Re: [PATCH] dt-bindings: mtd: Add a schema for binman

[Rob Herring]

On Mon, Sep 25, 2023 at 11:25 AM Simon Glass <sjg@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
> Hi Miquel,
>
> On Mon, 25 Sept 2023 at 09:24, Miquel Raynal <miquel.raynal@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> >
> > Hi Simon,
> >
> > > > > > > > > > > I was assuming that I should create a top-level compatible = "binman"
> > > > > > > > > > > node, with subnodes like compatible = "binman,bl31-atf", for example.
> > > > > > > > > > > I should use the compatible string to indicate the contents, right?
> > > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > > Yes for subnodes, and we already have some somewhat standard ones for
> > > > > > > > > > "u-boot" and "u-boot-env". Though historically, "label" was used.
> > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > Binman has common properties for all entries, including "compress"
> > > > > > > > > which sets the compression algorithm.
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > I see no issue with adding that. It seems useful and something missing
> > > > > > > > in the existing partition schemas.
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > OK I sent a patch with that.
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > So perhaps I should start by defining a new binman,bl31-atf which has
> > > > > > > > > common properties from an "binman,entry" definition?
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > I don't understand the binman prefix. The contents are ATF (or TF-A
> > > > > > > > now). Who wrote it to the flash image is not relevant.
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > Are you suggesting just "atf-bl31", or "arm,atf-bl31" ? Or should we
> > > > > > > change it to "tfa-bl31"?
> > > > > >
> > > > > > I don't really understand the relationship with TF-A here. Can't we
> > > > > > just have a kind of fixed-partitions with additional properties like
> > > > > > the compression?
> > > > >
> > > > > Binman needs to know what to put in there, which is the purpose of the
> > > > > compatible string.
> > > >
> > > > But "what" should be put inside the partition is part of the input
> > > > argument, not the output. You said (maybe I got this wrong) that the
> > > > schema would apply to the output of binman. If you want to let user
> > > > know what's inside, maybe it is worth adding a label, but otherwise I
> > > > don't like the idea of a compatible for that, which for me would mean:
> > > > "here is how to handle that specific portion of the flash/here is how
> > > > the flash is organized".
> > >
> > > But I thought that the compatible string was for that purpose? See for
> > > example "brcm,bcm4908-firmware" and "brcm,bcm963xx-imagetag" and
> > > "linksys,ns-firmware".
> >
> > These three examples apparently need specific handling, the partitions
> > contain meta-data that a parser needs to check or something like that.
> > And finally it looks like partition names are set depending on the
> > content that was discovered, so yes, the partition name is likely the
> > good location to tell users/OSes what's inside.
> >
> > > > > > Also, I still don't understand the purpose of this schema. So binman
> > > > > > generates an image, you want to flash this image and you would like the
> > > > > > tool to generate the corresponding (partition) DT snippet automatically.
> > > > > > Do I get this right? I don't get why you would need new compatibles for
> > > > > > that.
> > > > >
> > > > > It is actually the other way around. The schema tells Binman how to
> > > > > build the image (what goes in there and where). Then outputs an
> > > > > updated DT which describes where everything ended up, for use by other
> > > > > tools, e.g. firmware update. It is a closed loop in that sense. See
> > > > > the references for more information.
> > > >
> > > > Maybe I fail to see why you would want these description to be
> > > > introduced here, if they are not useful to the OS.
> > >
> > > Well I was asked to send them to Linux since they apparently don't
> > > belong in dt-schema.

That is not what I said. I said fixed-partitions should be extended. I
prefer they are extended in-place before moving them rather than the
other way around.

> > > These are firmware bindings, as indicated, but I
> > > took them out of the /firmware node since that is for a different
> > > purpose. Rob suggested that partitions was a good place. We have fwupd
> > > using DT to hold the firmware-update information, so I expect it will
> > > move to use these bindings too.
> >
> > I would definitely use fixed partitions as that's what you need then:
> > registering where everything starts and ends. If you have "in-band"
> > meta data you might require a compatible, but I don't think you
> > do, in this case you should probably carry the content through a label
> > (which will become the partition name) and we can discuss additional
> > properties if needed.
>
> I believe I am going to need a compatible string at the 'partitions'
> level to indicate that this is the binman scheme. But we can leave
> that until later.

Perhaps:

compatible = "binman", "fixed-partitions";

Though I don't understand why binman couldn't just understand what
"fixed-partitions" means rather than "binman".


> So you are suggesting 'label' for the contents. Rob suggested
> 'compatible' [1], so what should I do?

"label" is for consumption by humans, not tools/software. Compatible
values are documented, label values are not. Though the partition
stuff started out using label long ago and it's evolved to preferring
compatible.

> With this schema, would every node be called 'partition@...' or is
> there flexibility to use other names?

The preference is to use generic names. Do you mean without a
unit-address or different from "partition"? The need for the input
side of binman to have dynamic addresses seems like the biggest issue.
That's allowed in other cases with "partition-N" or "partition-foo"
IIRC. I don't think we want to allow that for "fixed-partitions" at
least in the DTB (i.e. the output side of binman).

Rob