BeagleBoard/GSoC/2022 Proposal/bb-config improvements & GPIO Benchmarking

=Proposal Template = About Student: Seak Jian De Mentors: Jason Kridner, Shreyas Atre Code: Wiki: GSoC:

=Status= This project is currently just a proposal.

=Proposal= Completed all the requirements listed on the ideas page. the code for the cross-compilation task can be found here submitted through the pull request #158.

About you
IRC: Jian De Github: https://github.com/Fred-JD School: Universiti Teknologi Malaysia Country: Malaysia Primary language: English, Mandarin, Malay Typical work hours: 4PM - 11PM UTC +8 Previous GSoC participation: First year apply gsoc.

About your project
Project name: bb-config improvements & GPIO Benchmarking

Description
Bb-Config Improvement Beagle-config is a terminal UI to make the configuration of beaglebone devices easier and more visually.
 * Update to the latest FTXUI Version
 * Adding a graph section for ADC/DAC using FTXUI graph
 * NetworkManager
 * Filesystem over NFS(Network File System)
 * Enable/disable "stuff" that takes up the boot up time issue#45
 * Scan Overlays and give a selection box issue#46
 * Add support for setting custom pinmux issue#42

GPIO Benchmarking Benchmark GPIOs using the below four approaches
 * Memory-mapped
 * sysfs file system access
 * Character device
 * LKM
 * PRUs

Bb-Config Improvement
Update to the latest FTXUI Version Update GIT_TAG in CMakeList.txt FetchContent_Declare(ftxui       GIT_REPOSITORY https://github.com/ArthurSonzogni/FTXUI        GIT_TAG v3.0.0    ) Check is there any braking changes

ADC/DAC graph #define ADC_PATH "/sys/bus/iio/devices/iio:device0/in_voltage" constexpr it instead of macro (a minor suggestion although I will be reviewing your code in a pull request) https://arthursonzogni.github.io/FTXUI/index.html#autotoc_md89

Network Manager We will implement a NetworkManager using dbus-lib API from gnome.

Implementation:
 * Display Active Network Details
 * Display Saved Network
 * Display Available WiFi AccessPoints
 * Saved a WiFi Network with PSK security
 * Forget Saved Network
 * Enable/Disable WiFi connection
 * Enable/Disable Ethernet connection
 * Config Network detail (Ethernet/WiFi)

Further Enhacement:
 * Enable WiFi hotspot
 * VPN
 * Bluetooth Setting

Here has code for NetworkManager using DBus https://github.com/Fred-JD/NM-DBUS

Scan Overlays and give a selection box issue#46 dump /boot/dtbs/(uname -r)/*.dtbo and give a seleciton box: Virtual
 * [ ] - HDMI
 * [ ] - HDMI -audio
 * [ ] - WIFI

Overlays - generated
 * [ ] - ADC
 * [ ] - PRU
 * [ ] - I2C-bme260
 * [ ] - etc..

Add support for setting custom pinmux issue#42 Add a handy reference for BBB device which providing interactive pinout diagram. Provide a list of selection to highlight GPIO, UART, SPI, I2C, PWM, MCASP, MMC, HDMI, ADC, Timer
 * pocketBeagle
 * BeagleBone Black / BeagleBone AI

Enable/disable "stuff" that takes up the boot up time issue#45 provide option for user to change run level program. Depending on your default init level setting, the system will execute the programs from one of the following directories. Run level 0 – /etc/rc.d/rc0.d/    Run level 1 – /etc/rc.d/rc1.d/     Run level 2 – /etc/rc.d/rc2.d/     Run level 3 – /etc/rc.d/rc3.d/     Run level 4 – /etc/rc.d/rc4.d/     Run level 5 – /etc/rc.d/rc5.d/     Run level 6 – /etc/rc.d/rc6.d/ ref : https://www.thegeekstuff.com/2011/02/linux-boot-process we can inspire from sysv-rc-conf UI

NFS(Network File System) https://elinux.org/Mount_BeagleBoard_Root_Filesystem_over_NFS_via_USB https://www.ofitselfso.com/Beagle/InstallingNFSOnABeagleboneBlack.php Provide a user option to set NFS as client or server.
 * BB as server:
 * Provide a path folder to share by automatic setting up and return an IP address for the user to access in another device. Also will provide detailed guide to access in window/macos/linux
 * Provide easy interface for edit file sharing permission
 * Provide enable/disable for setup NFS on boot
 * BB as client:
 * Let user input ip address then automatically mount on BB
 * Provide enable/disable mount NFS on boot
 * Further Enhancement:
 * NFS through usb bridge
 * Cloud server eg. NextCloud

GPIO Benchmarking
We needed data to help ourselves and developers to decide which method accessing GPIOs suit them better. We compare the latency performance of different methods to access GPIOs: - memory-mapping, system call Interface for user space, character device, GPIOs in Linux Kernel (LKM) and PRUs. We are measuring the timing for performing two tasks. The first task is to toggle a general purpose I/O output at fast as possible. The second task is to read a signal respond from input pin by causing the output pin value to toggle it.

Memory-mapped GPIO Code in python https://gist.github.com/wware/8150366 Code in C https://github.com/chiragnagpal/beaglebone_mmap

sysfs sysfs is a pseudo file system provided by the Linux kernel that exports information about various kernel subsystems, hardware devices, and associated device drivers from the kernel's device model to user space through virtual files.

chardev Since Linux version 4.8 the GPIO sysfs interface is deprecated, and now we have a new API based on character devices (chardev)to access GPIO lines from user space.

Every GPIO controller (gpiochip) will have a character device in /dev and we can use file operations (open, read, write, ioctl, poll, close) to manage and interact with GPIO lines.

https://gist.github.com/pdp7/6fbcc75e48e1d765bbcc08d0e84ca084 https://embeddedbits.org/new-linux-kernel-gpio-user-space-interface/

PRUs The Programmable Real-time Unit and Industrial Communications Subsystem (PRU-ICSS / PRU-ICSSG) is a small processor that is tightly integrated with an IO subsystem, offering low-latency control of IO pins https://github.com/beagleboard/cloud9-examples/blob/v2020.01/PocketBeagle/pru/ring.pru0.c

LKM Linux loadable kernel modules (LKMs) allow you to create binary code that can be loaded and unloaded from the kernel at runtime.

After read through the document by Derek Molloy about implementation LKM in GPIOs. I plan to do it in 3 part the 1st part is call linux/gpio with the handler function in LKM. Then the 2nd part improve the 1st part with adding KObject Interface. Then the 3rd part will adding kthread which is real time response in the kernel space.

http://derekmolloy.ie/html/kernel_docs/ExploringBeagleBone_LKMs.pdf

Linux GPIOs can easily access by 

static inline bool gpio_is_valid(int number) static inline int gpio_request(unsigned gpio, const char *label   static inline int  gpio_direction_input(unsigned gpio)   static inline int  gpio_get_value(unsigned gpio)   static inline int  gpio_direction_output(unsigned gpio, int value)   static inline int  gpio_set_debounce(unsigned gpio, unsigned debounce)   static inline int  gpio_sysfs_set_active_low(unsigned gpio, int value)   static inline void gpio_free(unsigned gpio)   static inline int  gpio_to_irq(unsigned gpio)

The LKM driver must register a handler function for the interrupt, which defines the actions that the interrupt should perfor. the handler function is called ebb_gpio_irq_handler

static irq_handler_t ebb_gpio_irq_handler(unsigned int irq,        void *dev_id, struct pt_regs *regs) { // the actions that the interrupt should perform ... }

result = request_irq(irqNumber,        // the interrupt number        (irq_handler_t) ebb_gpio_irq_handler,// pointer to the handler        IRQF_TRIGGER_RISING,                 // interrupt on rising edge        "ebb_gpio_handler",                  // used to identify the owner        NULL);                 // *dev_id for shared interrupt lines, NULL

The ebb_gpio_irq_handler function performs the majority of the timing. The clock time is stored, and the inter-press time is determined each time that the interrupt is handled.

Kobject Interface Then next will look into the kobject interface. The infrastructure that enables sysfs to function is heavily based on the kobject interface. #define KOBJ_NAME_LEN  20 struct kobject { char              *k_name;    // kobject name pointer (not NULL) char              name[KOBJ_NAME_LEN];  // short internal name struct kref       kref;       // the reference count struct list_head  entry;      // linked list to members of the kset struct kobject    *parent;    // the parent kobject struct kset       *kset;      // kobject can be a member of a set struct kobj_type  *ktype;     // kobj_type describes object type struct dentry     *dentry;    // the sysfs directory entry };

A single kobject is mapped to /sys/ebb/ on the file system. There are five attributes associated with the kobject entry (ebb). These are diffTime, isDebounce, lastTime, ledOn, and numberPresses.

Kernel Threads Introduce the use of kernel threads, kthreads, which can be started in response to an event that occurs in our LKM kthreads are used to flash the LED at a user-defined interval.

The return of resources to the kthread scheduler is usually performed with a call to schedule #include    static struct task_struct *task;         // pointer to the thread task static int flash(void *arg) { while(!kthread_should_stop){       // kthread_stop call returns true set_current_state(TASK_RUNNING);  // prevent sleeps temporarily ...                               // state change instructions (flash) set_current_state(TASK_INTERRUPTIBLE);   // sleep but can be awoken msleep(...);                               // millisecond sleep }   }    static int __init ebb_LED_init(void) { task = kthread_run(flash, NULL, "LED_flash_thread");  // start kthread ...   }    static void __exit ebb_LED_exit(void) { kthread_stop(task);                // Stop the LED flashing kthread ...   }

Timeline
Provide a development timeline with a milestone each of the 11 weeks and any pre-work. (A realistic timeline is critical to our selection process.)

Experience and approach
In 5-15 sentences, convince us you will be able to successfully complete your project in the timeline you have described.


 * In my first year of University I have passed the 3 month junior training program by ROBOCON UTM which include basic programming, basic electronics and basic Mechanisms.
 * * I have built a line following robot with dsPIC30f4011 microcontroller. Solder and design my own hardware with the PIC microcontroller. Understand about GPIO, PWM, UART, ADC/DAC. I have experience in C programming and know how circuit connection with breadboard. photo.
 * * I have build a custom PCB to control robotic pneumatic valve with Altium designer. photo


 * I have build a flutter mobile app which read and display sensor value from Bluetooth module with Maker Uno (similar with Arduino Uno). Then store the value on AWS with MQTT protocol.\
 * I have build Footfall Counter with openCV github
 * In order to successfully to complete the projects, I will start it early which start to work with the technology before official code period so I have extra time for debug and testing.

Contingency
What will you do if you get stuck on your project and your mentor isn’t around?
 * I will refer with FTXUI documentation. It is very detail and have a lot example.
 * I will refer Exploring BeagleBone (2nd ed.) written by Derek Molloy for GPIOs benchmark.
 * I will refer Gnome NetworkManager Developer Resources for NetworkManager DBus. Here have some example with glib.

Benefit

 * Provide bb users more visual interactive way for header pin.
 * Provide easy UI for Enable/Disable "stuff" in boot.
 * Improve network config with DBus API
 * Gather data for developers to understand how fast gpio read and write in user space, kernel space and PRUs

Misc
Please complete the requirements listed on the ideas page. Provide link to pull request.

Suggestions
Is there anything else we should have asked you?