From: Andi Kleen on
Len Brown <lenb(a)kernel.org> writes:
>
> Note also that an alternative for newer systems
> is to use the intel_idle driver, which always
> ignores BM_STS, relying Linux device drivers
> to register constraints explicitly via PM_QOS.
>
> https://bugzilla.kernel.org/show_bug.cgi?id=15886

Thanks. I don't fully understand why the check for this option
is in a different place than the register check in the earlier patch?

This needs to be also documented in Documentation/kernel-parameters.txt

Other than that it looks good.

-Andi
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From: Len Brown on

> > Note also that an alternative for newer systems
> > is to use the intel_idle driver, which always
> > ignores BM_STS, relying Linux device drivers
> > to register constraints explicitly via PM_QOS.
> >
> > https://bugzilla.kernel.org/show_bug.cgi?id=15886
>
> Thanks. I don't fully understand why the check for this option
> is in a different place than the register check in the earlier patch?

Technically, it could have been.

There are a comple of constraints in the layout of this code.

The _CST flag is x86 (actually Intel) specific -- so the detection
went into arch/x86/kernel/acpi/cstate.c

However, the operation of the that flag is per C-state,
not necessarily per system -- so we remember the flag
in in a cx->bm_sts_skip flag and check it in the
'acpi generic' drivers/acpi/processor_idle.c

But we can't test a per cx flag inside acpi_idle_bm_check()
because it doesn't have access to the cx, so i put that
test at the site of its only caller.

In this 2nd patch...
we added a 'generic' ACPI bootparam that applies
to all C-states. So it overrides any per-cstate flag
and it is static to the processor_idle.c file,
so it seemed cleanest (to me)
to push it down inside acpi_idle_bm_check()
rather than in its only caller.

> This needs to be also documented in Documentation/kernel-parameters.txt

I thought about that and decided against it.
While we do document some driver specific modparams
in kernel-parameters.txt, I do not expect this one to
be used that often -- mostly for diagnosis of BIOS bugs.
I know of two machines that need it,
and both of those machines have a BIOS update
or a BIOS update in progress that make it unnecessary.

thanks for caring.

Len Brown, Intel Open Source Technology Center.

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From: Andi Kleen on
> > This needs to be also documented in Documentation/kernel-parameters.txt
>
> I thought about that and decided against it.
> While we do document some driver specific modparams
> in kernel-parameters.txt, I do not expect this one to
> be used that often -- mostly for diagnosis of BIOS bugs.
> I know of two machines that need it,
> and both of those machines have a BIOS update
> or a BIOS update in progress that make it unnecessary.

I think even obscure parameters should be documented.

-Andi

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From: Len Brown on

On Tue, 27 Jul 2010, Andi Kleen wrote:

> > > This needs to be also documented in Documentation/kernel-parameters.txt
> >
> > I thought about that and decided against it.
> > While we do document some driver specific modparams
> > in kernel-parameters.txt, I do not expect this one to
> > be used that often -- mostly for diagnosis of BIOS bugs.
> > I know of two machines that need it,
> > and both of those machines have a BIOS update
> > or a BIOS update in progress that make it unnecessary.
>
> I think even obscure parameters should be documented.

Where?

kernel-parameters.txt seems to be mostly about core kernel parameters.
While there are some key driver parameters in there, they
appear to be the exception.

-Len

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