ECE373 - Assignment #2  - Character Drive - Solved

Objectives: 

It's time to start playing with the device driver interface in the kernel.  This assignment will use information from the previous lectures, and combine that with today's character device lecture.  Roll all that into one, and we can start sending data into and retrieving data from the kernel.

 

1.    Setting up the char device: 

The first part of this assignment deals with getting the character device framework built.  Create a kernel module that creates and registers a single character device (struct cdev).  Make sure this device dynamically allocates a dev_t major number; statically allocating a device will result in loss of points.

Make sure to also document how to create the device file in /dev to operate on.  This will need to be in the list of things to turn in with the assignment.

 

2.  Hooking up file operations 

By now you should have a shiny kernel module that loads and does nothing useful.  Let's make it useful:

Add an integer variable called "syscall_val​           ​" to your char device struct.  Initialize this value to 40 to begin with.

Write a read()​           ​ callback function that will read the variable "syscall_val​ " and return it to​                 userspace (remember copy_to_user​            ​?).  Make sure to have a printk()​     ​ to print that you're in the read()​   ​ system call.

Write a write()​         ​ callback function that will write a new value to "syscall_val​       ​".  You do not need to do data verification at this point, but you're more than welcome to (remember copy_from_user​?).  Make sure to have a printk()​ ​ to print that you're in the write() system call.

 

3.   Testing, testing... 

Now your driver is hooked up and ready to accept inputs.  Write a tiny C program in userspace that opens the character device you created (it's ok to hard-code your /dev filename here), reads the current value of the "syscall_val​ ​" variable, and displays it.  Then have your C program write a new value to change "syscall_val​ ​".  After writing the value, read the value back out and display it.

Make sure your module unloads successfully, and properly cleans up ALL resources you allocated in the driver (chardev​          ​, dev_t​            ​, etc.).

 

 

4.  Changes 

Suppose you want to let your users specify their favorite initial value – instead of '40', maybe they want to start with '97'.  Modify your program to use a module parameter to set the starting value. Reload the module, setting the module parameter value on the command line.  Use your test program to read and print and change the initial value.  Lastly, using the 'cat' shell command, read the current value of the module parameter from the sysfs entry.