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author | Daniel Baumann <daniel.baumann@progress-linux.org> | 2024-05-06 01:02:30 +0000 |
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committer | Daniel Baumann <daniel.baumann@progress-linux.org> | 2024-05-06 01:02:30 +0000 |
commit | 76cb841cb886eef6b3bee341a2266c76578724ad (patch) | |
tree | f5892e5ba6cc11949952a6ce4ecbe6d516d6ce58 /Documentation/media/kapi/mc-core.rst | |
parent | Initial commit. (diff) | |
download | linux-upstream/4.19.249.tar.xz linux-upstream/4.19.249.zip |
Adding upstream version 4.19.249.upstream/4.19.249upstream
Signed-off-by: Daniel Baumann <daniel.baumann@progress-linux.org>
Diffstat (limited to 'Documentation/media/kapi/mc-core.rst')
-rw-r--r-- | Documentation/media/kapi/mc-core.rst | 264 |
1 files changed, 264 insertions, 0 deletions
diff --git a/Documentation/media/kapi/mc-core.rst b/Documentation/media/kapi/mc-core.rst new file mode 100644 index 000000000..0c05503ea --- /dev/null +++ b/Documentation/media/kapi/mc-core.rst @@ -0,0 +1,264 @@ +Media Controller devices +------------------------ + +Media Controller +~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ + +The media controller userspace API is documented in +:ref:`the Media Controller uAPI book <media_controller>`. This document focus +on the kernel-side implementation of the media framework. + +Abstract media device model +^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ + +Discovering a device internal topology, and configuring it at runtime, is one +of the goals of the media framework. To achieve this, hardware devices are +modelled as an oriented graph of building blocks called entities connected +through pads. + +An entity is a basic media hardware building block. It can correspond to +a large variety of logical blocks such as physical hardware devices +(CMOS sensor for instance), logical hardware devices (a building block +in a System-on-Chip image processing pipeline), DMA channels or physical +connectors. + +A pad is a connection endpoint through which an entity can interact with +other entities. Data (not restricted to video) produced by an entity +flows from the entity's output to one or more entity inputs. Pads should +not be confused with physical pins at chip boundaries. + +A link is a point-to-point oriented connection between two pads, either +on the same entity or on different entities. Data flows from a source +pad to a sink pad. + +Media device +^^^^^^^^^^^^ + +A media device is represented by a struct :c:type:`media_device` +instance, defined in ``include/media/media-device.h``. +Allocation of the structure is handled by the media device driver, usually by +embedding the :c:type:`media_device` instance in a larger driver-specific +structure. + +Drivers register media device instances by calling +:c:func:`__media_device_register()` via the macro ``media_device_register()`` +and unregistered by calling :c:func:`media_device_unregister()`. + +Entities +^^^^^^^^ + +Entities are represented by a struct :c:type:`media_entity` +instance, defined in ``include/media/media-entity.h``. The structure is usually +embedded into a higher-level structure, such as +:c:type:`v4l2_subdev` or :c:type:`video_device` +instances, although drivers can allocate entities directly. + +Drivers initialize entity pads by calling +:c:func:`media_entity_pads_init()`. + +Drivers register entities with a media device by calling +:c:func:`media_device_register_entity()` +and unregistred by calling +:c:func:`media_device_unregister_entity()`. + +Interfaces +^^^^^^^^^^ + +Interfaces are represented by a +struct :c:type:`media_interface` instance, defined in +``include/media/media-entity.h``. Currently, only one type of interface is +defined: a device node. Such interfaces are represented by a +struct :c:type:`media_intf_devnode`. + +Drivers initialize and create device node interfaces by calling +:c:func:`media_devnode_create()` +and remove them by calling: +:c:func:`media_devnode_remove()`. + +Pads +^^^^ +Pads are represented by a struct :c:type:`media_pad` instance, +defined in ``include/media/media-entity.h``. Each entity stores its pads in +a pads array managed by the entity driver. Drivers usually embed the array in +a driver-specific structure. + +Pads are identified by their entity and their 0-based index in the pads +array. + +Both information are stored in the struct :c:type:`media_pad`, +making the struct :c:type:`media_pad` pointer the canonical way +to store and pass link references. + +Pads have flags that describe the pad capabilities and state. + +``MEDIA_PAD_FL_SINK`` indicates that the pad supports sinking data. +``MEDIA_PAD_FL_SOURCE`` indicates that the pad supports sourcing data. + +.. note:: + + One and only one of ``MEDIA_PAD_FL_SINK`` or ``MEDIA_PAD_FL_SOURCE`` must + be set for each pad. + +Links +^^^^^ + +Links are represented by a struct :c:type:`media_link` instance, +defined in ``include/media/media-entity.h``. There are two types of links: + +**1. pad to pad links**: + +Associate two entities via their PADs. Each entity has a list that points +to all links originating at or targeting any of its pads. +A given link is thus stored twice, once in the source entity and once in +the target entity. + +Drivers create pad to pad links by calling: +:c:func:`media_create_pad_link()` and remove with +:c:func:`media_entity_remove_links()`. + +**2. interface to entity links**: + +Associate one interface to a Link. + +Drivers create interface to entity links by calling: +:c:func:`media_create_intf_link()` and remove with +:c:func:`media_remove_intf_links()`. + +.. note:: + + Links can only be created after having both ends already created. + +Links have flags that describe the link capabilities and state. The +valid values are described at :c:func:`media_create_pad_link()` and +:c:func:`media_create_intf_link()`. + +Graph traversal +^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ + +The media framework provides APIs to iterate over entities in a graph. + +To iterate over all entities belonging to a media device, drivers can use +the media_device_for_each_entity macro, defined in +``include/media/media-device.h``. + +.. code-block:: c + + struct media_entity *entity; + + media_device_for_each_entity(entity, mdev) { + // entity will point to each entity in turn + ... + } + +Drivers might also need to iterate over all entities in a graph that can be +reached only through enabled links starting at a given entity. The media +framework provides a depth-first graph traversal API for that purpose. + +.. note:: + + Graphs with cycles (whether directed or undirected) are **NOT** + supported by the graph traversal API. To prevent infinite loops, the graph + traversal code limits the maximum depth to ``MEDIA_ENTITY_ENUM_MAX_DEPTH``, + currently defined as 16. + +Drivers initiate a graph traversal by calling +:c:func:`media_graph_walk_start()` + +The graph structure, provided by the caller, is initialized to start graph +traversal at the given entity. + +Drivers can then retrieve the next entity by calling +:c:func:`media_graph_walk_next()` + +When the graph traversal is complete the function will return ``NULL``. + +Graph traversal can be interrupted at any moment. No cleanup function call +is required and the graph structure can be freed normally. + +Helper functions can be used to find a link between two given pads, or a pad +connected to another pad through an enabled link +:c:func:`media_entity_find_link()` and +:c:func:`media_entity_remote_pad()`. + +Use count and power handling +^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ + +Due to the wide differences between drivers regarding power management +needs, the media controller does not implement power management. However, +the struct :c:type:`media_entity` includes a ``use_count`` +field that media drivers +can use to track the number of users of every entity for power management +needs. + +The :c:type:`media_entity<media_entity>`.\ ``use_count`` field is owned by +media drivers and must not be +touched by entity drivers. Access to the field must be protected by the +:c:type:`media_device`.\ ``graph_mutex`` lock. + +Links setup +^^^^^^^^^^^ + +Link properties can be modified at runtime by calling +:c:func:`media_entity_setup_link()`. + +Pipelines and media streams +^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ + +When starting streaming, drivers must notify all entities in the pipeline to +prevent link states from being modified during streaming by calling +:c:func:`media_pipeline_start()`. + +The function will mark all entities connected to the given entity through +enabled links, either directly or indirectly, as streaming. + +The struct :c:type:`media_pipeline` instance pointed to by +the pipe argument will be stored in every entity in the pipeline. +Drivers should embed the struct :c:type:`media_pipeline` +in higher-level pipeline structures and can then access the +pipeline through the struct :c:type:`media_entity` +pipe field. + +Calls to :c:func:`media_pipeline_start()` can be nested. +The pipeline pointer must be identical for all nested calls to the function. + +:c:func:`media_pipeline_start()` may return an error. In that case, +it will clean up any of the changes it did by itself. + +When stopping the stream, drivers must notify the entities with +:c:func:`media_pipeline_stop()`. + +If multiple calls to :c:func:`media_pipeline_start()` have been +made the same number of :c:func:`media_pipeline_stop()` calls +are required to stop streaming. +The :c:type:`media_entity`.\ ``pipe`` field is reset to ``NULL`` on the last +nested stop call. + +Link configuration will fail with ``-EBUSY`` by default if either end of the +link is a streaming entity. Links that can be modified while streaming must +be marked with the ``MEDIA_LNK_FL_DYNAMIC`` flag. + +If other operations need to be disallowed on streaming entities (such as +changing entities configuration parameters) drivers can explicitly check the +media_entity stream_count field to find out if an entity is streaming. This +operation must be done with the media_device graph_mutex held. + +Link validation +^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ + +Link validation is performed by :c:func:`media_pipeline_start()` +for any entity which has sink pads in the pipeline. The +:c:type:`media_entity`.\ ``link_validate()`` callback is used for that +purpose. In ``link_validate()`` callback, entity driver should check +that the properties of the source pad of the connected entity and its own +sink pad match. It is up to the type of the entity (and in the end, the +properties of the hardware) what matching actually means. + +Subsystems should facilitate link validation by providing subsystem specific +helper functions to provide easy access for commonly needed information, and +in the end provide a way to use driver-specific callbacks. + +.. kernel-doc:: include/media/media-device.h + +.. kernel-doc:: include/media/media-devnode.h + +.. kernel-doc:: include/media/media-entity.h |