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Diffstat (limited to 'Documentation/driver-model/class.txt')
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diff --git a/Documentation/driver-model/class.txt b/Documentation/driver-model/class.txt new file mode 100644 index 000000000..1fefc480a --- /dev/null +++ b/Documentation/driver-model/class.txt @@ -0,0 +1,147 @@ + +Device Classes + + +Introduction +~~~~~~~~~~~~ +A device class describes a type of device, like an audio or network +device. The following device classes have been identified: + +<Insert List of Device Classes Here> + + +Each device class defines a set of semantics and a programming interface +that devices of that class adhere to. Device drivers are the +implementation of that programming interface for a particular device on +a particular bus. + +Device classes are agnostic with respect to what bus a device resides +on. + + +Programming Interface +~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ +The device class structure looks like: + + +typedef int (*devclass_add)(struct device *); +typedef void (*devclass_remove)(struct device *); + +See the kerneldoc for the struct class. + +A typical device class definition would look like: + +struct device_class input_devclass = { + .name = "input", + .add_device = input_add_device, + .remove_device = input_remove_device, +}; + +Each device class structure should be exported in a header file so it +can be used by drivers, extensions and interfaces. + +Device classes are registered and unregistered with the core using: + +int devclass_register(struct device_class * cls); +void devclass_unregister(struct device_class * cls); + + +Devices +~~~~~~~ +As devices are bound to drivers, they are added to the device class +that the driver belongs to. Before the driver model core, this would +typically happen during the driver's probe() callback, once the device +has been initialized. It now happens after the probe() callback +finishes from the core. + +The device is enumerated in the class. Each time a device is added to +the class, the class's devnum field is incremented and assigned to the +device. The field is never decremented, so if the device is removed +from the class and re-added, it will receive a different enumerated +value. + +The class is allowed to create a class-specific structure for the +device and store it in the device's class_data pointer. + +There is no list of devices in the device class. Each driver has a +list of devices that it supports. The device class has a list of +drivers of that particular class. To access all of the devices in the +class, iterate over the device lists of each driver in the class. + + +Device Drivers +~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ +Device drivers are added to device classes when they are registered +with the core. A driver specifies the class it belongs to by setting +the struct device_driver::devclass field. + + +sysfs directory structure +~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ +There is a top-level sysfs directory named 'class'. + +Each class gets a directory in the class directory, along with two +default subdirectories: + + class/ + `-- input + |-- devices + `-- drivers + + +Drivers registered with the class get a symlink in the drivers/ directory +that points to the driver's directory (under its bus directory): + + class/ + `-- input + |-- devices + `-- drivers + `-- usb:usb_mouse -> ../../../bus/drivers/usb_mouse/ + + +Each device gets a symlink in the devices/ directory that points to the +device's directory in the physical hierarchy: + + class/ + `-- input + |-- devices + | `-- 1 -> ../../../root/pci0/00:1f.0/usb_bus/00:1f.2-1:0/ + `-- drivers + + +Exporting Attributes +~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ +struct devclass_attribute { + struct attribute attr; + ssize_t (*show)(struct device_class *, char * buf, size_t count, loff_t off); + ssize_t (*store)(struct device_class *, const char * buf, size_t count, loff_t off); +}; + +Class drivers can export attributes using the DEVCLASS_ATTR macro that works +similarly to the DEVICE_ATTR macro for devices. For example, a definition +like this: + +static DEVCLASS_ATTR(debug,0644,show_debug,store_debug); + +is equivalent to declaring: + +static devclass_attribute devclass_attr_debug; + +The bus driver can add and remove the attribute from the class's +sysfs directory using: + +int devclass_create_file(struct device_class *, struct devclass_attribute *); +void devclass_remove_file(struct device_class *, struct devclass_attribute *); + +In the example above, the file will be named 'debug' in placed in the +class's directory in sysfs. + + +Interfaces +~~~~~~~~~~ +There may exist multiple mechanisms for accessing the same device of a +particular class type. Device interfaces describe these mechanisms. + +When a device is added to a device class, the core attempts to add it +to every interface that is registered with the device class. + |