Re: [PATCH] ACPICA: Export mutex functions

[Guenter Roeck]

On Mon, Apr 17, 2017 at 07:27:37PM +0000, Moore, Robert wrote:
> 
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Moore, Robert
> > Sent: Monday, April 17, 2017 10:13 AM
> > To: Guenter Roeck <linux@xxxxxxxxxxxx>; Zheng, Lv <lv.zheng@xxxxxxxxx>
> > Cc: Wysocki, Rafael J <rafael.j.wysocki@xxxxxxxxx>; Len Brown
> > <lenb@xxxxxxxxxx>; linux-acpi@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx; devel@xxxxxxxxxx; linux-
> > kernel@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> > Subject: RE: [PATCH] ACPICA: Export mutex functions
> > 
> > There is a model for the drivers to directly acquire an AML mutex
> > object. That is why the acquire/release public interfaces were added to
> > ACPICA.
> > 
> > I forget all of the details, but the model was developed with MS and
> > others during the ACPI 6.0 timeframe.
> > 
> > 
> [Moore, Robert] 
> 
> 
> Here is the case where the OS may need to directly acquire an AML mutex:
> 
> From the ACPI spec:
> 
> 19.6.2 Acquire (Acquire a Mutex)
> 
> Note: For Mutex objects referenced by a _DLM object, the host OS may also contend for ownership.
> 
>From the context in the dsdt, and from description of expected use cases for
_DLM objects I can find, this is what the mutex is used for (to serialize
access to a resource on a low pin count serial interconnect, aka LPC).

What does that mean in practice ? That I am not supposed to use it because
it doesn't follow standard ACPI mutex declaration rules ?

Thanks,
Guenter

> 
> 
> 
> Other than this case, the OS/drivers should never need to directly acquire an AML mutex.
> Bob
>