Enable arm_global_timer for Zynq brakes boot

Daniel Lezcano daniel.lezcano at linaro.org
Tue Aug 6 09:08:35 EDT 2013


On 08/06/2013 02:41 PM, Michal Simek wrote:
> On 08/06/2013 02:30 PM, Daniel Lezcano wrote:
>> On 08/06/2013 11:18 AM, Michal Simek wrote:
>>> On 08/06/2013 10:46 AM, Daniel Lezcano wrote:
>>>> On 08/06/2013 03:28 AM, Sören Brinkmann wrote:
>>>>> Hi Daniel,
>>>>>
>>>>> On Thu, Aug 01, 2013 at 07:48:04PM +0200, Daniel Lezcano wrote:
>>>>>> On 08/01/2013 07:43 PM, Sören Brinkmann wrote:
>>>>>>> On Thu, Aug 01, 2013 at 07:29:12PM +0200, Daniel Lezcano wrote:
>>>>>>>> On 08/01/2013 01:38 AM, Sören Brinkmann wrote:
>>>>>>>>> On Thu, Aug 01, 2013 at 01:01:27AM +0200, Daniel Lezcano wrote:
>>>>>>>>>> On 08/01/2013 12:18 AM, Sören Brinkmann wrote:
>>>>>>>>>>> On Wed, Jul 31, 2013 at 11:08:51PM +0200, Daniel Lezcano wrote:
>>>>>>>>>>>> On 07/31/2013 10:58 PM, Sören Brinkmann wrote:
>>>>>>>>>>>>> On Wed, Jul 31, 2013 at 10:49:06PM +0200, Daniel Lezcano wrote:
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> On 07/31/2013 12:34 AM, Sören Brinkmann wrote:
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> On Tue, Jul 30, 2013 at 10:47:15AM +0200, Daniel Lezcano wrote:
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> On 07/30/2013 02:03 AM, Sören Brinkmann wrote:
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Hi Daniel,
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> On Mon, Jul 29, 2013 at 02:51:49PM +0200, Daniel Lezcano wrote:
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> (snip)
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> the CPUIDLE_FLAG_TIMER_STOP flag tells the cpuidle framework the local
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> timer will be stopped when entering to the idle state. In this case, the
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> cpuidle framework will call clockevents_notify(ENTER) and switches to a
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> broadcast timer and will call clockevents_notify(EXIT) when exiting the
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> idle state, switching the local timer back in use.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> I've been thinking about this, trying to understand how this makes my
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> boot attempts on Zynq hang. IIUC, the wrongly provided TIMER_STOP flag
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> would make the timer core switch to a broadcast device even though it
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> wouldn't be necessary. But shouldn't it still work? It sounds like we do
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> something useless, but nothing wrong in a sense that it should result in
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> breakage. I guess I'm missing something obvious. This timer system will
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> always remain a mystery to me.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Actually this more or less leads to the question: What is this
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 'broadcast timer'. I guess that is some clockevent device which is
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> common to all cores? (that would be the cadence_ttc for Zynq). Is the
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> hang pointing to some issue with that driver?
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> If you look at the /proc/timer_list, which timer is used for broadcasting ?
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> So, the correct run results (full output attached).
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> The vanilla kernel uses the twd timers as local timers and the TTC as
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> broadcast device:
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 	Tick Device: mode:     1                                                         
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 	Broadcast device  
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 	Clock Event Device: ttc_clockevent
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> When I remove the offending CPUIDLE flag and add the DT fragment to
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> enable the global timer, the twd timers are still used as local timers
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> and the broadcast device is the global timer:
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 	Tick Device: mode:     1                                                         
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 	Broadcast device                                                                 
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 	Clock Event Device: arm_global_timer
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Again, since boot hangs in the actually broken case, I don't see way to
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> obtain this information for that case.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Can't you use the maxcpus=1 option to ensure the system to boot up ?
>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>> Right, that works. I forgot about that option after you mentioned, that
>>>>>>>>>>>>> it is most likely not that useful.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>> Anyway, this are those sysfs files with an unmodified cpuidle driver and
>>>>>>>>>>>>> the gt enabled and having maxcpus=1 set.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>> /proc/timer_list:
>>>>>>>>>>>>> 	Tick Device: mode:     1
>>>>>>>>>>>>> 	Broadcast device
>>>>>>>>>>>>> 	Clock Event Device: arm_global_timer
>>>>>>>>>>>>> 	 max_delta_ns:   12884902005
>>>>>>>>>>>>> 	 min_delta_ns:   1000
>>>>>>>>>>>>> 	 mult:           715827876
>>>>>>>>>>>>> 	 shift:          31
>>>>>>>>>>>>> 	 mode:           3
>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>> Here the mode is 3 (CLOCK_EVT_MODE_ONESHOT)
>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>> The previous timer_list output you gave me when removing the offending
>>>>>>>>>>>> cpuidle flag, it was 1 (CLOCK_EVT_MODE_SHUTDOWN).
>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>> Is it possible you try to get this output again right after onlining the
>>>>>>>>>>>> cpu1 in order to check if the broadcast device switches to SHUTDOWN ?
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>> How do I do that? I tried to online CPU1 after booting with maxcpus=1
>>>>>>>>>>> and that didn't end well:
>>>>>>>>>>> 	# echo 1 > online && cat /proc/timer_list 
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> Hmm, I was hoping to have a small delay before the kernel hangs but
>>>>>>>>>> apparently this is not the case... :(
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> I suspect the global timer is shutdown at one moment but I don't
>>>>>>>>>> understand why and when.
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> Can you add a stack trace in the "clockevents_shutdown" function with
>>>>>>>>>> the clockevent device name ? Perhaps, we may see at boot time an
>>>>>>>>>> interesting trace when it hangs.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> I did this change:
>>>>>>>>> 	diff --git a/kernel/time/clockevents.c b/kernel/time/clockevents.c
>>>>>>>>> 	index 38959c8..3ab11c1 100644
>>>>>>>>> 	--- a/kernel/time/clockevents.c
>>>>>>>>> 	+++ b/kernel/time/clockevents.c
>>>>>>>>> 	@@ -92,6 +92,8 @@ void clockevents_set_mode(struct clock_event_device *dev,
>>>>>>>>> 	  */
>>>>>>>>> 	 void clockevents_shutdown(struct clock_event_device *dev)
>>>>>>>>> 	 {
>>>>>>>>> 	+       pr_info("ce->name:%s\n", dev->name);
>>>>>>>>> 	+       dump_stack();
>>>>>>>>> 	        clockevents_set_mode(dev, CLOCK_EVT_MODE_SHUTDOWN);
>>>>>>>>> 	        dev->next_event.tv64 = KTIME_MAX;
>>>>>>>>> 	 }
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> It is hit a few times during boot, so I attach a full boot log. I really
>>>>>>>>> don't know what to look for, but I hope you can spot something in it. I
>>>>>>>>> really appreciate you taking the time.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Thanks for the traces.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Sure.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> If you try without the ttc_clockevent configured in the kernel (but with
>>>>>>>> twd and gt), does it boot ?
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Absence of the TTC doesn't seem to make any difference. It hangs at the
>>>>>>> same location.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Ok, IMO there is a problem with the broadcast device registration (may
>>>>>> be vs twd).
>>>>>>
>>>>>> I will check later (kid duty) :)
>>>>>
>>>>> I was actually waiting for an update from your side and did something
>>>>> else, but I seem to have run into this again. I was overhauling the
>>>>> cadence_ttc (patch attached, based on tip/timers/core). And it seems to
>>>>> show the same behavior as enabling the global_timer. With cpuidle off, it
>>>>> works. With cpuidle, on it hangs. Removing the TIMER_STOP flag from the
>>>>> C2 state makes it boot again.
>>>>> It works just fine on our 3.10 kernel.
>>>>
>>>> This is not necessary related to the bug. If the patch you sent broke
>>>> the cadence_ttc driver, when you use it (with the TIMER_STOP), you will
>>>> be stuck. Removing the flag, may signifies you don't use the broadcast
>>>> timer, hence the bug is not surfacing.
>>>>
>>>> Going back to the bug with the arm_global_timer, what is observed is the
>>>> broadcast timer is *shutdown* when the second cpu is online.
>>>>
>>>> I have to dig into the kernel/time/clockevents.c|tick-*.c because IMO
>>>> the issue is coming from there but before I have to reproduce the bug,
>>>> so find a board I have where I can add the arm_global_timer.
>>>>
>>>>> Another thing I noticed - probably unrelated but hard to tell: On
>>>>> 3.11-rc1 and later my system stops for quite some time at the hand off
>>>>> to userspace. I.e. I see the 'freeing unused kernel memory...' line and
>>>>> sometimes the following 'Welcome to Buildroot...' and then it stops and
>>>>> on good kernels it continues after a while and boots through and on bad
>>>>> ones it just hangs there.
>>>>
>>>> did you try to dump the stacks with magic-sysrq ? Or git bisect ?
>>>
>>> Soren: Are you able to replicate this issue on QEMU?
>>> If yes, it should be the best if you can provide Qemu, kernel .config/
>>> rootfs and simple manual to Daniel how to reach that fault.
>>
>> I tried to download qemu for zynq but it fails:
>>
>> git clone git://git.xilinx.com/qemu-xarm.git
>> Cloning into 'qemu-xarm'...
>> fatal: The remote end hung up unexpectedly
> 
> Not sure which site have you found but
> it should be just qemu.git
> https://github.com/Xilinx/qemu
> 
> or github clone.

Ok, cool I was able to clone it.

>> I am also looking for the option specified for the kernel:
>>
>> "The kernel needs to be built with this feature turned on (in
>> menuconfig, System Type->Xilinx Specific Features -> Device Tree At
>> Fixed Address)."

Ok.

> This also sound like a very ancient tree.
> This is the latest kernel tree - master-next is the latest devel branch.
> https://github.com/Xilinx/linux-xlnx

Ok, cool. I have the right one.

> Or there should be an option to use the latest kernel from kernel.org.
> (I think Soren is using it)
> 
> Zynq is the part of multiplatfrom kernel and cadence ttc is there,
> dts is also in the mainline kernel.
> 
>> ps : apart that, well documented website !
> 
> Can you send me the link to it?

http://xilinx.wikidot.com/zynq-qemu
http://xilinx.wikidot.com/zynq-linux


> This should be the main page for it.
> http://www.wiki.xilinx.com/

Thanks Michal !

  -- Daniel




-- 
 <http://www.linaro.org/> Linaro.org │ Open source software for ARM SoCs

Follow Linaro:  <http://www.facebook.com/pages/Linaro> Facebook |
<http://twitter.com/#!/linaroorg> Twitter |
<http://www.linaro.org/linaro-blog/> Blog




More information about the linux-arm-kernel mailing list