...@chromium.org/ > > > > >> > > > > >> BTW I did suggest to QEMU ARM that they support a way of adding > the > > > > >> u-boot.dtsi but there was not much interest there (in fact the > > > > >> maintainer would prefer there was no special support even for > booting > > > > >> Linux directly!) > > > > > > > > > > i understand their point of view and agree with it. > > > > >> > > > > >> But in any case it doesn't really help U-Boot. I > > > > >> think the path forward might be to run QEMU twice, once to get its > > > > >> generated tree and once to give the 'merged' tree with the U-Boot > > > > >> properties in it, if people want to use U-Boot features. > > > > >> > > > > >> I do strongly believe that OF_BOARD must be a run-time option, > not a > > > > >> build-time one. It creates all sorts of problems and obscurity > which > > > > >> have taken months to unpick. See the above patch for the > rationale. > > > > >> > > > > >> To add to that rationale, OF_BOARD needs to be an option > available to > > > > >> any board. At some point in the future it may become a common way > > > > >> things are done, e.g. TF-A calling U-Boot and providing a > devicetree > > > > >> to it. It doesn't make any sense to have people decide whether or > not > > > > >> to set OF_BOARD at build time, thus affecting how the image is put > > > > >> together. We'll end up with different U-Boot build targets like > > > > >> capricorn, capricorn_of_board and the like. It should be obvious > where > > > > >> that will lead. Instead, OF_BOARD needs to become a commonly used > > > > >> option, perhaps enabled by most/all boards, so that this sort of > build > > > > >> explosion is not needed. > > > > > > > > > > If you mean that when boards are by construction providing a DTB > to U-Boot then I agree very much. But I don’t understand how the patch set > supports it as it puts dts files for those boards to be built. > > > > >> > > > > >> U-Boot needs to be flexible enough to > > > > >> function correctly in whatever runtime environment in which it > finds > > > > >> itself. > > > > >> > > > > >> Also as binman is pressed into service more and more to build the > > > > >> complex firmware images that are becoming fashionable, it needs a > > > > >> definition (in the devicetree) that describes how to create the > image. > > > > >> We can't support that unless we are building a devicetree, nor > can the > > > > >> running program access the image layout without that information. > > > > >> > > > > >> François's point about 'don't use this with any kernel' is > > > > >> germane...but of course I am not suggesting doing that, since > OF_BOARD > > > > >> is, still, enabled. We already use OF_BOARD for various boards > that > > > > >> include an in-tree devicetree - Raspberry Pi 1, 2 and 3, for > example > > > > >> (as I said in the cover letter "Most boards do provide one, but > some > > > > >> don't."). So this series is just completing the picture by > enforcing > > > > >> that *some sort* of devicetree is always present. > > > > > > > > > > That seems inconsistent with the OF_BOARD becomes the default. > > > > > > > > I think the key point that will get you closer to where I am on this > > > > issue, is that OF_BOARD needs to be a run-time option. At present it > > > > has build-time effects and this is quite wrong. If you go through all > > > > the material I have written on this I think I have motivated that > very > > > > clearly. > > > > > > > > Another big issue is that I believe we need ONE devicetree for > U-Boot, > > > > not two that get merged by U-Boot. Again I have gone through that in > a > > > > lot of detail. > > > > > > I have a long long reply to your first reply here saved, but, maybe > > > here's the biggest sticking point. To be clear, you agree that U-Boot > > > needs to support being passed a device tree to use, at run time, yes? > > > > Yes. The OF_BOARD feature provides this. > > > > > > > > And in that case, would not be using the "fake" tree we built in? > > > > Not at runtime. > > > > > > > > So is the sticking point here that we really have two classes of > > > devices, one class where we will never ever be given the device tree at > > > run time (think BeagleBone Black) and one where we will always be given > > > one at run time (think Raspberry Pi) ? > > > > I'm not sure it will be that black and white. I suspect there will be > > (many) boards which can boot happily with the U-Boot devicetree but > > can also accept one at runtime, if provided. For example, you may want > > to boot with or without TF-A or some other, earlier stage. > > I don't understand this: as Tom mentioned this is a platform decision: > either it provides a DT somewhere (flash, EEPROM, prior firmware stage), > or it doesn't. Sure, you can always hack your own DT in, somehow, for > development or experimentation purposes, but that is a separate issue. > > Most of those platforms actually utilise some dynamic DTs, btw, where > software amends the DT on the fly: > - Highbank has a stub DT in SPI flash, and the management controller > firmware detects the size and some extra DRAM (DIMMs!) parameters at boot > time, and writes the /memory node accordingly. > - RPi3/4 have DT overlay files on the SD card, and depending on what a > user wrote in config.txt, they get applied to the DT (or not). > - Even for the Allwinner H616 we amend the OF_SEPARATE provided DT copy in > DRAM in TF-A, to carve out the DRAM region TF-A occupies. > - QEMU is the obvious example, where the whole machine is highly dynamic, > and there is no such thing as a fixed DT (how many cores?, how much > memory?, how many virtio devices?, flash?, SCSI?) > > > I believe we have got unstuck because OF_BOARD (perhaps inadvertently) > > provided a way to entirely omit a devicetree from U-Boot, thus making > > things like binman and U-Boot /config impossible, for example. > > I have the feeling this is because we abuse DT for this. Conceptually the > DT is not a configuration file, but a hardware description. +42!!! > I see that it > is also a nice and flexible, hierarchical key/value storage, for which we > have code in anyway, so it makes hardcoding data in the code easier to > avoid. > But as we see now, this has problems as well. > > So shall we separate those use cases? And attach just a tree with /binman > and /config (in DTB format), but treat this separately from the hardware > description? (Admittedly I have still to wrap my head around why we need > /binman at U-Boot runtime in the first place.) +1 > > > Cheers, > Andre > > > So I > > want to claw that back, so there is always some sort of devicetree in > > U-Boot, as we have for rpi_3, etc. > > > > Regards, > > Simon > > -- François-Frédéric Ozog | *Director Business Development* T: +33.67221.6485 francois.o...@linaro.org | Skype: ffozog
