Linux Device Driver Tutorial Programming – Linux Device Driver Tutorial Part 7

Last Updated on: October 5th, 2022

This article is a continuation of the  Series on Linux Device Drivers and carries the discussion on character drivers and their implementation. The aim of this series is to provide easy and practical examples that anyone can understand. This is the simple Linux Device Driver Programming Tutorial – Linux Device Driver Tutorial Part 7.

From our previous tutorials, we know about major, and minor numbers, device files, and file operations of device drivers using the dummy drivers. But today we are going to write a real driver without hardware.

Prerequisites

To continue with this tutorial, you must have set up the Ubuntu or Raspberry Pi or Beaglebone. If you aren’t set up anything yet, we suggest you to set up the boards that you have using the below-given tutorials.

• Setup Ubuntu and Raspberry Pi
• Setup Beaglebone

You can find a video explanation of this tutorial here. You can also find all the Linux device driver’s video playlists here.

Linux Device Driver Programming Tutorial

Introduction

We already know that in Linux everything is a File. So in this tutorial, we are going to develop two applications.

1. User Space application (User program)
2. Kernel Space program (Driver)

The user Program will communicate with the kernel space program using the device file. Lets Start.

Kernel Space Program (Device Driver)

We already know about major, and minor numbers, device files, and file operations of the device drivers. If you don’t know please visit our previous tutorials. Now we are going to discuss more file operations in the device driver. Basically, there are four functions in the device driver.

1. Open driver
2. Write Driver
3. Read Driver
4. Close Driver

Now we will see one by one of these functions. Before that, I will explain the concept of this driver.

Concept

Using this driver we can send strings or data to the kernel device driver using the write function. It will store that string in the kernel space. Then when I read the device file, it will send the data which is written by write by function to the userspace application.

Functions used in this driver

• kmalloc()
• kfree()
• copy_from_user()
• copy_to_user()

kmalloc()

We will see the memory allocation methods available in the kernel, in our next tutorials. But now we will use only the kmalloc in this tutorial.

kmalloc function is used to allocate the memory in kernel space. This is like a malloc() function in userspace. The function is fast (unless it blocks) and doesn’t clear the memory it obtains. The allocated region still holds its previous content. The allocated region is also contiguous in physical memory.

#include <linux/slab.h>

void *kmalloc(size_t size, gfp_t flags);

Arguments

size– how many bytes of memory are required.

flags– the type of memory to allocate.

The flags argument may be one of:

GFP_USER – Allocate memory on behalf of the user. May sleep.

GFP_KERNEL – Allocate normal kernel ram. May sleep.

GFP_ATOMIC – Allocation will not sleep. May use emergency pools. For example, use this inside interrupt handler.

GFP_HIGHUSER – Allocate pages from high memory.

GFP_NOIO – Do not do any I/O at all while trying to get memory.

GFP_NOFS – Do not make any fs calls while trying to get memory.

GFP_NOWAIT – Allocation will not sleep.

__GFP_THISNODE – Allocate node-local memory only.

Open()

This function is called first, whenever we are opening the device file. In this function, I am going to allocate the memory using kmalloc. In the userspace application, you can use open() system call to open the device file.

static int etx_open(struct inode *inode, struct file *file)
{
        /*Creating Physical memory*/
        if((kernel_buffer = kmalloc(mem_size , GFP_KERNEL)) == 0){
            printk(KERN_INFO "Cannot allocate memory in kernel\n");
            return -1;
        }
        printk(KERN_INFO "Device File Opened...!!!\n");
        return 0;
}

write()

When writing the data to the device file it will call this write function. Here I will copy the data from user space to kernel space using copy_from_user() function. In the userspace application, you can use write() system call to write any data the device file.

static ssize_t etx_write(struct file *filp, const char __user *buf, size_t len, loff_t *off)
{
        copy_from_user(kernel_buffer, buf, len);
        printk(KERN_INFO "Data Write : Done!\n");
        return len;
}

read()

When we read the device file it will call this function. In this function, I used copy_to_user(). This function is used to copy the data to the userspace application. In the userspace application, you can use read() system call to read the data from the device file.

static ssize_t etx_read(struct file *filp, char __user *buf, size_t len, loff_t *off)
{
        copy_to_user(buf, kernel_buffer, mem_size);
        printk(KERN_INFO "Data Read : Done!\n");
        return mem_size;
}

close()

When we close the device file that will call this function. Here I will free the memory that is allocated by kmalloc using kfree(). In the userspace application, you can use close() system call to close the device file.

static int etx_release(struct inode *inode, struct file *file)
{
        kfree(kernel_buffer);
        printk(KERN_INFO "Device File Closed...!!!\n");
        return 0;
}

Linux Device Driver Tutorial Programming – Full Driver Code

[Get the source code from GitHub]

/***************************************************************************//**
*  \file       driver.c
*
*  \details    Simple Linux device driver (Real Linux Device Driver)
*
*  \author     EmbeTronicX
*
*  \Tested with Linux raspberrypi 5.10.27-v7l-embetronicx-custom+
*
*******************************************************************************/
#include <linux/kernel.h>
#include <linux/init.h>
#include <linux/module.h>
#include <linux/kdev_t.h>
#include <linux/fs.h>
#include <linux/cdev.h>
#include <linux/device.h>
#include<linux/slab.h>                 //kmalloc()
#include<linux/uaccess.h>              //copy_to/from_user()
#include <linux/err.h>
 

#define mem_size        1024           //Memory Size
 
dev_t dev = 0;
static struct class *dev_class;
static struct cdev etx_cdev;
uint8_t *kernel_buffer;

/*
** Function Prototypes
*/
static int      __init etx_driver_init(void);
static void     __exit etx_driver_exit(void);
static int      etx_open(struct inode *inode, struct file *file);
static int      etx_release(struct inode *inode, struct file *file);
static ssize_t  etx_read(struct file *filp, char __user *buf, size_t len,loff_t * off);
static ssize_t  etx_write(struct file *filp, const char *buf, size_t len, loff_t * off);


/*
** File Operations structure
*/
static struct file_operations fops =
{
        .owner          = THIS_MODULE,
        .read           = etx_read,
        .write          = etx_write,
        .open           = etx_open,
        .release        = etx_release,
};
 
/*
** This function will be called when we open the Device file
*/
static int etx_open(struct inode *inode, struct file *file)
{
        pr_info("Device File Opened...!!!\n");
        return 0;
}

/*
** This function will be called when we close the Device file
*/
static int etx_release(struct inode *inode, struct file *file)
{
        pr_info("Device File Closed...!!!\n");
        return 0;
}

/*
** This function will be called when we read the Device file
*/
static ssize_t etx_read(struct file *filp, char __user *buf, size_t len, loff_t *off)
{
        //Copy the data from the kernel space to the user-space
        if( copy_to_user(buf, kernel_buffer, mem_size) )
        {
                pr_err("Data Read : Err!\n");
        }
        pr_info("Data Read : Done!\n");
        return mem_size;
}

/*
** This function will be called when we write the Device file
*/
static ssize_t etx_write(struct file *filp, const char __user *buf, size_t len, loff_t *off)
{
        //Copy the data to kernel space from the user-space
        if( copy_from_user(kernel_buffer, buf, len) )
        {
                pr_err("Data Write : Err!\n");
        }
        pr_info("Data Write : Done!\n");
        return len;
}

/*
** Module Init function
*/
static int __init etx_driver_init(void)
{
        /*Allocating Major number*/
        if((alloc_chrdev_region(&dev, 0, 1, "etx_Dev")) <0){
                pr_info("Cannot allocate major number\n");
                return -1;
        }
        pr_info("Major = %d Minor = %d \n",MAJOR(dev), MINOR(dev));
 
        /*Creating cdev structure*/
        cdev_init(&etx_cdev,&fops);
 
        /*Adding character device to the system*/
        if((cdev_add(&etx_cdev,dev,1)) < 0){
            pr_info("Cannot add the device to the system\n");
            goto r_class;
        }
 
        /*Creating struct class*/
        if(IS_ERR(dev_class = class_create(THIS_MODULE,"etx_class"))){
            pr_info("Cannot create the struct class\n");
            goto r_class;
        }
 
        /*Creating device*/
        if(IS_ERR(device_create(dev_class,NULL,dev,NULL,"etx_device"))){
            pr_info("Cannot create the Device 1\n");
            goto r_device;
        }
        
        /*Creating Physical memory*/
        if((kernel_buffer = kmalloc(mem_size , GFP_KERNEL)) == 0){
            pr_info("Cannot allocate memory in kernel\n");
            goto r_device;
        }
        
        strcpy(kernel_buffer, "Hello_World");
        
        pr_info("Device Driver Insert...Done!!!\n");
        return 0;
 
r_device:
        class_destroy(dev_class);
r_class:
        unregister_chrdev_region(dev,1);
        return -1;
}

/*
** Module exit function
*/
static void __exit etx_driver_exit(void)
{
  kfree(kernel_buffer);
        device_destroy(dev_class,dev);
        class_destroy(dev_class);
        cdev_del(&etx_cdev);
        unregister_chrdev_region(dev, 1);
        pr_info("Device Driver Remove...Done!!!\n");
}
 
module_init(etx_driver_init);
module_exit(etx_driver_exit);
 
MODULE_LICENSE("GPL");
MODULE_AUTHOR("EmbeTronicX <embetronicx@gmail.com>");
MODULE_DESCRIPTION("Simple Linux device driver (Real Linux Device Driver)");
MODULE_VERSION("1.4");

Makefile

obj-m += driver.o
 
ifdef ARCH
  #You can update your Beaglebone path here.
  KDIR = /home/embetronicx/BBG/tmp/lib/modules/5.10.65/build
else
  KDIR = /lib/modules/$(shell uname -r)/build
endif
 
 
all:
  make -C $(KDIR)  M=$(shell pwd) modules
 
clean:
  make -C $(KDIR)  M=$(shell pwd) clean

Building the Device Driver

1. Build the driver by using Makefile (sudo make) or if you are using the Beaglebone board, then you can use sudo make ARCH=arm CROSS_COMPILE=arm-linux-gnueabi-. You can download the Makefile here.

User Space Application

This application will communicate with the device driver. You can download the all codes (driver, Makefile, and application) Here.

/***************************************************************************//**
*  \file       test_app.c
*
*  \details    Userspace application to test the Device driver
*
*  \author     EmbeTronicX
*
*  \Tested with Linux raspberrypi 5.10.27-v7l-embetronicx-custom+
*
*******************************************************************************/
#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
#include <string.h>
#include <sys/types.h>
#include <sys/stat.h>
#include <fcntl.h>
#include <unistd.h>

int8_t write_buf[1024];
int8_t read_buf[1024];

int main()
{
        int fd;
        char option;
        printf("*********************************\n");
        printf("*******WWW.EmbeTronicX.com*******\n");

        fd = open("/dev/etx_device", O_RDWR);
        if(fd < 0) {
                printf("Cannot open device file...\n");
                return 0;
        }

        while(1) {
                printf("****Please Enter the Option******\n");
                printf("        1. Write               \n");
                printf("        2. Read                 \n");
                printf("        3. Exit                 \n");
                printf("*********************************\n");
                scanf(" %c", &option);
                printf("Your Option = %c\n", option);
                
                switch(option) {
                        case '1':
                                printf("Enter the string to write into driver :");
                                scanf("  %[^\t\n]s", write_buf);
                                printf("Data Writing ...");
                                write(fd, write_buf, strlen(write_buf)+1);
                                printf("Done!\n");
                                break;
                        case '2':
                                printf("Data Reading ...");
                                read(fd, read_buf, 1024);
                                printf("Done!\n\n");
                                printf("Data = %s\n\n", read_buf);
                                break;
                        case '3':
                                close(fd);
                                exit(1);
                                break;
                        default:
                                printf("Enter Valid option = %c\n",option);
                                break;
                }
        }
        close(fd);
}

Compile the User Space Application

Use the below line in the terminal to compile the user space application.

gcc -o test_app test_app.c

If you are using the Beaglebone board, then you can use arm-linux-gnueabihf-gcc -o test_app test_app.c.

Execution (Output)

As of now, we have driver.ko and test_app. Now we will see the output.

• Load the driver using sudo insmod driver.ko
• Run the application (sudo ./test_app)

*********************************
*******WWW.EmbeTronicX.com*******
****Please Enter the Option******
1. Write
2. Read
3. Exit
*********************************

• Select option 1 to write data to the driver and write the string ( In this case I’m going to write “embetronicx” to the driver.

1

Your Option = 1
Enter the string to write into driver :embetronicx
Data Writing ...Done!
****Please Enter the Option******
1. Write
2. Read
3. Exit
*********************************

• That “embetronicx” string got passed to the driver. And driver stored that string in the kernel space. That kernel space was allocated by kmalloc.
• Now select option 2 to read the data from the device driver.

2

Your Option = 2
Data Reading ...Done!

Data = embetronicx

• See now, we got that string “embetronicx“.

Just see the below image for your clarification.

Note: Instead of using user space application, you can use echo and cat command.

Video Explanation

In our next tutorial, we will discuss IOCTL in the Linux device driver.

Please find the other Linux device driver tutorials here.

You can also read the below tutorials.

Linux Device Driver Tutorials	C Programming Tutorials
FreeRTOS Tutorials	NuttX RTOS Tutorials
RTX RTOS Tutorials	Interrupts Basics
I2C Protocol – Part 1 (Basics)	I2C Protocol – Part 2 (Advanced Topics)
STM32 Tutorials	LPC2148 (ARM7) Tutorials
PIC16F877A Tutorials	8051 Tutorials
Unit Testing in C Tutorials	ESP32-IDF Tutorials
Raspberry Pi Tutorials	Embedded Interview Topics
Reset Sequence in ARM Cortex-M4	BLE Basics
VIC and NVIC in ARM	SPI – Serial Peripheral Interface Protocol
STM32F7 Bootloader Tutorials	Raspberry PI Pico Tutorials
STM32F103 Bootloader Tutorials	RT-Thread RTOS Tutorials
Zephyr RTOS Tutorials - STM32	Zephyr RTOS Tutorials - ESP32
AUTOSAR Tutorials	UDS Protocol Tutorials
Product Reviews	STM32 MikroC Bootloader Tutorial
VHDL Tutorials	Arduino Tutorials