@@ -47,6 +47,7 @@ available subsections can be seen below.
gpio
misc_devices
dmaengine/index
+ slimbus
.. only:: subproject and html
new file mode 100644
@@ -0,0 +1,127 @@
+============================
+Linux kernel SLIMbus support
+============================
+
+Overview
+========
+
+What is SLIMbus?
+----------------
+SLIMbus (Serial Low Power Interchip Media Bus) is a specification developed by
+MIPI (Mobile Industry Processor Interface) alliance. The bus uses master/slave
+configuration, and is a 2-wire multi-drop implementation (clock, and data).
+
+Currently, SLIMbus is used to interface between application processors of SoCs
+(System-on-Chip) and peripheral components (typically codec). SLIMbus uses
+Time-Division-Multiplexing to accommodate multiple data channels, and
+a control channel.
+
+The control channel is used for various control functions such as bus
+management, configuration and status updates. These messages can be unicast (e.g.
+reading/writing device specific values), or multicast (e.g. data channel
+reconfiguration sequence is a broadcast message announced to all devices)
+
+A data channel is used for data-transfer between 2 SLIMbus devices. Data
+channel uses dedicated ports on the device.
+
+Hardware description:
+---------------------
+SLIMbus specification has different types of device classifications based on
+their capabilities.
+A manager device is responsible for enumeration, configuration, and dynamic
+channel allocation. Every bus has 1 active manager.
+
+A generic device is a device providing application functionality (e.g. codec).
+
+Framer device is responsible for clocking the bus, and transmitting frame-sync
+and framing information on the bus.
+
+Each SLIMbus component has an interface device for monitoring physical layer.
+
+Typically each SoC contains SLIMbus component having 1 manager, 1 framer device,
+1 generic device (for data channel support), and 1 interface device.
+External peripheral SLIMbus component usually has 1 generic device (for
+functionality/data channel support), and an associated interface device.
+The generic device's registers are mapped as 'value elements' so that they can
+be written/read using SLIMbus control channel exchanging control/status type of
+information.
+In case there are multiple framer devices on the same bus, manager device is
+responsible to select the active-framer for clocking the bus.
+
+Per specification, SLIMbus uses "clock gears" to do power management based on
+current frequency and bandwidth requirements. There are 10 clock gears and each
+gear changes the SLIMbus frequency to be twice its previous gear.
+
+Each device has a 6-byte enumeration-address and the manager assigns every
+device with a 1-byte logical address after the devices report presence on the
+bus.
+
+Software description:
+---------------------
+There are 2 types of SLIMbus drivers:
+
+slim_controller represents a 'controller' for SLIMbus. This driver should
+implement duties needed by the SoC (manager device, associated
+interface device for monitoring the layers and reporting errors, default
+framer device).
+
+slim_device represents the 'generic device/component' for SLIMbus, and a
+slim_driver should implement driver for that slim_device.
+
+Device notifications to the driver:
+-----------------------------------
+Since SLIMbus devices have mechanisms for reporting their presence, the
+framework allows drivers to bind when corresponding devices report their
+presence on the bus.
+However, it is possible that the driver needs to be probed
+first so that it can enable corresponding SLIMbus device (e.g. power it up and/or
+take it out of reset). To support that behavior, the framework allows drivers
+to probe first as well (e.g. using standard DeviceTree compatibility field).
+This creates the necessity for the driver to know when the device is functional
+(i.e. reported present). device_up callback is used for that reason when the
+device reports present and is assigned a logical address by the controller.
+
+Similarly, SLIMbus devices 'report absent' when they go down. A 'device_down'
+callback notifies the driver when the device reports absent and its logical
+address assignment is invalidated by the controller.
+
+Another notification "boot_device" is used to notify the slim_driver when
+controller resets the bus. This notification allows the driver to take necessary
+steps to boot the device so that it's functional after the bus has been reset.
+
+Driver and Controller APIs:
+--------------------------
+.. kernel-doc:: include/linux/slimbus.h
+ :internal:
+
+.. kernel-doc:: drivers/slimbus/slimbus.h
+ :internal:
+
+.. kernel-doc:: drivers/slimbus/core.c
+ :export:
+
+Clock-pause:
+------------
+SLIMbus mandates that a reconfiguration sequence (known as clock-pause) be
+broadcast to all active devices on the bus before the bus can enter low-power
+mode. Controller uses this sequence when it decides to enter low-power mode so
+that corresponding clocks and/or power-rails can be turned off to save power.
+Clock-pause is exited by waking up framer device (if controller driver initiates
+exiting low power mode), or by toggling the data line (if a slave device wants
+to initiate it).
+
+Clock-pause APIs:
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+.. kernel-doc:: drivers/slimbus/sched.c
+ :export:
+
+Messaging:
+----------
+The framework supports regmap and read/write apis to exchange control-information
+with a SLIMbus device. APIs can be synchronous or asynchronous.
+The header file <linux/slimbus.h> has more documentation about messaging APIs.
+
+Messaging APIs:
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+.. kernel-doc:: drivers/slimbus/messaging.c
+ :export: