diff options
Diffstat (limited to 'Documentation/networking/cdc_mbim.rst')
| -rw-r--r-- | Documentation/networking/cdc_mbim.rst | 355 |
1 files changed, 355 insertions, 0 deletions
diff --git a/Documentation/networking/cdc_mbim.rst b/Documentation/networking/cdc_mbim.rst new file mode 100644 index 000000000000..37f968acc473 --- /dev/null +++ b/Documentation/networking/cdc_mbim.rst @@ -0,0 +1,355 @@ +.. SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0 + +====================================================== +cdc_mbim - Driver for CDC MBIM Mobile Broadband modems +====================================================== + +The cdc_mbim driver supports USB devices conforming to the "Universal +Serial Bus Communications Class Subclass Specification for Mobile +Broadband Interface Model" [1], which is a further development of +"Universal Serial Bus Communications Class Subclass Specifications for +Network Control Model Devices" [2] optimized for Mobile Broadband +devices, aka "3G/LTE modems". + + +Command Line Parameters +======================= + +The cdc_mbim driver has no parameters of its own. But the probing +behaviour for NCM 1.0 backwards compatible MBIM functions (an +"NCM/MBIM function" as defined in section 3.2 of [1]) is affected +by a cdc_ncm driver parameter: + +prefer_mbim +----------- +:Type: Boolean +:Valid Range: N/Y (0-1) +:Default Value: Y (MBIM is preferred) + +This parameter sets the system policy for NCM/MBIM functions. Such +functions will be handled by either the cdc_ncm driver or the cdc_mbim +driver depending on the prefer_mbim setting. Setting prefer_mbim=N +makes the cdc_mbim driver ignore these functions and lets the cdc_ncm +driver handle them instead. + +The parameter is writable, and can be changed at any time. A manual +unbind/bind is required to make the change effective for NCM/MBIM +functions bound to the "wrong" driver + + +Basic usage +=========== + +MBIM functions are inactive when unmanaged. The cdc_mbim driver only +provides a userspace interface to the MBIM control channel, and will +not participate in the management of the function. This implies that a +userspace MBIM management application always is required to enable a +MBIM function. + +Such userspace applications includes, but are not limited to: + + - mbimcli (included with the libmbim [3] library), and + - ModemManager [4] + +Establishing a MBIM IP session reequires at least these actions by the +management application: + + - open the control channel + - configure network connection settings + - connect to network + - configure IP interface + +Management application development +---------------------------------- +The driver <-> userspace interfaces are described below. The MBIM +control channel protocol is described in [1]. + + +MBIM control channel userspace ABI +================================== + +/dev/cdc-wdmX character device +------------------------------ +The driver creates a two-way pipe to the MBIM function control channel +using the cdc-wdm driver as a subdriver. The userspace end of the +control channel pipe is a /dev/cdc-wdmX character device. + +The cdc_mbim driver does not process or police messages on the control +channel. The channel is fully delegated to the userspace management +application. It is therefore up to this application to ensure that it +complies with all the control channel requirements in [1]. + +The cdc-wdmX device is created as a child of the MBIM control +interface USB device. The character device associated with a specific +MBIM function can be looked up using sysfs. For example:: + + bjorn@nemi:~$ ls /sys/bus/usb/drivers/cdc_mbim/2-4:2.12/usbmisc + cdc-wdm0 + + bjorn@nemi:~$ grep . /sys/bus/usb/drivers/cdc_mbim/2-4:2.12/usbmisc/cdc-wdm0/dev + 180:0 + + +USB configuration descriptors +----------------------------- +The wMaxControlMessage field of the CDC MBIM functional descriptor +limits the maximum control message size. The management application is +responsible for negotiating a control message size complying with the +requirements in section 9.3.1 of [1], taking this descriptor field +into consideration. + +The userspace application can access the CDC MBIM functional +descriptor of a MBIM function using either of the two USB +configuration descriptor kernel interfaces described in [6] or [7]. + +See also the ioctl documentation below. + + +Fragmentation +------------- +The userspace application is responsible for all control message +fragmentation and defragmentaion, as described in section 9.5 of [1]. + + +/dev/cdc-wdmX write() +--------------------- +The MBIM control messages from the management application *must not* +exceed the negotiated control message size. + + +/dev/cdc-wdmX read() +-------------------- +The management application *must* accept control messages of up the +negotiated control message size. + + +/dev/cdc-wdmX ioctl() +--------------------- +IOCTL_WDM_MAX_COMMAND: Get Maximum Command Size +This ioctl returns the wMaxControlMessage field of the CDC MBIM +functional descriptor for MBIM devices. This is intended as a +convenience, eliminating the need to parse the USB descriptors from +userspace. + +:: + + #include <stdio.h> + #include <fcntl.h> + #include <sys/ioctl.h> + #include <linux/types.h> + #include <linux/usb/cdc-wdm.h> + int main() + { + __u16 max; + int fd = open("/dev/cdc-wdm0", O_RDWR); + if (!ioctl(fd, IOCTL_WDM_MAX_COMMAND, &max)) + printf("wMaxControlMessage is %d\n", max); + } + + +Custom device services +---------------------- +The MBIM specification allows vendors to freely define additional +services. This is fully supported by the cdc_mbim driver. + +Support for new MBIM services, including vendor specified services, is +implemented entirely in userspace, like the rest of the MBIM control +protocol + +New services should be registered in the MBIM Registry [5]. + + + +MBIM data channel userspace ABI +=============================== + +wwanY network device +-------------------- +The cdc_mbim driver represents the MBIM data channel as a single +network device of the "wwan" type. This network device is initially +mapped to MBIM IP session 0. + + +Multiplexed IP sessions (IPS) +----------------------------- +MBIM allows multiplexing up to 256 IP sessions over a single USB data +channel. The cdc_mbim driver models such IP sessions as 802.1q VLAN +subdevices of the master wwanY device, mapping MBIM IP session Z to +VLAN ID Z for all values of Z greater than 0. + +The device maximum Z is given in the MBIM_DEVICE_CAPS_INFO structure +described in section 10.5.1 of [1]. + +The userspace management application is responsible for adding new +VLAN links prior to establishing MBIM IP sessions where the SessionId +is greater than 0. These links can be added by using the normal VLAN +kernel interfaces, either ioctl or netlink. + +For example, adding a link for a MBIM IP session with SessionId 3:: + + ip link add link wwan0 name wwan0.3 type vlan id 3 + +The driver will automatically map the "wwan0.3" network device to MBIM +IP session 3. + + +Device Service Streams (DSS) +---------------------------- +MBIM also allows up to 256 non-IP data streams to be multiplexed over +the same shared USB data channel. The cdc_mbim driver models these +sessions as another set of 802.1q VLAN subdevices of the master wwanY +device, mapping MBIM DSS session A to VLAN ID (256 + A) for all values +of A. + +The device maximum A is given in the MBIM_DEVICE_SERVICES_INFO +structure described in section 10.5.29 of [1]. + +The DSS VLAN subdevices are used as a practical interface between the +shared MBIM data channel and a MBIM DSS aware userspace application. +It is not intended to be presented as-is to an end user. The +assumption is that a userspace application initiating a DSS session +also takes care of the necessary framing of the DSS data, presenting +the stream to the end user in an appropriate way for the stream type. + +The network device ABI requires a dummy ethernet header for every DSS +data frame being transported. The contents of this header is +arbitrary, with the following exceptions: + + - TX frames using an IP protocol (0x0800 or 0x86dd) will be dropped + - RX frames will have the protocol field set to ETH_P_802_3 (but will + not be properly formatted 802.3 frames) + - RX frames will have the destination address set to the hardware + address of the master device + +The DSS supporting userspace management application is responsible for +adding the dummy ethernet header on TX and stripping it on RX. + +This is a simple example using tools commonly available, exporting +DssSessionId 5 as a pty character device pointed to by a /dev/nmea +symlink:: + + ip link add link wwan0 name wwan0.dss5 type vlan id 261 + ip link set dev wwan0.dss5 up + socat INTERFACE:wwan0.dss5,type=2 PTY:,echo=0,link=/dev/nmea + +This is only an example, most suitable for testing out a DSS +service. Userspace applications supporting specific MBIM DSS services +are expected to use the tools and programming interfaces required by +that service. + +Note that adding VLAN links for DSS sessions is entirely optional. A +management application may instead choose to bind a packet socket +directly to the master network device, using the received VLAN tags to +map frames to the correct DSS session and adding 18 byte VLAN ethernet +headers with the appropriate tag on TX. In this case using a socket +filter is recommended, matching only the DSS VLAN subset. This avoid +unnecessary copying of unrelated IP session data to userspace. For +example:: + + static struct sock_filter dssfilter[] = { + /* use special negative offsets to get VLAN tag */ + BPF_STMT(BPF_LD|BPF_B|BPF_ABS, SKF_AD_OFF + SKF_AD_VLAN_TAG_PRESENT), + BPF_JUMP(BPF_JMP|BPF_JEQ|BPF_K, 1, 0, 6), /* true */ + + /* verify DSS VLAN range */ + BPF_STMT(BPF_LD|BPF_H|BPF_ABS, SKF_AD_OFF + SKF_AD_VLAN_TAG), + BPF_JUMP(BPF_JMP|BPF_JGE|BPF_K, 256, 0, 4), /* 256 is first DSS VLAN */ + BPF_JUMP(BPF_JMP|BPF_JGE|BPF_K, 512, 3, 0), /* 511 is last DSS VLAN */ + + /* verify ethertype */ + BPF_STMT(BPF_LD|BPF_H|BPF_ABS, 2 * ETH_ALEN), + BPF_JUMP(BPF_JMP|BPF_JEQ|BPF_K, ETH_P_802_3, 0, 1), + + BPF_STMT(BPF_RET|BPF_K, (u_int)-1), /* accept */ + BPF_STMT(BPF_RET|BPF_K, 0), /* ignore */ + }; + + + +Tagged IP session 0 VLAN +------------------------ +As described above, MBIM IP session 0 is treated as special by the +driver. It is initially mapped to untagged frames on the wwanY +network device. + +This mapping implies a few restrictions on multiplexed IPS and DSS +sessions, which may not always be practical: + + - no IPS or DSS session can use a frame size greater than the MTU on + IP session 0 + - no IPS or DSS session can be in the up state unless the network + device representing IP session 0 also is up + +These problems can be avoided by optionally making the driver map IP +session 0 to a VLAN subdevice, similar to all other IP sessions. This +behaviour is triggered by adding a VLAN link for the magic VLAN ID +4094. The driver will then immediately start mapping MBIM IP session +0 to this VLAN, and will drop untagged frames on the master wwanY +device. + +Tip: It might be less confusing to the end user to name this VLAN +subdevice after the MBIM SessionID instead of the VLAN ID. For +example:: + + ip link add link wwan0 name wwan0.0 type vlan id 4094 + + +VLAN mapping +------------ + +Summarizing the cdc_mbim driver mapping described above, we have this +relationship between VLAN tags on the wwanY network device and MBIM +sessions on the shared USB data channel:: + + VLAN ID MBIM type MBIM SessionID Notes + --------------------------------------------------------- + untagged IPS 0 a) + 1 - 255 IPS 1 - 255 <VLANID> + 256 - 511 DSS 0 - 255 <VLANID - 256> + 512 - 4093 b) + 4094 IPS 0 c) + + a) if no VLAN ID 4094 link exists, else dropped + b) unsupported VLAN range, unconditionally dropped + c) if a VLAN ID 4094 link exists, else dropped + + + + +References +========== + + 1) USB Implementers Forum, Inc. - "Universal Serial Bus + Communications Class Subclass Specification for Mobile Broadband + Interface Model", Revision 1.0 (Errata 1), May 1, 2013 + + - http://www.usb.org/developers/docs/devclass_docs/ + + 2) USB Implementers Forum, Inc. - "Universal Serial Bus + Communications Class Subclass Specifications for Network Control + Model Devices", Revision 1.0 (Errata 1), November 24, 2010 + + - http://www.usb.org/developers/docs/devclass_docs/ + + 3) libmbim - "a glib-based library for talking to WWAN modems and + devices which speak the Mobile Interface Broadband Model (MBIM) + protocol" + + - http://www.freedesktop.org/wiki/Software/libmbim/ + + 4) ModemManager - "a DBus-activated daemon which controls mobile + broadband (2G/3G/4G) devices and connections" + + - http://www.freedesktop.org/wiki/Software/ModemManager/ + + 5) "MBIM (Mobile Broadband Interface Model) Registry" + + - http://compliance.usb.org/mbim/ + + 6) "/sys/kernel/debug/usb/devices output format" + + - Documentation/driver-api/usb/usb.rst + + 7) "/sys/bus/usb/devices/.../descriptors" + + - Documentation/ABI/stable/sysfs-bus-usb |