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+.. SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0
+
+V4L2 clocks
+-----------
+
+.. attention::
+
+ This is a temporary API and it shall be replaced by the generic
+ clock API, when the latter becomes widely available.
+
+Many subdevices, like camera sensors, TV decoders and encoders, need a clock
+signal to be supplied by the system. Often this clock is supplied by the
+respective bridge device. The Linux kernel provides a Common Clock Framework for
+this purpose. However, it is not (yet) available on all architectures. Besides,
+the nature of the multi-functional (clock, data + synchronisation, I2C control)
+connection of subdevices to the system might impose special requirements on the
+clock API usage. E.g. V4L2 has to support clock provider driver unregistration
+while a subdevice driver is holding a reference to the clock. For these reasons
+a V4L2 clock helper API has been developed and is provided to bridge and
+subdevice drivers.
+
+The API consists of two parts: two functions to register and unregister a V4L2
+clock source: v4l2_clk_register() and v4l2_clk_unregister() and calls to control
+a clock object, similar to the respective generic clock API calls:
+v4l2_clk_get(), v4l2_clk_put(), v4l2_clk_enable(), v4l2_clk_disable(),
+v4l2_clk_get_rate(), and v4l2_clk_set_rate(). Clock suppliers have to provide
+clock operations that will be called when clock users invoke respective API
+methods.
+
+It is expected that once the CCF becomes available on all relevant
+architectures this API will be removed.