[RFC PATCH v2] dmabuf-sync: Introduce buffer synchronization framework

[Russell King - ARM Linux]

On Mon, Jun 17, 2013 at 10:04:45PM +0900, Inki Dae wrote:
> It's just to implement a thin sync framework coupling cache operation. This
> approach is based on dma-buf for more generic implementation against android
> sync driver or KDS.
> 
> The described steps may be summarized as:
> 	lock -> cache operation -> CPU or DMA access to a buffer/s -> unlock
> 
> I think that there is no need to get complicated for such approach at least
> for most devices sharing system memory. Simple is best.

But hang on, doesn't the dmabuf API already provide that?

The dmabuf API already uses dma_map_sg() and dma_unmap_sg() by providers,
and the rules around the DMA API are that:

	dma_map_sg()
	/* DMA _ONLY_ has access, CPU should not access */
	dma_unmap_sg()
	/* DMA may not access, CPU can access */

It's a little more than that if you include the sync_sg_for_cpu and
sync_sg_for_device APIs too - but the above is the general idea.  What
this means from the dmabuf API point of view is that once you attach to
a dma_buf, and call dma_buf_map_attachment() to get the SG list, the CPU
doesn't have ownership of the buffer and _must_ _not_ access it via any
other means - including using the other dma_buf methods, until either
the appropriate dma_sync_sg_for_cpu() call has been made or the DMA
mapping has been removed via dma_buf_unmap_attachment().

So, the sequence should be:

	dma_buf_map_attachment()
	/* do DMA */
	dma_buf_unmap_attachment()
	/* CPU can now access the buffer */