diff mbox series

[v8,1/3] Documentation: Add documentation for new platform_profile sysfs attribute

Message ID 20201230001827.3745-1-markpearson@lenovo.com (mailing list archive)
State Mainlined, archived
Headers show
Series [v8,1/3] Documentation: Add documentation for new platform_profile sysfs attribute | expand

Commit Message

Mark Pearson Dec. 30, 2020, 12:18 a.m. UTC
On modern systems the platform performance, temperature, fan and other
hardware related characteristics are often dynamically configurable. The
profile is often automatically adjusted to the load by some
automatic-mechanism (which may very well live outside the kernel).

These auto platform-adjustment mechanisms often can be configured with
one of several 'platform-profiles', with either a bias towards low-power
consumption or towards performance (and higher power consumption and
thermals).

Introduce a new platform_profile sysfs API which offers a generic API for
selecting the performance-profile of these automatic-mechanisms.

Co-developed-by: Mark Pearson <markpearson@lenovo.com>
Signed-off-by: Mark Pearson <markpearson@lenovo.com>
Signed-off-by: Hans de Goede <hdegoede@redhat.com>
---
Changes in v2:
 - updated to rst format
Changes in v3, v4, v5
 - version bump along with rest of patch series
Changes in v6:
 - Split sysfs-platform_profile.rs into ABI text and then admin guide in
   userspace-api section. Hope this is correct - I'm guessing a bit.
Changes in v7:
 - Correct available_choices to platform_profile_choices
 - Improve phrasing as recommended by review
Changes in v8:
 - Removed unnecessary empty lines at end of file

 .../ABI/testing/sysfs-platform_profile        | 24 +++++++++++
 Documentation/userspace-api/index.rst         |  1 +
 .../userspace-api/sysfs-platform_profile.rst  | 42 +++++++++++++++++++
 3 files changed, 67 insertions(+)
 create mode 100644 Documentation/ABI/testing/sysfs-platform_profile
 create mode 100644 Documentation/userspace-api/sysfs-platform_profile.rst

Comments

Rafael J. Wysocki Dec. 30, 2020, 5:35 p.m. UTC | #1
On Wed, Dec 30, 2020 at 1:24 AM Mark Pearson <markpearson@lenovo.com> wrote:
>
> On modern systems the platform performance, temperature, fan and other
> hardware related characteristics are often dynamically configurable. The
> profile is often automatically adjusted to the load by some
> automatic-mechanism (which may very well live outside the kernel).
>
> These auto platform-adjustment mechanisms often can be configured with
> one of several 'platform-profiles', with either a bias towards low-power
> consumption or towards performance (and higher power consumption and
> thermals).
>
> Introduce a new platform_profile sysfs API which offers a generic API for
> selecting the performance-profile of these automatic-mechanisms.
>
> Co-developed-by: Mark Pearson <markpearson@lenovo.com>
> Signed-off-by: Mark Pearson <markpearson@lenovo.com>
> Signed-off-by: Hans de Goede <hdegoede@redhat.com>

Applied, thanks!

> ---
> Changes in v2:
>  - updated to rst format
> Changes in v3, v4, v5
>  - version bump along with rest of patch series
> Changes in v6:
>  - Split sysfs-platform_profile.rs into ABI text and then admin guide in
>    userspace-api section. Hope this is correct - I'm guessing a bit.
> Changes in v7:
>  - Correct available_choices to platform_profile_choices
>  - Improve phrasing as recommended by review
> Changes in v8:
>  - Removed unnecessary empty lines at end of file
>
>  .../ABI/testing/sysfs-platform_profile        | 24 +++++++++++
>  Documentation/userspace-api/index.rst         |  1 +
>  .../userspace-api/sysfs-platform_profile.rst  | 42 +++++++++++++++++++
>  3 files changed, 67 insertions(+)
>  create mode 100644 Documentation/ABI/testing/sysfs-platform_profile
>  create mode 100644 Documentation/userspace-api/sysfs-platform_profile.rst
>
> diff --git a/Documentation/ABI/testing/sysfs-platform_profile b/Documentation/ABI/testing/sysfs-platform_profile
> new file mode 100644
> index 000000000000..9d6b89b66cca
> --- /dev/null
> +++ b/Documentation/ABI/testing/sysfs-platform_profile
> @@ -0,0 +1,24 @@
> +What:          /sys/firmware/acpi/platform_profile_choices
> +Date:          October 2020
> +Contact:       Hans de Goede <hdegoede@redhat.com>
> +Description:   This file contains a space-separated list of profiles supported for this device.
> +
> +               Drivers must use the following standard profile-names:
> +
> +               ============    ============================================
> +               low-power       Low power consumption
> +               cool            Cooler operation
> +               quiet           Quieter operation
> +               balanced        Balance between low power consumption and performance
> +               performance     High performance operation
> +               ============    ============================================
> +
> +               Userspace may expect drivers to offer more than one of these
> +               standard profile names.
> +
> +What:          /sys/firmware/acpi/platform_profile
> +Date:          October 2020
> +Contact:       Hans de Goede <hdegoede@redhat.com>
> +Description:   Reading this file gives the current selected profile for this
> +               device. Writing this file with one of the strings from
> +               platform_profile_choices changes the profile to the new value.
> diff --git a/Documentation/userspace-api/index.rst b/Documentation/userspace-api/index.rst
> index acd2cc2a538d..d29b020e5622 100644
> --- a/Documentation/userspace-api/index.rst
> +++ b/Documentation/userspace-api/index.rst
> @@ -24,6 +24,7 @@ place where this information is gathered.
>     ioctl/index
>     iommu
>     media/index
> +   sysfs-platform_profile
>
>  .. only::  subproject and html
>
> diff --git a/Documentation/userspace-api/sysfs-platform_profile.rst b/Documentation/userspace-api/sysfs-platform_profile.rst
> new file mode 100644
> index 000000000000..c33a71263d9e
> --- /dev/null
> +++ b/Documentation/userspace-api/sysfs-platform_profile.rst
> @@ -0,0 +1,42 @@
> +=====================================================================
> +Platform Profile Selection (e.g. /sys/firmware/acpi/platform_profile)
> +=====================================================================
> +
> +On modern systems the platform performance, temperature, fan and other
> +hardware related characteristics are often dynamically configurable. The
> +platform configuration is often automatically adjusted to the current
> +conditions by some automatic mechanism (which may very well live outside
> +the kernel).
> +
> +These auto platform adjustment mechanisms often can be configured with
> +one of several platform profiles, with either a bias towards low power
> +operation or towards performance.
> +
> +The purpose of the platform_profile attribute is to offer a generic sysfs
> +API for selecting the platform profile of these automatic mechanisms.
> +
> +Note that this API is only for selecting the platform profile, it is
> +NOT a goal of this API to allow monitoring the resulting performance
> +characteristics. Monitoring performance is best done with device/vendor
> +specific tools such as e.g. turbostat.
> +
> +Specifically when selecting a high performance profile the actual achieved
> +performance may be limited by various factors such as: the heat generated
> +by other components, room temperature, free air flow at the bottom of a
> +laptop, etc. It is explicitly NOT a goal of this API to let userspace know
> +about any sub-optimal conditions which are impeding reaching the requested
> +performance level.
> +
> +Since numbers on their own cannot represent the multiple variables that a
> +profile will adjust (power consumption, heat generation, etc) this API
> +uses strings to describe the various profiles. To make sure that userspace
> +gets a consistent experience the sysfs-platform_profile ABI document defines
> +a fixed set of profile names. Drivers *must* map their internal profile
> +representation onto this fixed set.
> +
> +If there is no good match when mapping then a new profile name may be
> +added. Drivers which wish to introduce new profile names must:
> +
> + 1. Explain why the existing profile names canot be used.
> + 2. Add the new profile name, along with a clear description of the
> +    expected behaviour, to the sysfs-platform_profile ABI documentation.
> --
> 2.28.0
>
diff mbox series

Patch

diff --git a/Documentation/ABI/testing/sysfs-platform_profile b/Documentation/ABI/testing/sysfs-platform_profile
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..9d6b89b66cca
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Documentation/ABI/testing/sysfs-platform_profile
@@ -0,0 +1,24 @@ 
+What:		/sys/firmware/acpi/platform_profile_choices
+Date:		October 2020
+Contact:	Hans de Goede <hdegoede@redhat.com>
+Description:	This file contains a space-separated list of profiles supported for this device.
+
+		Drivers must use the following standard profile-names:
+
+		============	============================================
+		low-power	Low power consumption
+		cool		Cooler operation
+		quiet		Quieter operation
+		balanced	Balance between low power consumption and performance
+		performance	High performance operation
+		============	============================================
+
+		Userspace may expect drivers to offer more than one of these
+		standard profile names.
+
+What:		/sys/firmware/acpi/platform_profile
+Date:		October 2020
+Contact:	Hans de Goede <hdegoede@redhat.com>
+Description:	Reading this file gives the current selected profile for this
+		device. Writing this file with one of the strings from
+		platform_profile_choices changes the profile to the new value.
diff --git a/Documentation/userspace-api/index.rst b/Documentation/userspace-api/index.rst
index acd2cc2a538d..d29b020e5622 100644
--- a/Documentation/userspace-api/index.rst
+++ b/Documentation/userspace-api/index.rst
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@  place where this information is gathered.
    ioctl/index
    iommu
    media/index
+   sysfs-platform_profile
 
 .. only::  subproject and html
 
diff --git a/Documentation/userspace-api/sysfs-platform_profile.rst b/Documentation/userspace-api/sysfs-platform_profile.rst
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..c33a71263d9e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Documentation/userspace-api/sysfs-platform_profile.rst
@@ -0,0 +1,42 @@ 
+=====================================================================
+Platform Profile Selection (e.g. /sys/firmware/acpi/platform_profile)
+=====================================================================
+
+On modern systems the platform performance, temperature, fan and other
+hardware related characteristics are often dynamically configurable. The
+platform configuration is often automatically adjusted to the current
+conditions by some automatic mechanism (which may very well live outside
+the kernel).
+
+These auto platform adjustment mechanisms often can be configured with
+one of several platform profiles, with either a bias towards low power
+operation or towards performance.
+
+The purpose of the platform_profile attribute is to offer a generic sysfs
+API for selecting the platform profile of these automatic mechanisms.
+
+Note that this API is only for selecting the platform profile, it is
+NOT a goal of this API to allow monitoring the resulting performance
+characteristics. Monitoring performance is best done with device/vendor
+specific tools such as e.g. turbostat.
+
+Specifically when selecting a high performance profile the actual achieved
+performance may be limited by various factors such as: the heat generated
+by other components, room temperature, free air flow at the bottom of a
+laptop, etc. It is explicitly NOT a goal of this API to let userspace know
+about any sub-optimal conditions which are impeding reaching the requested
+performance level.
+
+Since numbers on their own cannot represent the multiple variables that a
+profile will adjust (power consumption, heat generation, etc) this API
+uses strings to describe the various profiles. To make sure that userspace
+gets a consistent experience the sysfs-platform_profile ABI document defines
+a fixed set of profile names. Drivers *must* map their internal profile
+representation onto this fixed set.
+
+If there is no good match when mapping then a new profile name may be
+added. Drivers which wish to introduce new profile names must:
+
+ 1. Explain why the existing profile names canot be used.
+ 2. Add the new profile name, along with a clear description of the
+    expected behaviour, to the sysfs-platform_profile ABI documentation.