diff options
| author | Tejun Heo <tj@kernel.org> | 2026-09-14 22:12:34 -1000 |
|---|---|---|
| committer | Tejun Heo <tj@kernel.org> | 2026-09-15 06:57:20 -1000 |
| commit | a9e3760b0838299649c0d57cca44daaf40ba3c33 (patch) | |
| tree | 95807ff0e511c05602ef34808cfc660303309057 /Documentation/driver-api/console.rst | |
| download | linux-stable-a9e3760b0838299649c0d57cca44daaf40ba3c33.tar.gz linux-stable-a9e3760b0838299649c0d57cca44daaf40ba3c33.zip | |
sched_ext: Maintain an online cid mask in the scheduler arenagrafted
Schedulers on the default cid mapping treat [0, nr_online_cids) as the
online set and restart on hotplug. Schedulers that install their own mapping
with scx_bpf_cid_override() have no way to learn which cids are online: the
count no longer identifies members and the CPU-form cpumask is unusable from
cid programs. This is an obvious hole in the cid API.
Add scx_bpf_online_cmask(), a kernel-maintained cmask in the scheduler's
arena, allocated alongside the per-CPU scratch masks and populated after the
cid mapping is finalized and before ops.init(), for child schedulers too.
The pointer stays valid through ops.exit() with no reference to take. It is
the arena offset as a void pointer, the same form struct_ops arena arguments
arrive in. The verifier types the void return as a scalar for the program's
arena cast.
The mask follows the SCX hotplug notifications: seeded from cpu_active_mask
and updated before ops.cid_online/offline() runs, so it lags cpu_online_mask
only inside a hotplug transition. Updates walk the scheduler list under the
lock that also serializes unlinking. Reads are live, not atomic snapshots.
Root initialization excludes hotplug.
v2: Reworded the getter kerneldoc (Andrea Righi).
Signed-off-by: Tejun Heo <tj@kernel.org>
Reviewed-by: Andrea Righi <arighi@nvidia.com>
Diffstat (limited to 'Documentation/driver-api/console.rst')
| -rw-r--r-- | Documentation/driver-api/console.rst | 152 |
1 files changed, 152 insertions, 0 deletions
diff --git a/Documentation/driver-api/console.rst b/Documentation/driver-api/console.rst new file mode 100644 index 000000000..8394ad774 --- /dev/null +++ b/Documentation/driver-api/console.rst @@ -0,0 +1,152 @@ +.. SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0 + +=============== +Console Drivers +=============== + +The Linux kernel has 2 general types of console drivers. The first type is +assigned by the kernel to all the virtual consoles during the boot process. +This type will be called 'system driver', and only one system driver is allowed +to exist. The system driver is persistent and it can never be unloaded, though +it may become inactive. + +The second type has to be explicitly loaded and unloaded. This will be called +'modular driver' by this document. Multiple modular drivers can coexist at +any time with each driver sharing the console with other drivers including +the system driver. However, modular drivers cannot take over the console +that is currently occupied by another modular driver. (Exception: Drivers that +call do_take_over_console() will succeed in the takeover regardless of the type +of driver occupying the consoles.) They can only take over the console that is +occupied by the system driver. In the same token, if the modular driver is +released by the console, the system driver will take over. + +Modular drivers, from the programmer's point of view, have to call:: + + do_take_over_console() - load and bind driver to console layer + give_up_console() - unload driver; it will only work if driver + is fully unbound + +In newer kernels, the following are also available:: + + do_register_con_driver() + do_unregister_con_driver() + +If sysfs is enabled, the contents of /sys/class/vtconsole can be +examined. This shows the console backends currently registered by the +system which are named vtcon<n> where <n> is an integer from 0 to 15. +Thus:: + + ls /sys/class/vtconsole + . .. vtcon0 vtcon1 + +Each directory in /sys/class/vtconsole has 3 files:: + + ls /sys/class/vtconsole/vtcon0 + . .. bind name uevent + +What do these files signify? + + 1. bind - this is a read/write file. It shows the status of the driver if + read, or acts to bind or unbind the driver to the virtual consoles + when written to. The possible values are: + + 0 + - means the driver is not bound and if echo'ed, commands the driver + to unbind + + 1 + - means the driver is bound and if echo'ed, commands the driver to + bind + + 2. name - read-only file. Shows the name of the driver in this format:: + + cat /sys/class/vtconsole/vtcon0/name + (S) VGA+ + + '(S)' stands for a (S)ystem driver, i.e., it cannot be directly + commanded to bind or unbind + + 'VGA+' is the name of the driver + + cat /sys/class/vtconsole/vtcon1/name + (M) frame buffer device + + In this case, '(M)' stands for a (M)odular driver, one that can be + directly commanded to bind or unbind. + + 3. uevent - ignore this file + +When unbinding, the modular driver is detached first, and then the system +driver takes over the consoles vacated by the driver. Binding, on the other +hand, will bind the driver to the consoles that are currently occupied by a +system driver. + +NOTE1: + Binding and unbinding must be selected in Kconfig. It's under:: + + Device Drivers -> + Character devices -> + Support for binding and unbinding console drivers + +NOTE2: + If any of the virtual consoles are in KD_GRAPHICS mode, then binding or + unbinding will not succeed. An example of an application that sets the + console to KD_GRAPHICS is X. + +How useful is this feature? This is very useful for console driver +developers. By unbinding the driver from the console layer, one can unload the +driver, make changes, recompile, reload and rebind the driver without any need +for rebooting the kernel. For regular users who may want to switch from +framebuffer console to VGA console and vice versa, this feature also makes +this possible. (NOTE NOTE NOTE: Please read fbcon.txt under Documentation/fb +for more details.) + +Notes for developers +==================== + +do_take_over_console() is now broken up into:: + + do_register_con_driver() + do_bind_con_driver() - private function + +give_up_console() is a wrapper to do_unregister_con_driver(), and a driver must +be fully unbound for this call to succeed. con_is_bound() will check if the +driver is bound or not. + +Guidelines for console driver writers +===================================== + +In order for binding to and unbinding from the console to properly work, +console drivers must follow these guidelines: + +1. All drivers, except system drivers, must call either do_register_con_driver() + or do_take_over_console(). do_register_con_driver() will just add the driver + to the console's internal list. It won't take over the + console. do_take_over_console(), as it name implies, will also take over (or + bind to) the console. + +2. All resources allocated during con->con_init() must be released in + con->con_deinit(). + +3. All resources allocated in con->con_startup() must be released when the + driver, which was previously bound, becomes unbound. The console layer + does not have a complementary call to con->con_startup() so it's up to the + driver to check when it's legal to release these resources. Calling + con_is_bound() in con->con_deinit() will help. If the call returned + false(), then it's safe to release the resources. This balance has to be + ensured because con->con_startup() can be called again when a request to + rebind the driver to the console arrives. + +4. Upon exit of the driver, ensure that the driver is totally unbound. If the + condition is satisfied, then the driver must call do_unregister_con_driver() + or give_up_console(). + +5. do_unregister_con_driver() can also be called on conditions which make it + impossible for the driver to service console requests. This can happen + with the framebuffer console that suddenly lost all of its drivers. + +The current crop of console drivers should still work correctly, but binding +and unbinding them may cause problems. With minimal fixes, these drivers can +be made to work correctly. + +Antonino Daplas <adaplas@pol.net> |
