summaryrefslogtreecommitdiff
path: root/Documentation/DMA-attributes.txt
diff options
context:
space:
mode:
authorMarek Szyprowski <m.szyprowski@samsung.com>2012-06-06 14:46:44 +0200
committerMarek Szyprowski <m.szyprowski@samsung.com>2012-07-30 12:25:47 +0200
commitbdf5e4871f1b41150236e2337837399109469e65 (patch)
treebda51bf4824386b75c159368a0127df1554dc427 /Documentation/DMA-attributes.txt
parentdc2832e1e7db3f9ad465d2fe894bd69ef05d1e4b (diff)
common: DMA-mapping: add DMA_ATTR_SKIP_CPU_SYNC attribute
This patch adds DMA_ATTR_SKIP_CPU_SYNC attribute to the DMA-mapping subsystem. By default dma_map_{single,page,sg} functions family transfer a given buffer from CPU domain to device domain. Some advanced use cases might require sharing a buffer between more than one device. This requires having a mapping created separately for each device and is usually performed by calling dma_map_{single,page,sg} function more than once for the given buffer with device pointer to each device taking part in the buffer sharing. The first call transfers a buffer from 'CPU' domain to 'device' domain, what synchronizes CPU caches for the given region (usually it means that the cache has been flushed or invalidated depending on the dma direction). However, next calls to dma_map_{single,page,sg}() for other devices will perform exactly the same sychronization operation on the CPU cache. CPU cache sychronization might be a time consuming operation, especially if the buffers are large, so it is highly recommended to avoid it if possible. DMA_ATTR_SKIP_CPU_SYNC allows platform code to skip synchronization of the CPU cache for the given buffer assuming that it has been already transferred to 'device' domain. This attribute can be also used for dma_unmap_{single,page,sg} functions family to force buffer to stay in device domain after releasing a mapping for it. Use this attribute with care! Signed-off-by: Marek Szyprowski <m.szyprowski@samsung.com> Reviewed-by: Kyungmin Park <kyungmin.park@samsung.com>
Diffstat (limited to 'Documentation/DMA-attributes.txt')
-rw-r--r--Documentation/DMA-attributes.txt24
1 files changed, 24 insertions, 0 deletions
diff --git a/Documentation/DMA-attributes.txt b/Documentation/DMA-attributes.txt
index 725580de75af..f50309081ac7 100644
--- a/Documentation/DMA-attributes.txt
+++ b/Documentation/DMA-attributes.txt
@@ -67,3 +67,27 @@ set on each call.
Since it is optional for platforms to implement
DMA_ATTR_NO_KERNEL_MAPPING, those that do not will simply ignore the
attribute and exhibit default behavior.
+
+DMA_ATTR_SKIP_CPU_SYNC
+----------------------
+
+By default dma_map_{single,page,sg} functions family transfer a given
+buffer from CPU domain to device domain. Some advanced use cases might
+require sharing a buffer between more than one device. This requires
+having a mapping created separately for each device and is usually
+performed by calling dma_map_{single,page,sg} function more than once
+for the given buffer with device pointer to each device taking part in
+the buffer sharing. The first call transfers a buffer from 'CPU' domain
+to 'device' domain, what synchronizes CPU caches for the given region
+(usually it means that the cache has been flushed or invalidated
+depending on the dma direction). However, next calls to
+dma_map_{single,page,sg}() for other devices will perform exactly the
+same sychronization operation on the CPU cache. CPU cache sychronization
+might be a time consuming operation, especially if the buffers are
+large, so it is highly recommended to avoid it if possible.
+DMA_ATTR_SKIP_CPU_SYNC allows platform code to skip synchronization of
+the CPU cache for the given buffer assuming that it has been already
+transferred to 'device' domain. This attribute can be also used for
+dma_unmap_{single,page,sg} functions family to force buffer to stay in
+device domain after releasing a mapping for it. Use this attribute with
+care!