UFS Driver Debugging Guide

The S100/S600 chip integrates a UFS Host controller, with hardware supporting up to the UFS3.1 protocol, software interface supporting up to 3.0, HS-G4 rate mode, and 2 data lanes. This document describes the development, configuration, and debugging methods for the UFS driver.

UFS Hardware Architecture

S100/S600 UFS Controller Features

The S100/S600 chip integrates a UFS Host controller that supports the following features:

Feature	Description
UFS Protocol Version	Supports UFS 2.0 / 2.1 / 3.0 / 3.1
UniPro Version	Supports UniPro 1.61 / 1.8
M-PHY Version	Supports M-PHY 3.0
Rate Mode	HS-G4 (11.6Gbps/lane)
Data Lanes	2 data lanes
Functional Support	High-speed read/write, secure storage

Hardware Module Composition

The UFS subsystem consists of the following parts:

UFS Host Controller (UFSHC) - Host Controller
- Supports UFS 3.0 protocol
- Supports HS-G4 rate (11.6Gbps/lane)
- Supports 2 data lanes
- Built-in SCSI command queue management
MPHY - Physical Layer Interface
- Supports Rate A and Rate B modes
- Supports Tx Equalization configuration
- Supports auto-calibration
System Register Control
- Clock gating control
- Reset control
- AXI cache configuration

Software Architecture

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                    Application Layer                         │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│                    File System Layer                         │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│                    Block Device Layer                        │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│                    SCSI Subsystem                            │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│                    UFS Core Layer (ufshcd)                   │
│  ┌───────────┬───────────┬───────────┬──────────────────┐   │
│  │ UTP Transport │ UIC Control │ DME Management │ Power Management │   │
│  └───────────┴───────────┴───────────┴──────────────────┘   │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│                    Host Controller Layer                     │
│              ┌──────────────────────────────┐               │
│              │     Hobot UFS HSI Layer      │               │
│              │ (ufs-hobot.c/ufs-hobot-hsi.c)│               │
│              └──────────────────────────────┘               │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│                    MPHY Physical Layer                       │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Code Paths

Hobot UFS driver files

hobot-drivers/ufs/ufs-hobot.c          # Main driver file
hobot-drivers/ufs/ufs-hobot.h          # Header file
hobot-drivers/ufs/ufs-hobot-hsi.c      # HSI layer implementation
hobot-drivers/ufs/ufs-hobot-hsi.h      # HSI layer header
hobot-drivers/ufs/Kconfig              # Kernel config options
hobot-drivers/ufs/Makefile             # Build configuration

Linux kernel UFS core code

drivers/ufs/core/ufshcd.c              # UFS core layer
drivers/ufs/core/ufshcd.h              # UFS core header
drivers/ufs/host/ufshcd-pltfrm.c       # Platform driver layer

Device tree configuration

kernel-dts/drobot-s100-soc.dtsi        # S100 SoC configuration

kernel-dts/drobot-s600-soc.dtsi        # S600 SoC configuration

Kernel Configuration

Configuration Options

hobot-drivers/configs/drobot_s100_defconfig

hobot-drivers/configs/drobot_s600_defconfig

# UFS core support
CONFIG_SCSI_UFSHCD=y                   # Enable UFS Host Controller driver
CONFIG_SCSI_UFSHCD_PLATFORM=y          # Platform driver support

# Hobot UFS driver
CONFIG_SCSI_UFS_HOBOT=y                # Hobot UFS Host controller driver
CONFIG_SCSI_UFS_HOBOT_OCS_POLL=n       # OCS polling mode (for debugging)

# SCSI and block device support
CONFIG_SCSI=y                          # SCSI subsystem
CONFIG_BLK_DEV_SD=y                    # SCSI disk support

# Power management
CONFIG_PM=y                            # Power management support
CONFIG_PM_RUNTIME=y                    # Runtime power management

Using mk_kernel for Configuration

# Open menuconfig interface
./mk_kernel.sh menuconfig

# Search for UFS-related configurations
# In the menuconfig interface, press / to search and enter "UFS"

Using UFS in U-Boot

UFS runs in HS-GEAR4 mode under U-Boot, supporting standard SCSI commands to access UFS devices via the U-Boot console.

Common SCSI Commands

Command	Description	Example
`scsi info`	View all available UFS device information	`scsi info`
`scsi device [dev]`	Switch the selected UFS device	`scsi device 0`
`scsi part [dev]`	View partition information of UFS device	`scsi part 0`
`scsi read addr blk# cnt`	Read data from UFS to memory	`scsi read 0x80000000 0x1000 0x100`
`scsi write addr blk# cnt`	Write memory data to UFS	`scsi write 0x80000000 0x1000 0x100`

ext4 File System Operations in U-Boot

# View ext4 partition contents
ext4ls scsi 0:17

# Load file from ext4 partition to memory
ext4load scsi 0:17 0x80000000 /boot/Image

# Write memory data to ext4 partition
ext4write scsi 0:17 0x80000000 /newfile 0x10000

DTS Device Node Configuration

S100 SoC Configuration (drobot-s100-soc.dtsi)

ufs: ufs@0x39410000 {
    power-domains = <&scmi_smc_pd PD_IDX_LSPERI_TOP>;
    status = "okay";
    compatible = "drobot,s100-ufshc";
    reg = <0 0x39410000 0 0x10000>,           /* UFS controller registers */
          <0x0 0x39010000 0x0 0x1000>,        /* UFS system registers */
          <0x0 0x39000000 0x0 0x1000>;        /* UFS clock registers */
    interrupt-parent = <&gic>;
    interrupts = <0 PERISYS_UFSHC_S_INTR PERISYS_UFSHC_S_INTR_TRIG_TYPE>;
    ref-clk-freq = <26000000>;                 /* Reference clock frequency 26MHz */
    lanes-per-direction = <2>;                 /* 2 data lanes */
    pinctrl-names = "default";
    pinctrl-0 = <&peri_ufs>;                   /* Pin configuration */

    /* Get MPHY calibration values from eFuse */
    ufstrim_flag_reg_pa = <0xCDF704C>;         /* Calibration flag register address */
    ufstrim_reg_pa = <0xCDF7014>;              /* Calibration value register address */

    /* Transmitter equalizer configuration */
    tx_eq_main_pre_post = <35 0 0>;           /* main=35, pre=0, post=0 */
};

S600 SoC 配置 (drobot-s600-soc.dtsi)

		ufs: ufs@0x33700000 {
			// power-domains = <&scmi_smc_pd PD_IDX_LSPERI_TOP>;
			status = "okay";
			compatible = "drobot-s600-ufshc";
			reg = <0 0x33700000 0 0x10000>,
					<0x0 0x33000000 0x0 0x1000>,    // ufs sys reg
					<0x0 0x34830000 0x0 0x1000>,    // ufs clk reg
					<0x0 0x33710000 0x0 0x1000>;    // ufs wrap reg
			interrupt-parent = <&gic>;
			interrupts = <0 HSISYS_UFSHC_S_INTR IRQ_TYPE_LEVEL_HIGH>;
			ref-clk-freq = <26000000>;
			lanes-per-direction = <2>;
			pinctrl-names = "default";
			pinctrl-0 = <&hsi_ufs>;
			ufstrim_reg_pa = <0xCDF701C>;
			tx_eq_main_pre_post = <29 0 6>;
		};

DTS Parameter Description

Parameter	Description	Example Value
`compatible`	Driver match string	"drobot,s100-ufshc"
`reg`	Register address range	Controller/System/Clock registers
`interrupts`	Interrupt configuration	GIC SPI interrupt
`ref-clk-freq`	Reference clock frequency	26000000 (26MHz)
`lanes-per-direction`	Number of data lanes per direction	2
`ufstrim_flag_reg_pa`	Calibration flag register physical address	0xCDF704C
`ufstrim_reg_pa`	Calibration value register physical address	0xCDF7014
`tx_eq_main_pre_post`	Transmitter equalizer parameters	<main pre post>

Parameter	Description	Example Value
`compatible`	Driver match string	"drobot,s600-ufshc"
`reg`	Register address range	Controller/system/clock registers
`interrupts`	Interrupt configuration	GIC SPI interrupt
`ref-clk-freq`	Reference clock frequency	26000000 (26MHz)
`lanes-per-direction`	Number of data lanes per direction	2
`ufstrim_reg_pa`	Calibration value register physical address	0xCDF701C
`tx_eq_main_pre_post`	Transmitter equalizer parameters	<main pre post>

Debugging Methods

1. Check UFS Device Recognition

# Check if UFS device is correctly recognized
ls /dev/sda*
# Should display /dev/sda and partitions (e.g., /dev/sda1, /dev/sda2)

# View block device information
lsblk
# Should show UFS disk and its partitions

# View SCSI devices
cat /proc/scsi/scsi
# Should display UFS device information

2. Check UFS Driver Loading Status

# Check if driver is loaded
lsmod | grep ufs
# Should display ufs_hobot module

# View UFS-related information in kernel logs
dmesg | grep -i ufs

# Check UFS controller status
cat /sys/class/scsi_host/host*/proc_name
# Should display "ufshcd"

3. File System Operations

Formatting UFS Partition

# Format UFS partition as ext4 (e.g., partition 17) Note: This will erase all data:
mkfs.ext4 /dev/sda17

Mounting UFS Partition

# Mount UFS partition to specified directory
mkdir -p /userdata
mount -t ext4 /dev/sda17 /userdata

# Check mount status
mount | grep sda

File System Exception Handling

When the file system is corrupted and cannot be mounted, handle it as follows:

# Use fsck tool to check and repair ext4 file system
fsck.ext4 -f /dev/sda17

# If fsck cannot repair, consider formatting (Note: This will erase all data)
mkfs.ext4 /dev/sda17

4. Using ufs-utils Tool

# View UFS device attributes
ufs-utils -p /dev/sda info

# View UFS health status
ufs-utils -p /dev/sda health

# View UFS configuration descriptor
ufs-utils -p /dev/sda desc

5. UFS Reliability Assessment (Lifetime Analysis)

Since UFS wear leveling algorithms vary by manufacturer, UFS lifetime is model-dependent and should be determined based on the specific UFS device datasheet.

Checking UFS Health Status

The Linux system automatically updates the health status nodes under the UFS device after each boot:

# Check UFS reserved block status
cat /sys/devices/platform/soc/*ufs/health_descriptor/eol_info
# Return value: 0x1 indicates reserved block status is normal

# Check UFS lifetime estimation A
cat /sys/devices/platform/soc/*ufs/health_descriptor/life_time_estimation_a
# Return value range 0x1-0xA indicates normal lifetime

# Check UFS lifetime estimation B
cat /sys/devices/platform/soc/*ufs/health_descriptor/life_time_estimation_b
# Return value range 0x1-0xA indicates normal lifetime

Health Status Parameter Description

Node	Description	Normal Range	Notes
`eol_info`	Reserved block status	0x01	0x01 indicates normal
`life_time_estimation_a`	Lifetime estimation A	0x01~0x0A	Smaller values indicate more remaining life
`life_time_estimation_b`	Lifetime estimation B	0x01~0x0A	Smaller values indicate more remaining life

For specific value meanings, refer to the Device Health Descriptor definition in the UFS device datasheet.

6. Kernel Debug Logging

# Enable UFS debug logging
echo 'module ufs_hobot +p' > /sys/kernel/debug/dynamic_debug/control
echo 'module ufshcd +p' > /sys/kernel/debug/dynamic_debug/control

# View real-time logs
dmesg -w | grep -i ufs

# Or use journalctl
journalctl -kf | grep -i ufs

7. Performance Testing

Note: UFS performance testing should be performed on a mounted file system partition. Direct writing to the block device (/dev/sda) is prohibited as it will corrupt the file system.

The RDK S100 series development board has the following partitions by default. The actual partitions are subject to the board's output:

The RDK S600 series development board has the following partitions by default. The actual partitions are subject to the board's output:

Partition Number	Device Name	Partition Name	Size	File System	Mount Point	Purpose
17	/dev/sda17	userdata	2GiB	ext4	/userdata	User data
18	/dev/sda18	system	Remaining disk space	ext4	/	Root file system

Recommended Test Partitions:

userdata partition (/dev/sda17 → /userdata): Preferred, designed for user data
system partition (/dev/sda18 → /): Alternative, be careful with system file protection

Preparing the Test Environment

# Check UFS partition mount status
lsblk
# Example output:
# NAME    MAJ:MIN RM  SIZE RO TYPE MOUNTPOINT
# sda       8:0    0  3.1G  0 disk
# ├─sda13   8:13   0   15M  0 part /boot
# ├─sda16   8:16   0  512M  0 part /var/log
# ├─sda17   8:17   0  256M  0 part /userdata
# └─sda18   8:18   0  1.3G  0 part /

# Check if userdata partition (/dev/sda17) is mounted
mount | grep userdata
# If not mounted, manually mount:
# mkdir -p /userdata
# mount /dev/sda17 /userdata

# Ensure the test directory exists and has write permissions
mkdir -p /userdata/ufs_test
chmod 777 /userdata/ufs_test

FIO Performance Testing (Recommended on userdata partition)

# Navigate to userdata test directory
cd /userdata/ufs_test

# 1. Sequential write test (4K block size, tests small file write performance)
fio --name=seq_write_4k \
    --directory=/userdata/ufs_test \
    --filename=test_file \
    --rw=write \
    --bs=4k \
    --size=512M \
    --numjobs=1 \
    --ioengine=libaio \
    --direct=1 \
    --runtime=60 \
    --group_reporting

# 2. Sequential read test (4K block size)
fio --name=seq_read_4k \
    --directory=/userdata/ufs_test \
    --filename=test_file \
    --rw=read \
    --bs=4k \
    --size=512M \
    --numjobs=1 \
    --ioengine=libaio \
    --direct=1 \
    --runtime=60 \
    --group_reporting

# 3. Random write test (4K block size, 4 jobs, simulates multi-threaded writing)
fio --name=rand_write_4k \
    --directory=/userdata/ufs_test \
    --filename=test_file \
    --rw=randwrite \
    --bs=4k \
    --size=512M \
    --numjobs=4 \
    --ioengine=libaio \
    --direct=1 \
    --runtime=60 \
    --group_reporting

# 4. Random read test (4K block size, 4 jobs)
fio --name=rand_read_4k \
    --directory=/userdata/ufs_test \
    --filename=test_file \
    --rw=randread \
    --bs=4k \
    --size=512M \
    --numjobs=4 \
    --ioengine=libaio \
    --direct=1 \
    --runtime=60 \
    --group_reporting

# 5. Mixed read/write test (70% read, 30% write, simulates real application scenarios)
fio --name=mix_rw \
    --directory=/userdata/ufs_test \
    --filename=test_file \
    --rw=randrw \
    --rwmixread=70 \
    --bs=4k \
    --size=512M \
    --numjobs=4 \
    --ioengine=libaio \
    --direct=1 \
    --runtime=60 \
    --group_reporting

# 6. Large file sequential write test (1M block size, tests peak bandwidth)
# Note: size should not exceed available partition space
fio --name=seq_write_1m \
    --directory=/userdata/ufs_test \
    --filename=test_file_big \
    --rw=write \
    --bs=1m \
    --size=1G \
    --numjobs=1 \
    --ioengine=libaio \
    --direct=1 \
    --runtime=60 \
    --group_reporting

# 7. Large file sequential read test (1M block size)
fio --name=seq_read_1m \
    --directory=/userdata/ufs_test \
    --filename=test_file_big \
    --rw=read \
    --bs=1m \
    --size=1G \
    --numjobs=1 \
    --ioengine=libaio \
    --direct=1 \
    --runtime=60 \
    --group_reporting

# Clean up test files
rm -f /userdata/ufs_test/test_file /userdata/ufs_test/test_file_big

Testing on system Partition (Alternative)

If the userdata partition (/dev/sda17) is unavailable, test in the /tmp directory of the system partition (/dev/sda18):

# Use /tmp directory (located on system partition /dev/sda18)
mkdir -p /tmp/ufs_test

# Run fio test (example: 4K random write)
fio --name=rand_write_4k \
    --directory=/tmp/ufs_test \
    --filename=test_file \
    --rw=randwrite \
    --bs=4k \
    --size=128M \
    --numjobs=4 \
    --ioengine=libaio \
    --direct=1 \
    --runtime=60 \
    --group_reporting

# Clean up
rm -rf /tmp/ufs_test

Note: The system partition (/dev/sda18) is the root file system (1.25GB). When testing:

Control the test file size to avoid filling the root partition
Prefer using the /tmp directory, which is automatically cleaned up after system reboot
Do not test in system-critical directories (/bin, /sbin, /etc, etc.)

FIO Parameter Description

Parameter	Description	Common Values
`--name`	Test job name	User-defined
`--directory`	Test directory	/userdata/ufs_test or /tmp/ufs_test
`--filename`	Test file name	test_file
`--rw`	Read/write mode	read/write/randread/randwrite/randrw
`--bs`	Block size	4k, 128k, 1m
`--size`	Test file size	512M, 1G
`--numjobs`	Number of concurrent jobs	1, 4, 8
`--ioengine`	IO engine	libaio, sync
`--direct=1`	Direct IO (bypass cache)	1
`--runtime`	Test runtime (seconds)	60
`--group_reporting`	Aggregate report	Enable
`--rwmixread`	Read percentage in mixed read/write	70 (means 70% read, 30% write)

Result Interpretation

Key FIO output metrics:

BW (Bandwidth): Bandwidth, in KB/s or MB/s
IOPS: I/O operations per second
lat (latency): Latency, in usec (microseconds) or msec (milliseconds)
clat (completion latency): Completion latency, the most important metric

Example output:

seq_write_4k: (groupid=0, jobs=1): err= 0: pid=1234: Mon Jan  1 00:00:00 2024
  write: IOPS=50.5k, BW=197MiB/s (207MB/s)(11.5GiB/60001msec)
    slat (usec): min=3, max=100, avg= 5.23, stdev= 2.15
    clat (usec): min=50, max=5000, avg=180.50, stdev=85.20
     lat (usec): min=55, max=5010, avg=185.73, stdev=85.80

Advanced Debugging

Enabling Detailed Debug Information

Define debug macros in the driver code:

// Add to ufs-hobot-hsi.h
#define DEBUG

// Or enable in kernel configuration
CONFIG_DYNAMIC_DEBUG=y

Adapting New UFS Devices

When adapting new UFS device models, follow these requirements:

Hardware Compatibility Requirements

Item	Requirement
UFS Protocol Version	Compliant with V2.1, V3.0, or V3.1 standards
Electrical Characteristics	Level compatible with the UFS controller
Package Dimensions	Meet PCB layout requirements

Software Adaptation Steps

Verify UFS device complies with standard protocols
- Verify device supports UFS 2.1/3.0/3.1 standards
- Confirm UniPro and M-PHY version compatibility
Adjust PHY parameters
- MPHY parameters may need adjustment based on different UFS device electrical characteristics
- Configure appropriate tx_eq_main_pre_post parameters in DTS
- Adjust reference clock frequency ref-clk-freq if necessary
Verify signal integrity
- Check signal quality using an oscilloscope
- Ensure signal integrity in HS-G4 mode
Perform compatibility testing
- Execute read/write stress tests
- Verify power management functionality
- Check hot-swap protection (though UFS does not support hot-swap)

Reference Documents

UFS Specification Version 2.1/3.0/3.1
JEDEC Standard JESD220C
UniPro Specification Version 1.61/1.8
M-PHY Specification Version 3.1/4.1
Linux Kernel Documentation: drivers/scsi/ufs/README

Important Notes

Power Management: UFS supports multiple low-power modes; ensure power domain configuration is correct
Clock Configuration: UFS requires a stable reference clock; 26MHz is used by default
Signal Integrity: Pay attention to PCB trace design and impedance matching in high-speed mode
Temperature Effects: MPHY calibration values vary with temperature; ensure operation within valid temperature range
Hot-Swap: UFS does not support hot-swap; ensure the device is properly connected before power-on

UFS Hardware Architecture​

S100/S600 UFS Controller Features​

Hardware Module Composition​

Software Architecture​

Code Paths​

Hobot UFS driver files

Linux kernel UFS core code

Device tree configuration

Kernel Configuration​

Configuration Options​

Using mk_kernel for Configuration​

Using UFS in U-Boot​

Common SCSI Commands​

ext4 File System Operations in U-Boot​

DTS Device Node Configuration​

S100 SoC Configuration (drobot-s100-soc.dtsi)​

S600 SoC 配置 (drobot-s600-soc.dtsi)​

DTS Parameter Description​

Debugging Methods​

1. Check UFS Device Recognition​

2. Check UFS Driver Loading Status​

3. File System Operations​

Formatting UFS Partition​

Mounting UFS Partition​

File System Exception Handling​

4. Using ufs-utils Tool​

5. UFS Reliability Assessment (Lifetime Analysis)​

Checking UFS Health Status​

Health Status Parameter Description​

6. Kernel Debug Logging​

7. Performance Testing​

Preparing the Test Environment​

FIO Performance Testing (Recommended on userdata partition)​

Testing on system Partition (Alternative)​

FIO Parameter Description​

Result Interpretation​

Advanced Debugging​

Enabling Detailed Debug Information​

Adapting New UFS Devices​

Hardware Compatibility Requirements​

Software Adaptation Steps​

Reference Documents​

Important Notes​