56 lines
2.7 KiB
ReStructuredText
56 lines
2.7 KiB
ReStructuredText
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.. _dt_vs_kconfig:
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Devicetree versus Kconfig
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#########################
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Along with devicetree, Zephyr also uses the Kconfig language to configure the
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source code. Whether to use devicetree or Kconfig for a particular purpose can
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sometimes be confusing. This section should help you decide which one to use.
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In short:
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* Use devicetree to describe **hardware** and its **boot-time configuration**.
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Examples include peripherals on a board, boot-time clock frequencies,
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interrupt lines, etc.
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* Use Kconfig to configure **software support** to build into the final
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image. Examples include whether to add networking support, which drivers are
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needed by the application, etc.
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In other words, devicetree mainly deals with hardware, and Kconfig with
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software.
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For example, consider a board containing a SoC with 2 UART, or serial port,
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instances.
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* The fact that the board has this UART **hardware** is described with two UART
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nodes in the devicetree. These provide the UART type (via the ``compatible``
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property) and certain settings such as the address range of the hardware
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peripheral registers in memory (via the ``reg`` property).
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* Additionally, the UART **boot-time configuration** is also described with
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devicetree. This could include configuration such as the RX IRQ line's
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priority and the UART baud rate. These may be modifiable at runtime, but
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their boot-time configuration is described in devicetree.
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* Whether or not to include **software support** for UART in the build is
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controlled via Kconfig. Applications which do not need to use the UARTs can
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remove the driver source code from the build using Kconfig, even though the
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board's devicetree still includes UART nodes.
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As another example, consider a device with a 2.4GHz, multi-protocol radio
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supporting both the Bluetooth Low Energy and 802.15.4 wireless technologies.
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* Devicetree should be used to describe the presence of the radio **hardware**,
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what driver or drivers it's compatible with, etc.
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* **Boot-time configuration** for the radio, such as TX power in dBm, should
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also be specified using devicetree.
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* Kconfig should determine which **software features** should be built for the
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radio, such as selecting a BLE or 802.15.4 protocol stack.
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There are two noteworthy **exceptions** to these rules:
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* Devicetree's ``chosen`` keyword, which allows the user to select a specific
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instance of a hardware device to be used for a particular purpose. An example
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of this is selecting a particular UART for use as the system's console.
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* Devicetree's ``status`` keyword, which allows the user to enable or disable a
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particular instance of a hardware device. This takes precedence over related
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Kconfig options which serve a similar purpose.
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