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diff --git a/Documentation/gpu/tegra.rst b/Documentation/gpu/tegra.rst new file mode 100644 index 000000000..d2ed8938c --- /dev/null +++ b/Documentation/gpu/tegra.rst @@ -0,0 +1,178 @@ +=============================================== + drm/tegra NVIDIA Tegra GPU and display driver +=============================================== + +NVIDIA Tegra SoCs support a set of display, graphics and video functions via +the host1x controller. host1x supplies command streams, gathered from a push +buffer provided directly by the CPU, to its clients via channels. Software, +or blocks amongst themselves, can use syncpoints for synchronization. + +Up until, but not including, Tegra124 (aka Tegra K1) the drm/tegra driver +supports the built-in GPU, comprised of the gr2d and gr3d engines. Starting +with Tegra124 the GPU is based on the NVIDIA desktop GPU architecture and +supported by the drm/nouveau driver. + +The drm/tegra driver supports NVIDIA Tegra SoC generations since Tegra20. It +has three parts: + + - A host1x driver that provides infrastructure and access to the host1x + services. + + - A KMS driver that supports the display controllers as well as a number of + outputs, such as RGB, HDMI, DSI, and DisplayPort. + + - A set of custom userspace IOCTLs that can be used to submit jobs to the + GPU and video engines via host1x. + +Driver Infrastructure +===================== + +The various host1x clients need to be bound together into a logical device in +order to expose their functionality to users. The infrastructure that supports +this is implemented in the host1x driver. When a driver is registered with the +infrastructure it provides a list of compatible strings specifying the devices +that it needs. The infrastructure creates a logical device and scan the device +tree for matching device nodes, adding the required clients to a list. Drivers +for individual clients register with the infrastructure as well and are added +to the logical host1x device. + +Once all clients are available, the infrastructure will initialize the logical +device using a driver-provided function which will set up the bits specific to +the subsystem and in turn initialize each of its clients. + +Similarly, when one of the clients is unregistered, the infrastructure will +destroy the logical device by calling back into the driver, which ensures that +the subsystem specific bits are torn down and the clients destroyed in turn. + +Host1x Infrastructure Reference +------------------------------- + +.. kernel-doc:: include/linux/host1x.h + +.. kernel-doc:: drivers/gpu/host1x/bus.c + :export: + +Host1x Syncpoint Reference +-------------------------- + +.. kernel-doc:: drivers/gpu/host1x/syncpt.c + :export: + +KMS driver +========== + +The display hardware has remained mostly backwards compatible over the various +Tegra SoC generations, up until Tegra186 which introduces several changes that +make it difficult to support with a parameterized driver. + +Display Controllers +------------------- + +Tegra SoCs have two display controllers, each of which can be associated with +zero or more outputs. Outputs can also share a single display controller, but +only if they run with compatible display timings. Two display controllers can +also share a single framebuffer, allowing cloned configurations even if modes +on two outputs don't match. A display controller is modelled as a CRTC in KMS +terms. + +On Tegra186, the number of display controllers has been increased to three. A +display controller can no longer drive all of the outputs. While two of these +controllers can drive both DSI outputs and both SOR outputs, the third cannot +drive any DSI. + +Windows +~~~~~~~ + +A display controller controls a set of windows that can be used to composite +multiple buffers onto the screen. While it is possible to assign arbitrary Z +ordering to individual windows (by programming the corresponding blending +registers), this is currently not supported by the driver. Instead, it will +assume a fixed Z ordering of the windows (window A is the root window, that +is, the lowest, while windows B and C are overlaid on top of window A). The +overlay windows support multiple pixel formats and can automatically convert +from YUV to RGB at scanout time. This makes them useful for displaying video +content. In KMS, each window is modelled as a plane. Each display controller +has a hardware cursor that is exposed as a cursor plane. + +Outputs +------- + +The type and number of supported outputs varies between Tegra SoC generations. +All generations support at least HDMI. While earlier generations supported the +very simple RGB interfaces (one per display controller), recent generations no +longer do and instead provide standard interfaces such as DSI and eDP/DP. + +Outputs are modelled as a composite encoder/connector pair. + +RGB/LVDS +~~~~~~~~ + +This interface is no longer available since Tegra124. It has been replaced by +the more standard DSI and eDP interfaces. + +HDMI +~~~~ + +HDMI is supported on all Tegra SoCs. Starting with Tegra210, HDMI is provided +by the versatile SOR output, which supports eDP, DP and HDMI. The SOR is able +to support HDMI 2.0, though support for this is currently not merged. + +DSI +~~~ + +Although Tegra has supported DSI since Tegra30, the controller has changed in +several ways in Tegra114. Since none of the publicly available development +boards prior to Dalmore (Tegra114) have made use of DSI, only Tegra114 and +later are supported by the drm/tegra driver. + +eDP/DP +~~~~~~ + +eDP was first introduced in Tegra124 where it was used to drive the display +panel for notebook form factors. Tegra210 added support for full DisplayPort +support, though this is currently not implemented in the drm/tegra driver. + +Userspace Interface +=================== + +The userspace interface provided by drm/tegra allows applications to create +GEM buffers, access and control syncpoints as well as submit command streams +to host1x. + +GEM Buffers +----------- + +The ``DRM_IOCTL_TEGRA_GEM_CREATE`` IOCTL is used to create a GEM buffer object +with Tegra-specific flags. This is useful for buffers that should be tiled, or +that are to be scanned out upside down (useful for 3D content). + +After a GEM buffer object has been created, its memory can be mapped by an +application using the mmap offset returned by the ``DRM_IOCTL_TEGRA_GEM_MMAP`` +IOCTL. + +Syncpoints +---------- + +The current value of a syncpoint can be obtained by executing the +``DRM_IOCTL_TEGRA_SYNCPT_READ`` IOCTL. Incrementing the syncpoint is achieved +using the ``DRM_IOCTL_TEGRA_SYNCPT_INCR`` IOCTL. + +Userspace can also request blocking on a syncpoint. To do so, it needs to +execute the ``DRM_IOCTL_TEGRA_SYNCPT_WAIT`` IOCTL, specifying the value of +the syncpoint to wait for. The kernel will release the application when the +syncpoint reaches that value or after a specified timeout. + +Command Stream Submission +------------------------- + +Before an application can submit command streams to host1x it needs to open a +channel to an engine using the ``DRM_IOCTL_TEGRA_OPEN_CHANNEL`` IOCTL. Client +IDs are used to identify the target of the channel. When a channel is no +longer needed, it can be closed using the ``DRM_IOCTL_TEGRA_CLOSE_CHANNEL`` +IOCTL. To retrieve the syncpoint associated with a channel, an application +can use the ``DRM_IOCTL_TEGRA_GET_SYNCPT``. + +After opening a channel, submitting command streams is easy. The application +writes commands into the memory backing a GEM buffer object and passes these +to the ``DRM_IOCTL_TEGRA_SUBMIT`` IOCTL along with various other parameters, +such as the syncpoints or relocations used in the job submission. |