RE: [PATCH V2 3/9] clk: imx: Support building SCU clock driver as module

[Aisheng Dong <aisheng.dong@nxp.com>]

> From: Stephen Boyd <sboyd@kernel.org>
> Sent: Wednesday, June 24, 2020 8:58 AM
> Subject: RE: [PATCH V2 3/9] clk: imx: Support building SCU clock driver as
> module
> 
> Quoting Aisheng Dong (2020-06-23 02:00:47)
> > > From: Stephen Boyd <sboyd@kernel.org>
> > > Sent: Tuesday, June 23, 2020 4:34 PM
> > > Subject: RE: [PATCH V2 3/9] clk: imx: Support building SCU clock
> > > driver as module
> > >
> > > Quoting Aisheng Dong (2020-06-22 20:42:19)
> > > > > From: Stephen Boyd <sboyd@kernel.org>
> > > > > Sent: Saturday, June 20, 2020 11:28 AM
> > > > > Subject: RE: [PATCH V2 3/9] clk: imx: Support building SCU clock
> > > > > driver as module
> > > > >
> > > > > Quoting Aisheng Dong (2020-06-17 18:58:51)
> > > > > > > From: Anson Huang <anson.huang@nxp.com>
> > > > > > > > > +obj-$(CONFIG_MXC_CLK_SCU) += mxc-clk-scu.o
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > Like i.MX pinctrl, I'm not sure if it's really necessary
> > > > > > > > to build core libraries as modules. Probably the simplest
> > > > > > > > way is only building platform drivers part as module. And
> > > > > > > > leave those core libraries
> > > > > built in kernel.
> > > > > > > > This may make the code a bit cleaner.
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > Will discuss this with Linaro guys about it, previous
> > > > > > > requirement I received is all SoC specific modules need to
> > > > > > > be built as
> > > module.
> > > > > > >
> > > > > >
> > > > > > Okay. AFAIK it's not conflict.
> > > > > > You still make drivers into modules.
> > > > > > Only difference is for those common libraries part, we don't
> > > > > > convert them into module Which is less meaningless.
> > > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > What is the benefit of making the core part of the SoC driver not a
> module?
> > > >
> > > > Usually we could try to build it as module if it's not hard.
> > > >
> > > > One question is sometimes those core part are shared with some
> > > > platforms
> > > which can't built as module.
> > > > For i.MX case, it's mainly patch 4:
> > > > [V2,4/9] clk: imx: Support building i.MX common clock driver as
> > > > module
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > Those libraries are also used by i.MX6&7 which can't build as module.
> > > > So we need an extra workaround patch to forcely 'select' it under
> > > > arch/arm/mach-imx/Kconfig [V2,2/9] ARM: imx: Select MXC_CLK for
> > > > ARCH_MXC Then the users can't configure it as module in order to
> > > > not break build.
> > > >
> > > > If build-in those common libraries, the implementation could be a
> > > > bit easier
> > > and cleaner.
> > > > So I'm not sure if we still have to build them as module.
> > > > How would you suggest for such case?
> > >
> > > Stop using 'select MXC_CLK' when requiring the core library code?
> > > Instead, make it a 'depends' and then that will make depending
> > > modules (i.e. the SoC files) that want to be builtin force the core
> > > module to be builtin too. Other modular configs that depend on the core will
> still be modular.
> > >
> >
> > It seems not work.
> > Patch 4 already changes it to depend on ARCH_MXC which can only be 'Y'.
> > [V2,4/9] clk: imx: Support building i.MX common clock driver as module
> > diff --git a/drivers/clk/imx/Kconfig b/drivers/clk/imx/Kconfig index
> > ded0643..678113b 100644
> > --- a/drivers/clk/imx/Kconfig
> > +++ b/drivers/clk/imx/Kconfig
> > @@ -1,8 +1,8 @@
> >  # SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0
> >  # common clock support for NXP i.MX SoC family.
> >  config MXC_CLK
> > -       bool
> > -       def_bool ARCH_MXC
> > +       tristate "IMX clock"
> > +       depends on ARCH_MXC
> >
> > But user can still set MXC_CLK to be m, either via make menuconfig or
> defconfig.
> 
> Isn't that what we want? 

No, if user set MXC_CLK to m, the build will break for i.MX6&7.

> Why does ARCH_MXC being enabled mandate that it is
> builtin? Is some architecture level code calling into the clk driver?


It's mainly because there's no Kconfig options for i.MX6 &7 clock drivers.
It just reuses ARCH config CONFIG_SOC_XXX which can only be y.
e.g.
obj-$(CONFIG_SOC_IMX6Q)  += clk-imx6q.o
obj-$(CONFIG_SOC_IMX6SL) += clk-imx6sl.o
obj-$(CONFIG_SOC_IMX7ULP) += clk-imx7ulp.o
obj-$(CONFIG_SOC_VF610)  += clk-vf610.o
..

If setting MXC_CLK to m, the platform clock drivers will fail to build due to miss
to find symbols defined in the common clock library by CONFIG_MXC_CLK.
So we have to avoid users to be able to config MXC_CLK to m for i.MX6&7.
Only depends on ARCH_MXC mean user still can set it to m.

Regards
Aisheng