[PATCH 1/2] fsl-layerscape: add dtb overlay feature

[Michael Walle]

Hi Sahil,

sorry I missed this. I'm also putting Tom on CC because I don't really
have an answer or maybe I'm lacking the whole picture, too.

>> > >> I don't know I follow. u-boot and linux should have the same device
>> > >> tree; regardless if that device is used or not. So applying the
>> > >> overlay just for linux isn't enough here.
>> > > Ok, I don't think that as of now, in all platforms uboot and linux
>> > > have same devie tree.
>> >
>> > That doesn't mean it is ok to diverge again. I put a lot of effort in
>> > syncing uboot's LS1028A device tree with linux.
>> Yes, that’s true we should not diverge again if they are already 
>> synced.
>> 
>> 
>> > > But I will try to address your concern, but I don’t know how to
>> > > apply overlay to dtb which is embedded in u-boot binary, Can you
>> > > please point me to one reference which is doing this thing, I will
>> > > take reference from there.
>> >
>> > Sorry I can't advise you with that. There is board_fix_fdt() maybe
>> > that will help. But I'm not conviced this is the correct approach, see below.
>> Ok, I looked at the board_fix_fdt() and in that we can put the code 
>> for
>> modifying the uboot DTB.
>> But the same overlay which we are going to apply on linux DTB should 
>> get
>> applied On uboot DTB, and that can happen only when we have same DTBs
>> both in Linux and u-boot.
>> 
>> I checked the uboot and Linux DTBs for LS platforms, except LS1028, 
>> all other
>> platforms have a lot of difference in them.
>> 
>> So we will not be able to apply the same DTB overaly which we get from 
>> OP-
>> TEE on both Linux and uboot.
>> 
>> For now this can only happen for LS1028 platform, if you want we can 
>> do this,
>> But it will be incomplete in my opinion as it will not enable all the 
>> boards.
>> We need to work on them again.


>> 
>> >
>> > >> > We don't use DTB in OP-TEE, but when we use CAAM in OP-TEE,
>> > >> > OP-TEE reserves One Job Ring for its use and that is communicated
>> > >> > to Kernel using DTB overlay.
>> > >> >
>> > >> >> what if the overlay doesn't match the dtb?
>> > >> > I didn't get this point, can you please elaborate a little.
>> > >>
>> > >> You are merging a dtb fragment with an unknown dtb, right? Who says
>> > >> they match? you might have an old dtb where the supplied dtb
>> > >> fragment doesn't make any sense.
>> > >>
>> > >> I might be missing something here. Eg. where is the linux dtb
>> > >> supposed to come from? This patchset is really missing an example
>> > >> and a description how things should work.
>> > > If supplied DTB does not match with DTB overlay fragment. then
>> > > overlay will not get applied.
>> >
>> > I don't think this is what happens here. fdt_overlay_apply() will mark
>> > the fdt as damaged and there will be no fdt at all.
>> Ok, got your point, If we have fragment in DTB overlay to modify let's 
>> say
>> `status` of CAAM job ring, and CAAM job ring node does not exist in 
>> the DTB
>> on which overlay is going to be applied, In that case the DTB will be 
>> marked as
>> damaged and it will stop booting of the board, right ?

At least without touching that code path, yes, that is how i read
the current code.

>> But how can we make sure that DTB overlay and DTB on which DTB overlay 
>> is
>> applied are compatible ?

I doubt you can do that and therefore, I'm not sure about this whole
optee passes us an overlay and we apply it thing. Why don't you just
pass the device tree to optee and optee will change it. Because that
isn't ready at the moment for any boards but the LS1028A? I'd advise
on working on that then and syncing the device trees and use a common
one for u-boot and linux (and optee?).

>> Maybe some DTB version check or something like that, when OP-TEE 
>> creates
>> a DTB overlay, It indicates in the overlay that this can be applied on 
>> only DTBs
>> with version more than `X`

You'd need to get Rob's opinion on that.

>> > > We don't have any control on where user picks the DTB, but we can only
>> > > make sure DTB overlay feature must work with DTBs which are
>> upstreamed
>> > > If user makes its own customized DTB, we cannot make sure that things
>> > > will work.
>> >
>> > Again. Is there any documentation on how this should all work together?
>> > Where does optee get its device tree from? Shouldn't it be the same
>> device
>> > tree as u-boot and linux? Shouldn't optee modify the device tree in place
>> > before jumping back to u-boot?
>> Here on LS platforms: Boot Flow is like ATF-> OP-TEE-> ATF->Uboot-> 
>> Linux

Or at least on the sl28 (LS1028A) it is:
   u-boot spl -> u-boot -> linux
or
   u-boot spl -> atf bl31 [-> optee]* -> u-boot -> linux

* I'm really not sure about the optee part though. I just tested
   it briefly some time ago.

>> Currently for LS platforms, OP-TEE don't use DTBs except for LX2160A.
>> And I am talking about the other platforms except LX2160 for now.
>> So all peripherals base addresses are currently hardcoded.
>> 
>> But OP-TEE uses some of the peripherals, and this information needs to
>> be passed to following components uboot and linux so that they don't 
>> use
>> the same peripherals.
>> 
>> One of the case is CAAM Job Ring. OP-TEE always use CAAM Job Ring 3, 
>> and it
>> needs to communicate this thing to following components uboot so that 
>> they
>> don’t
>> try to use the same peripherals as used by OP-TEE,
>> So, we enabled DTB_OVERLAY option in OP-TEE and will write CAAM Job 
>> Ring
>> 3 to be
>> disabled in that DTB overlay.

Yeah, I noticed last time that this DTB_OVERLAY is a thing in optee,
thus I wrote in the beginning of this mail. I might not have the
complete picture here; as in how the dtb is passed around u-boot,
optee and linux and where the dtb even comes from. TBH this
patch looks like what can we do with what we have *right now*.
Like a shortcut to getting the problem solved. But IMHO it is
creating a much wider range of different problems then.

>> The address where this DTB overlay will be created is passed by ATF 
>> which
>> ATF will
>> pass on to uboot also.
>> 
>> When control reaches uboot, It  will use that DTB overlay and apply it 
>> on
>> Linux DTB
>> which we passed via tftp on board.
>> 
>> Currently there is no common DTB which is being used by all the 
>> components,
>> OP-TEE, Uboot, Linux all are using their own copies of DTB.

This is not true for the LS1028A and it is doable for the other
layerscape SoCs too. Ok, I'm not sure about optee here.

>> 
>> Hope I answered your queries, Please let me know if you need more
>> information.
>> 
>> > Andrey, do you know how this works on imx?
>> Actually, I took reference from imx only, They are also just applying 
>> DTB
>> overlay on linux DTB as of now.
>> They are not modifying the uboot DTB according to the DTB overlay.

I'm not sure about the latest CAAM patches for u-boot which are
going to use the device tree in u-boot, so they have the same
problem I guess?

-michael