This provides an overview of GPIO access conventions on Linux.
+These calls use the gpio_* naming prefix. No other calls should use that
+prefix, or the related __gpio_* prefix.
+
What is a GPIO?
===============
- Output values are writable (high=1, low=0). Some chips also have
options about how that value is driven, so that for example only one
value might be driven ... supporting "wire-OR" and similar schemes
- for the other value.
+ for the other value (notably, "open drain" signaling).
- Input values are likewise readable (1, 0). Some chips support readback
of pins configured as "output", which is very useful in such "wire-OR"
cases (to support bidirectional signaling). GPIO controllers may have
- input de-glitch logic, sometimes with software controls.
+ input de-glitch/debounce logic, sometimes with software controls.
- Inputs can often be used as IRQ signals, often edge triggered but
sometimes level triggered. Such IRQs may be configurable as system
functionality can be very portable. Other features are platform-specific,
and that can be critical for glue logic.
-Plus, this doesn't define an implementation framework, just an interface.
+Plus, this doesn't require any implementation framework, just an interface.
One platform might implement it as simple inline functions accessing chip
registers; another might implement it by delegating through abstractions
-used for several very different kinds of GPIO controller.
+used for several very different kinds of GPIO controller. (There is some
+optional code supporting such an implementation strategy, described later
+in this document, but drivers acting as clients to the GPIO interface must
+not care how it's implemented.)
That said, if the convention is supported on their platform, drivers should
-use it when possible:
+use it when possible. Platforms must declare GENERIC_GPIO support in their
+Kconfig (boolean true), and provide an <asm/gpio.h> file. Drivers that can't
+work without standard GPIO calls should have Kconfig entries which depend
+on GENERIC_GPIO. The GPIO calls are available, either as "real code" or as
+optimized-away stubs, when drivers use the include file:
- #include <asm/gpio.h>
+ #include <linux/gpio.h>
If you stick to this convention then it'll be easier for other developers to
see what your code is doing, and help maintain it.
+Note that these operations include I/O barriers on platforms which need to
+use them; drivers don't need to add them explicitly.
+
Identifying GPIOs
-----------------
The numbers need not be contiguous; either of those platforms could also
use numbers 2000-2063 to identify GPIOs in a bank of I2C GPIO expanders.
+If you want to initialize a structure with an invalid GPIO number, use
+some negative number (perhaps "-EINVAL"); that will never be valid. To
+test if a number could reference a GPIO, you may use this predicate:
+
+ int gpio_is_valid(int number);
+
+A number that's not valid will be rejected by calls which may request
+or free GPIOs (see below). Other numbers may also be rejected; for
+example, a number might be valid but unused on a given board.
+
Whether a platform supports multiple GPIO controllers is currently a
platform-specific implementation issue.
Using GPIOs
-----------
-One of the first things to do with a GPIO, often in board setup code when
+The first thing a system should do with a GPIO is allocate it, using
+the gpio_request() call; see later.
+
+One of the next things to do with a GPIO, often in board setup code when
setting up a platform_device using the GPIO, is mark its direction:
/* set as input or output, returning 0 or negative errno */
The return value is zero for success, else a negative errno. It should
be checked, since the get/set calls don't have error returns and since
-misconfiguration is possible. (These calls could sleep.)
+misconfiguration is possible. You should normally issue these calls from
+a task context. However, for spinlock-safe GPIOs it's OK to use them
+before tasking is enabled, as part of early board setup.
For output GPIOs, the value provided becomes the initial output value.
This helps avoid signal glitching during system startup.
+For compatibility with legacy interfaces to GPIOs, setting the direction
+of a GPIO implicitly requests that GPIO (see below) if it has not been
+requested already. That compatibility is being removed from the optional
+gpiolib framework.
+
Setting the direction can fail if the GPIO number is invalid, or when
that particular GPIO can't be used in that mode. It's generally a bad
idea to rely on boot firmware to have set the direction correctly, since
-------------------------
Most GPIO controllers can be accessed with memory read/write instructions.
That doesn't need to sleep, and can safely be done from inside IRQ handlers.
+(That includes hardirq contexts on RT kernels.)
Use these calls to access such GPIOs:
The values are boolean, zero for low, nonzero for high. When reading the
value of an output pin, the value returned should be what's seen on the
pin ... that won't always match the specified output value, because of
-issues including wire-OR and output latencies.
+issues including open-drain signaling and output latencies.
The get/set calls have no error returns because "invalid GPIO" should have
-been reported earlier in gpio_set_direction(). However, note that not all
+been reported earlier from gpio_direction_*(). However, note that not all
platforms can read the value of output pins; those that can't should always
return zero. Also, using these calls for GPIOs that can't safely be accessed
without sleeping (see below) is an error.
This requires sleeping, which can't be done from inside IRQ handlers.
Platforms that support this type of GPIO distinguish them from other GPIOs
-by returning nonzero from this call:
+by returning nonzero from this call (which requires a valid GPIO number,
+which should have been previously allocated with gpio_request):
int gpio_cansleep(unsigned gpio);
same as the spinlock-safe calls.
-Claiming and Releasing GPIOs (OPTIONAL)
----------------------------------------
+Claiming and Releasing GPIOs
+----------------------------
To help catch system configuration errors, two calls are defined.
-However, many platforms don't currently support this mechanism.
/* request GPIO, returning 0 or negative errno.
* non-null labels may be useful for diagnostics.
Passing invalid GPIO numbers to gpio_request() will fail, as will requesting
GPIOs that have already been claimed with that call. The return value of
-gpio_request() must be checked. (These calls could sleep.)
+gpio_request() must be checked. You should normally issue these calls from
+a task context. However, for spinlock-safe GPIOs it's OK to request GPIOs
+before tasking is enabled, as part of early board setup.
These calls serve two basic purposes. One is marking the signals which
are actually in use as GPIOs, for better diagnostics; systems may have
several hundred potential GPIOs, but often only a dozen are used on any
-given board. Another is to catch conflicts between drivers, reporting
-errors when drivers wrongly think they have exclusive use of that signal.
+given board. Another is to catch conflicts, identifying errors when
+(a) two or more drivers wrongly think they have exclusive use of that
+signal, or (b) something wrongly believes it's safe to remove drivers
+needed to manage a signal that's in active use. That is, requesting a
+GPIO can serve as a kind of lock.
-These two calls are optional because not not all current Linux platforms
-offer such functionality in their GPIO support; a valid implementation
-could return success for all gpio_request() calls. Unlike the other calls,
-the state they represent doesn't normally match anything from a hardware
-register; it's just a software bitmap which clearly is not necessary for
-correct operation of hardware or (bug free) drivers.
+Some platforms may also use knowledge about what GPIOs are active for
+power management, such as by powering down unused chip sectors and, more
+easily, gating off unused clocks.
Note that requesting a GPIO does NOT cause it to be configured in any
way; it just marks that GPIO as in use. Separate code must handle any
pin setup (e.g. controlling which pin the GPIO uses, pullup/pulldown).
+Also note that it's your responsibility to have stopped using a GPIO
+before you free it.
+
GPIOs mapped to IRQs
--------------------
/* map GPIO numbers to IRQ numbers */
int gpio_to_irq(unsigned gpio);
- /* map IRQ numbers to GPIO numbers */
+ /* map IRQ numbers to GPIO numbers (avoid using this) */
int irq_to_gpio(unsigned irq);
Those return either the corresponding number in the other namespace, or
else a negative errno code if the mapping can't be done. (For example,
-some GPIOs can't used as IRQs.) It is an unchecked error to use a GPIO
-number that hasn't been marked as an input using gpio_set_direction(), or
+some GPIOs can't be used as IRQs.) It is an unchecked error to use a GPIO
+number that wasn't set up as an input using gpio_direction_input(), or
to use an IRQ number that didn't originally come from gpio_to_irq().
These two mapping calls are expected to cost on the order of a single
Non-error values returned from irq_to_gpio() would most commonly be used
with gpio_get_value(), for example to initialize or update driver state
-when the IRQ is edge-triggered.
+when the IRQ is edge-triggered. Note that some platforms don't support
+this reverse mapping, so you should avoid using it.
+
+Emulating Open Drain Signals
+----------------------------
+Sometimes shared signals need to use "open drain" signaling, where only the
+low signal level is actually driven. (That term applies to CMOS transistors;
+"open collector" is used for TTL.) A pullup resistor causes the high signal
+level. This is sometimes called a "wire-AND"; or more practically, from the
+negative logic (low=true) perspective this is a "wire-OR".
+
+One common example of an open drain signal is a shared active-low IRQ line.
+Also, bidirectional data bus signals sometimes use open drain signals.
+
+Some GPIO controllers directly support open drain outputs; many don't. When
+you need open drain signaling but your hardware doesn't directly support it,
+there's a common idiom you can use to emulate it with any GPIO pin that can
+be used as either an input or an output:
+
+ LOW: gpio_direction_output(gpio, 0) ... this drives the signal
+ and overrides the pullup.
+
+ HIGH: gpio_direction_input(gpio) ... this turns off the output,
+ so the pullup (or some other device) controls the signal.
+
+If you are "driving" the signal high but gpio_get_value(gpio) reports a low
+value (after the appropriate rise time passes), you know some other component
+is driving the shared signal low. That's not necessarily an error. As one
+common example, that's how I2C clocks are stretched: a slave that needs a
+slower clock delays the rising edge of SCK, and the I2C master adjusts its
+signaling rate accordingly.
What do these conventions omit?
pulldowns integrated on some platforms. Not all platforms support them,
or support them in the same way; and any given board might use external
pullups (or pulldowns) so that the on-chip ones should not be used.
+(When a circuit needs 5 kOhm, on-chip 100 kOhm resistors won't do.)
+Likewise drive strength (2 mA vs 20 mA) and voltage (1.8V vs 3.3V) is a
+platform-specific issue, as are models like (not) having a one-to-one
+correspondence between configurable pins and GPIOs.
There are other system-specific mechanisms that are not specified here,
like the aforementioned options for input de-glitching and wire-OR output.
Hardware may support reading or writing GPIOs in gangs, but that's usually
configuration dependent: for GPIOs sharing the same bank. (GPIOs are
commonly grouped in banks of 16 or 32, with a given SOC having several such
-banks.) Some systems can trigger IRQs from output GPIOs. Code relying on
-such mechanisms will necessarily be nonportable.
+banks.) Some systems can trigger IRQs from output GPIOs, or read values
+from pins not managed as GPIOs. Code relying on such mechanisms will
+necessarily be nonportable.
-Dynamic definition of GPIOs is not currently supported; for example, as
+Dynamic definition of GPIOs is not currently standard; for example, as
a side effect of configuring an add-on board with some GPIO expanders.
-These calls are purely for kernel space, but a userspace API could be built
-on top of it.
+
+GPIO implementor's framework (OPTIONAL)
+=======================================
+As noted earlier, there is an optional implementation framework making it
+easier for platforms to support different kinds of GPIO controller using
+the same programming interface. This framework is called "gpiolib".
+
+As a debugging aid, if debugfs is available a /sys/kernel/debug/gpio file
+will be found there. That will list all the controllers registered through
+this framework, and the state of the GPIOs currently in use.
+
+
+Controller Drivers: gpio_chip
+-----------------------------
+In this framework each GPIO controller is packaged as a "struct gpio_chip"
+with information common to each controller of that type:
+
+ - methods to establish GPIO direction
+ - methods used to access GPIO values
+ - flag saying whether calls to its methods may sleep
+ - optional debugfs dump method (showing extra state like pullup config)
+ - label for diagnostics
+
+There is also per-instance data, which may come from device.platform_data:
+the number of its first GPIO, and how many GPIOs it exposes.
+
+The code implementing a gpio_chip should support multiple instances of the
+controller, possibly using the driver model. That code will configure each
+gpio_chip and issue gpiochip_add(). Removing a GPIO controller should be
+rare; use gpiochip_remove() when it is unavoidable.
+
+Most often a gpio_chip is part of an instance-specific structure with state
+not exposed by the GPIO interfaces, such as addressing, power management,
+and more. Chips such as codecs will have complex non-GPIO state.
+
+Any debugfs dump method should normally ignore signals which haven't been
+requested as GPIOs. They can use gpiochip_is_requested(), which returns
+either NULL or the label associated with that GPIO when it was requested.
+
+
+Platform Support
+----------------
+To support this framework, a platform's Kconfig will "select" either
+ARCH_REQUIRE_GPIOLIB or ARCH_WANT_OPTIONAL_GPIOLIB
+and arrange that its <asm/gpio.h> includes <asm-generic/gpio.h> and defines
+three functions: gpio_get_value(), gpio_set_value(), and gpio_cansleep().
+They may also want to provide a custom value for ARCH_NR_GPIOS.
+
+ARCH_REQUIRE_GPIOLIB means that the gpio-lib code will always get compiled
+into the kernel on that architecture.
+
+ARCH_WANT_OPTIONAL_GPIOLIB means the gpio-lib code defaults to off and the user
+can enable it and build it into the kernel optionally.
+
+If neither of these options are selected, the platform does not support
+GPIOs through GPIO-lib and the code cannot be enabled by the user.
+
+Trivial implementations of those functions can directly use framework
+code, which always dispatches through the gpio_chip:
+
+ #define gpio_get_value __gpio_get_value
+ #define gpio_set_value __gpio_set_value
+ #define gpio_cansleep __gpio_cansleep
+
+Fancier implementations could instead define those as inline functions with
+logic optimizing access to specific SOC-based GPIOs. For example, if the
+referenced GPIO is the constant "12", getting or setting its value could
+cost as little as two or three instructions, never sleeping. When such an
+optimization is not possible those calls must delegate to the framework
+code, costing at least a few dozen instructions. For bitbanged I/O, such
+instruction savings can be significant.
+
+For SOCs, platform-specific code defines and registers gpio_chip instances
+for each bank of on-chip GPIOs. Those GPIOs should be numbered/labeled to
+match chip vendor documentation, and directly match board schematics. They
+may well start at zero and go up to a platform-specific limit. Such GPIOs
+are normally integrated into platform initialization to make them always be
+available, from arch_initcall() or earlier; they can often serve as IRQs.
+
+
+Board Support
+-------------
+For external GPIO controllers -- such as I2C or SPI expanders, ASICs, multi
+function devices, FPGAs or CPLDs -- most often board-specific code handles
+registering controller devices and ensures that their drivers know what GPIO
+numbers to use with gpiochip_add(). Their numbers often start right after
+platform-specific GPIOs.
+
+For example, board setup code could create structures identifying the range
+of GPIOs that chip will expose, and passes them to each GPIO expander chip
+using platform_data. Then the chip driver's probe() routine could pass that
+data to gpiochip_add().
+
+Initialization order can be important. For example, when a device relies on
+an I2C-based GPIO, its probe() routine should only be called after that GPIO
+becomes available. That may mean the device should not be registered until
+calls for that GPIO can work. One way to address such dependencies is for
+such gpio_chip controllers to provide setup() and teardown() callbacks to
+board specific code; those board specific callbacks would register devices
+once all the necessary resources are available, and remove them later when
+the GPIO controller device becomes unavailable.
+
+
+Sysfs Interface for Userspace (OPTIONAL)
+========================================
+Platforms which use the "gpiolib" implementors framework may choose to
+configure a sysfs user interface to GPIOs. This is different from the
+debugfs interface, since it provides control over GPIO direction and
+value instead of just showing a gpio state summary. Plus, it could be
+present on production systems without debugging support.
+
+Given appropriate hardware documentation for the system, userspace could
+know for example that GPIO #23 controls the write protect line used to
+protect boot loader segments in flash memory. System upgrade procedures
+may need to temporarily remove that protection, first importing a GPIO,
+then changing its output state, then updating the code before re-enabling
+the write protection. In normal use, GPIO #23 would never be touched,
+and the kernel would have no need to know about it.
+
+Again depending on appropriate hardware documentation, on some systems
+userspace GPIO can be used to determine system configuration data that
+standard kernels won't know about. And for some tasks, simple userspace
+GPIO drivers could be all that the system really needs.
+
+Note that standard kernel drivers exist for common "LEDs and Buttons"
+GPIO tasks: "leds-gpio" and "gpio_keys", respectively. Use those
+instead of talking directly to the GPIOs; they integrate with kernel
+frameworks better than your userspace code could.
+
+
+Paths in Sysfs
+--------------
+There are three kinds of entry in /sys/class/gpio:
+
+ - Control interfaces used to get userspace control over GPIOs;
+
+ - GPIOs themselves; and
+
+ - GPIO controllers ("gpio_chip" instances).
+
+That's in addition to standard files including the "device" symlink.
+
+The control interfaces are write-only:
+
+ /sys/class/gpio/
+
+ "export" ... Userspace may ask the kernel to export control of
+ a GPIO to userspace by writing its number to this file.
+
+ Example: "echo 19 > export" will create a "gpio19" node
+ for GPIO #19, if that's not requested by kernel code.
+
+ "unexport" ... Reverses the effect of exporting to userspace.
+
+ Example: "echo 19 > unexport" will remove a "gpio19"
+ node exported using the "export" file.
+
+GPIO signals have paths like /sys/class/gpio/gpio42/ (for GPIO #42)
+and have the following read/write attributes:
+
+ /sys/class/gpio/gpioN/
+
+ "direction" ... reads as either "in" or "out". This value may
+ normally be written. Writing as "out" defaults to
+ initializing the value as low. To ensure glitch free
+ operation, values "low" and "high" may be written to
+ configure the GPIO as an output with that initial value.
+
+ Note that this attribute *will not exist* if the kernel
+ doesn't support changing the direction of a GPIO, or
+ it was exported by kernel code that didn't explicitly
+ allow userspace to reconfigure this GPIO's direction.
+
+ "value" ... reads as either 0 (low) or 1 (high). If the GPIO
+ is configured as an output, this value may be written;
+ any nonzero value is treated as high.
+
+ "edge" ... reads as either "none", "rising", "falling", or
+ "both". Write these strings to select the signal edge(s)
+ that will make poll(2) on the "value" file return.
+
+ This file exists only if the pin can be configured as an
+ interrupt generating input pin.
+
+ "active_low" ... reads as either 0 (false) or 1 (true). Write
+ any nonzero value to invert the value attribute both
+ for reading and writing. Existing and subsequent
+ poll(2) support configuration via the edge attribute
+ for "rising" and "falling" edges will follow this
+ setting.
+
+GPIO controllers have paths like /sys/class/gpio/gpiochip42/ (for the
+controller implementing GPIOs starting at #42) and have the following
+read-only attributes:
+
+ /sys/class/gpio/gpiochipN/
+
+ "base" ... same as N, the first GPIO managed by this chip
+
+ "label" ... provided for diagnostics (not always unique)
+
+ "ngpio" ... how many GPIOs this manges (N to N + ngpio - 1)
+
+Board documentation should in most cases cover what GPIOs are used for
+what purposes. However, those numbers are not always stable; GPIOs on
+a daughtercard might be different depending on the base board being used,
+or other cards in the stack. In such cases, you may need to use the
+gpiochip nodes (possibly in conjunction with schematics) to determine
+the correct GPIO number to use for a given signal.
+
+
+Exporting from Kernel code
+--------------------------
+Kernel code can explicitly manage exports of GPIOs which have already been
+requested using gpio_request():
+
+ /* export the GPIO to userspace */
+ int gpio_export(unsigned gpio, bool direction_may_change);
+
+ /* reverse gpio_export() */
+ void gpio_unexport();
+
+ /* create a sysfs link to an exported GPIO node */
+ int gpio_export_link(struct device *dev, const char *name,
+ unsigned gpio)
+
+ /* change the polarity of a GPIO node in sysfs */
+ int gpio_sysfs_set_active_low(unsigned gpio, int value);
+
+After a kernel driver requests a GPIO, it may only be made available in
+the sysfs interface by gpio_export(). The driver can control whether the
+signal direction may change. This helps drivers prevent userspace code
+from accidentally clobbering important system state.
+
+This explicit exporting can help with debugging (by making some kinds
+of experiments easier), or can provide an always-there interface that's
+suitable for documenting as part of a board support package.
+
+After the GPIO has been exported, gpio_export_link() allows creating
+symlinks from elsewhere in sysfs to the GPIO sysfs node. Drivers can
+use this to provide the interface under their own device in sysfs with
+a descriptive name.
+
+Drivers can use gpio_sysfs_set_active_low() to hide GPIO line polarity
+differences between boards from user space. This only affects the
+sysfs interface. Polarity change can be done both before and after
+gpio_export(), and previously enabled poll(2) support for either
+rising or falling edge will be reconfigured to follow this setting.
Code Review / linux-2.6.git / blobdiff