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Diffstat (limited to 'Documentation/watchdog')
| -rw-r--r-- | Documentation/watchdog/00-INDEX | 2 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | Documentation/watchdog/watchdog-kernel-api.txt | 119 |
2 files changed, 121 insertions, 0 deletions
diff --git a/Documentation/watchdog/00-INDEX b/Documentation/watchdog/00-INDEX index ee994513a9b1..fc51128071c2 100644 --- a/Documentation/watchdog/00-INDEX +++ b/Documentation/watchdog/00-INDEX @@ -8,6 +8,8 @@ src/ - directory holding watchdog related example programs. watchdog-api.txt - description of the Linux Watchdog driver API. +watchdog-kernel-api.txt + - description of the Linux WatchDog Timer Driver Core kernel API. watchdog-parameters.txt - information on driver parameters (for drivers other than the ones that have driver-specific files here) diff --git a/Documentation/watchdog/watchdog-kernel-api.txt b/Documentation/watchdog/watchdog-kernel-api.txt new file mode 100644 index 000000000000..3db67e74b80e --- /dev/null +++ b/Documentation/watchdog/watchdog-kernel-api.txt @@ -0,0 +1,119 @@ +The Linux WatchDog Timer Driver Core kernel API. +=============================================== +Last reviewed: 22-Jul-2011 + +Wim Van Sebroeck <wim@iguana.be> + +Introduction +------------ +This document does not describe what a WatchDog Timer (WDT) Driver or Device is. +It also does not describe the API which can be used by user space to communicate +with a WatchDog Timer. If you want to know this then please read the following +file: Documentation/watchdog/watchdog-api.txt . + +So what does this document describe? It describes the API that can be used by +WatchDog Timer Drivers that want to use the WatchDog Timer Driver Core +Framework. This framework provides all interfacing towards user space so that +the same code does not have to be reproduced each time. This also means that +a watchdog timer driver then only needs to provide the different routines +(operations) that control the watchdog timer (WDT). + +The API +------- +Each watchdog timer driver that wants to use the WatchDog Timer Driver Core +must #include <linux/watchdog.h> (you would have to do this anyway when +writing a watchdog device driver). This include file contains following +register/unregister routines: + +extern int watchdog_register_device(struct watchdog_device *); +extern void watchdog_unregister_device(struct watchdog_device *); + +The watchdog_register_device routine registers a watchdog timer device. +The parameter of this routine is a pointer to a watchdog_device structure. +This routine returns zero on success and a negative errno code for failure. + +The watchdog_unregister_device routine deregisters a registered watchdog timer +device. The parameter of this routine is the pointer to the registered +watchdog_device structure. + +The watchdog device structure looks like this: + +struct watchdog_device { + const struct watchdog_info *info; + const struct watchdog_ops *ops; + void *driver_data; + unsigned long status; +}; + +It contains following fields: +* info: a pointer to a watchdog_info structure. This structure gives some + additional information about the watchdog timer itself. (Like it's unique name) +* ops: a pointer to the list of watchdog operations that the watchdog supports. +* driver_data: a pointer to the drivers private data of a watchdog device. + This data should only be accessed via the watchdog_set_drvadata and + watchdog_get_drvdata routines. +* status: this field contains a number of status bits that give extra + information about the status of the device (Like: is the device opened via + the /dev/watchdog interface or not, ...). + +The list of watchdog operations is defined as: + +struct watchdog_ops { + struct module *owner; + /* mandatory operations */ + int (*start)(struct watchdog_device *); + int (*stop)(struct watchdog_device *); + /* optional operations */ + int (*ping)(struct watchdog_device *); +}; + +It is important that you first define the module owner of the watchdog timer +driver's operations. This module owner will be used to lock the module when +the watchdog is active. (This to avoid a system crash when you unload the +module and /dev/watchdog is still open). +Some operations are mandatory and some are optional. The mandatory operations +are: +* start: this is a pointer to the routine that starts the watchdog timer + device. + The routine needs a pointer to the watchdog timer device structure as a + parameter. It returns zero on success or a negative errno code for failure. +* stop: with this routine the watchdog timer device is being stopped. + The routine needs a pointer to the watchdog timer device structure as a + parameter. It returns zero on success or a negative errno code for failure. + Some watchdog timer hardware can only be started and not be stopped. The + driver supporting this hardware needs to make sure that a start and stop + routine is being provided. This can be done by using a timer in the driver + that regularly sends a keepalive ping to the watchdog timer hardware. + +Not all watchdog timer hardware supports the same functionality. That's why +all other routines/operations are optional. They only need to be provided if +they are supported. These optional routines/operations are: +* ping: this is the routine that sends a keepalive ping to the watchdog timer + hardware. + The routine needs a pointer to the watchdog timer device structure as a + parameter. It returns zero on success or a negative errno code for failure. + Most hardware that does not support this as a separate function uses the + start function to restart the watchdog timer hardware. And that's also what + the watchdog timer driver core does: to send a keepalive ping to the watchdog + timer hardware it will either use the ping operation (when available) or the + start operation (when the ping operation is not available). + +The status bits should (preferably) be set with the set_bit and clear_bit alike +bit-operations. The status bits that are defined are: +* WDOG_DEV_OPEN: this status bit shows whether or not the watchdog device + was opened via /dev/watchdog. + (This bit should only be used by the WatchDog Timer Driver Core). + +To get or set driver specific data the following two helper functions should be +used: + +static inline void watchdog_set_drvdata(struct watchdog_device *wdd, void *data) +static inline void *watchdog_get_drvdata(struct watchdog_device *wdd) + +The watchdog_set_drvdata function allows you to add driver specific data. The +arguments of this function are the watchdog device where you want to add the +driver specific data to and a pointer to the data itself. + +The watchdog_get_drvdata function allows you to retrieve driver specific data. +The argument of this function is the watchdog device where you want to retrieve +data from. The function retruns the pointer to the driver specific data. |