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Diffstat (limited to 'Documentation/connector/connector.txt')
| -rw-r--r-- | Documentation/connector/connector.txt | 133 |
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diff --git a/Documentation/connector/connector.txt b/Documentation/connector/connector.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..54a0a14 --- /dev/null +++ b/Documentation/connector/connector.txt @@ -0,0 +1,133 @@ +/*****************************************/ +Kernel Connector. +/*****************************************/ + +Kernel connector - new netlink based userspace <-> kernel space easy +to use communication module. + +Connector driver adds possibility to connect various agents using +netlink based network. One must register callback and +identifier. When driver receives special netlink message with +appropriate identifier, appropriate callback will be called. + +From the userspace point of view it's quite straightforward: + + socket(); + bind(); + send(); + recv(); + +But if kernelspace want to use full power of such connections, driver +writer must create special sockets, must know about struct sk_buff +handling... Connector allows any kernelspace agents to use netlink +based networking for inter-process communication in a significantly +easier way: + +int cn_add_callback(struct cb_id *id, char *name, void (*callback) (void *)); +void cn_netlink_send(struct cn_msg *msg, u32 __group, int gfp_mask); + +struct cb_id +{ + __u32 idx; + __u32 val; +}; + +idx and val are unique identifiers which must be registered in +connector.h for in-kernel usage. void (*callback) (void *) - is a +callback function which will be called when message with above idx.val +will be received by connector core. Argument for that function must +be dereferenced to struct cn_msg *. + +struct cn_msg +{ + struct cb_id id; + + __u32 seq; + __u32 ack; + + __u32 len; /* Length of the following data */ + __u8 data[0]; +}; + +/*****************************************/ +Connector interfaces. +/*****************************************/ + +int cn_add_callback(struct cb_id *id, char *name, void (*callback) (void *)); + +Registers new callback with connector core. + +struct cb_id *id - unique connector's user identifier. + It must be registered in connector.h for legal in-kernel users. +char *name - connector's callback symbolic name. +void (*callback) (void *) - connector's callback. + Argument must be dereferenced to struct cn_msg *. + +void cn_del_callback(struct cb_id *id); + +Unregisters new callback with connector core. + +struct cb_id *id - unique connector's user identifier. + +void cn_netlink_send(struct cn_msg *msg, u32 __groups, int gfp_mask); + +Sends message to the specified groups. It can be safely called from +any context, but may silently fail under strong memory pressure. + +struct cn_msg * - message header(with attached data). +u32 __group - destination group. + If __group is zero, then appropriate group will + be searched through all registered connector users, + and message will be delivered to the group which was + created for user with the same ID as in msg. + If __group is not zero, then message will be delivered + to the specified group. +int gfp_mask - GFP mask. + +Note: When registering new callback user, connector core assigns +netlink group to the user which is equal to it's id.idx. + +/*****************************************/ +Protocol description. +/*****************************************/ + +Current offers transport layer with fixed header. Recommended +protocol which uses such header is following: + +msg->seq and msg->ack are used to determine message genealogy. When +someone sends message it puts there locally unique sequence and random +acknowledge numbers. Sequence number may be copied into +nlmsghdr->nlmsg_seq too. + +Sequence number is incremented with each message to be sent. + +If we expect reply to our message, then sequence number in received +message MUST be the same as in original message, and acknowledge +number MUST be the same + 1. + +If we receive message and it's sequence number is not equal to one we +are expecting, then it is new message. If we receive message and it's +sequence number is the same as one we are expecting, but it's +acknowledge is not equal acknowledge number in original message + 1, +then it is new message. + +Obviously, protocol header contains above id. + +connector allows event notification in the following form: kernel +driver or userspace process can ask connector to notify it when +selected id's will be turned on or off(registered or unregistered it's +callback). It is done by sending special command to connector +driver(it also registers itself with id={-1, -1}). + +As example of usage Documentation/connector now contains cn_test.c - +testing module which uses connector to request notification and to +send messages. + +/*****************************************/ +Reliability. +/*****************************************/ + +Netlink itself is not reliable protocol, that means that messages can +be lost due to memory pressure or process' receiving queue overflowed, +so caller is warned must be prepared. That is why struct cn_msg [main +connector's message header] contains u32 seq and u32 ack fields. |