Re: [PATCH v1 1/4] clk: samsung: change COMMON_CLK_SAMSUNG default config logic

[Will McVicker <willmcvicker@google.com>]

On Tue, Sep 21, 2021 at 1:35 AM Krzysztof Kozlowski
<krzysztof.kozlowski@canonical.com> wrote:
>
> On 21/09/2021 09:50, Geert Uytterhoeven wrote:
> > On Tue, Sep 21, 2021 at 9:31 AM Krzysztof Kozlowski <krzk@kernel.org> wrote:
> >> On 20/09/2021 21:03, Will McVicker wrote:
> >>> COMMON_CLK_SAMSUNG is selected by ARCH_EXYNOS which forces this config
> >>> to be built-in when ARCH_EXYNOS is enabled. Switch the logic to use a
> >>> "default y if ARCH_EXYNOS" to provide flexibilty for vendors to disable
> >>> or modularize this driver.
> >>
> >> The clock drivers are essential, you cannot disable them for a generic
> >> kernel supporting ARCH_EXYNOS. Such kernel won't work properly on platforms.
> >
> > Obviously it's not gonna work if the clock driver is not enabled
> > at all.  But does it work if you make the clock driver modular, and
> > put it with all other essential driver modules in initramfs?  Debugging
> > would be hard, as the serial console driver also relies on clocks
> > and PM Domains etc.
>
> The kernel could boot without clock drivers (default settings from
> bootloader), probe clocks from initramfs and proceed with rootfs from
> eMMC/SD/net.
>
> In theory.
>
> However I have no reports that it ever worked. If there is such working
> upstream configuration, I don't mind here. Just please explain this in
> the commit msg.
>
> >
> > If not, this patch should be NAKed, until it works with a modular
> > clock driver.
> >
> > If yes, perhaps another line should be added (_before_ the other line)?
> >
> >   + default m if ARCH_EXYNOS && MODULES
> >     default y if ARCH_EXYNOS
> >
> > However, many developers may want MODULES=y, but not want to bother
> > with an initramfs.  So perhaps we need a new symbol
> > MINIMUM_GENERIC_KERNEL or so, protected by EXPERT, and make the
> > driver default to m if that is enabled?
>
> Yeah, that's indeed a problem to solve. For most users (and distros)
> building kernel for Exynos this should be built-in by default.
>
> Anyway, the option is non-selectable so it cannot be converted to "m" or
> disabled. And this is claimed in the commit msg:
> "provide flexibilty for vendors to disable or modularize this driver."
>
> The commit does not achieve it.
>
> Best regards,
> Krzysztof

Thanks for the reviews! As Lee has explained in his replies, the
intent of this series is to provide config flexibility to create a
defconfig that allows us to move out SoC specific drivers in order to
create a generic kernel that can be used across multiple devices with
different SoCs. I'm sorry I added confusion by mentioning
modularization. All of these drivers that I am modifying in this
series can be modularized which is an ongoing effort, but is not
addressed here and I don't believe that modularizing them should be a
requirement before supporting enabling/disabling them.

I will update the series with my patch that refactors the Samsung SoC
drivers menuconfig to make these visible as well.

Thanks,
Will