HAL Module Request: hal_telink

[yurvyn]

Origin

Zephyr HAL Telink project.
Sources to be added:
http://wiki.telink-semi.cn/tools_and_sdk/Driver/hal_telink.zip

Purpose

This software provides Hardware Abstraction Layer drivers support for Telink TLSR9 family SoCs.

Mode of integration

Please integrate this project as a module according to the generic Zephyr HAL modules structure.

Pull Request

N/A (new project)

Description

This project provides Telink TLSR9 family peripheral drivers support (such as GPIO, UART, PWM, I2C, SPI, RF etc..), and it is going to be used by Telink B91 SoC and TLSR9518ADK80D board in Zephyr.

No other projects available, no better options.

Dependencies

None.

Revision

http://wiki.telink-semi.cn/tools_and_sdk/Driver/hal_telink.zip

License

3-Clause BSD

[galak]

Please fill out the full form for a new external source repo:

https://github.com/zephyrproject-rtos/zephyr/issues/new?assignees=&labels=TSC&template=ext-source.md&title=

[yurvyn]

Done, please review.

[carlescufi]

          4. This software, with or without modification, must only be used with a
           TELINK integrated circuit. All other usages are subject to written permission
           from TELINK and different commercial license may apply.

I am sorry, but this clause violates the OSI open source definition, which means that this is not an OSI-approved license. This makes it impossible to be integrated with upstream zephyr, as described here. The only viable paths forward for you are:

• Integrate this in your own project directly
• Request Telink to relicense this HAL under an OSI-approved license (eg. 3-clause BSD)

[yurvyn]

Thanks for the info.
Let's keep this ticket open and I will came back with updates as soon as possible.

[carlescufi]

@yurvyn sounds good. Thanks.

[yurvyn]

In case if Telink relicense this HAL (to eg. 3-clause BSD), it still contains "libB91.a" library.
Is the library usage acceptable?

[carlescufi]

In case if Telink relicense this HAL (to eg. 3-clause BSD), it still contains "libB91.a" library.
Is the library usage acceptable?

Zephyr doesn't currently accept precompiled binaries directly, but you can check with @sylvioalves how Espressif solved this problem for the ESP32 platform.

[yurvyn]

In case if Telink relicense this HAL (to eg. 3-clause BSD), it still contains "libB91.a" library.
Is the library usage acceptable?

Zephyr doesn't currently accept precompiled binaries directly, but you can check with @sylvioalves how Espressif solved this problem for the ESP32 platform.

As I see, "libhal.a" library is directly linked in "hal_espressif/components/xtensa/CMakeLists.txt".
It is the same what I am doing in "hal_telink/B91_Driver_v1.5.0/CMakeLists.txt" (libB91.a).

So, maybe, precompiled binaries are allowed for vendors HALs.
@sylvioalves am I right?

[carlescufi]

So, maybe, precompiled binaries are allowed for vendors HALs.
@sylvioalves am I right?

They are not allowed in a repository hosted by the zephyrproject-rtos GitHub organization, so you will need to pull them in via a command or a Git submodule.

[sylvioalves]

As I see, "libhal.a" library is directly linked in "hal_espressif/components/xtensa/CMakeLists.txt".

@yurvyn, yes, the binary is linked in the CMakeLists but the file itself cannot be hosted by the zephyrproject-rtos.
The proposed solutions by the maintainers are:

1. Put the binaries in a submodule that is linked into your hal module repo. Then, on west.yml, you add the submodules: true so that it can be pulled by west update automatically.
2. Create a west command that resides in hal_telink module. The west command will perform the binary download with some specific command as such as west telink get-binaries.

[carlescufi]

Thanks @sylvioalves. Could you describe what option Espressif took and where this is implemented, for @yurvyn's information?

[yurvyn]

The "libhal.a" file is directly included in hal_espressif, it is not like git submodule.

I will try to resolve mentioned issues for hal_telink and will come back once I have updates.
Thanks for the support.

[yurvyn]

@galak, @carlescufi
Before making decisions, I have two questions.

1. Is the next case acceptable?
   hal_telin contains only cmake and module yaml files, the driver files are added as a git submodule with the existing Telink License and precompiled binary inside. If this workaround works for precompiled binary, I suppose, it also can work for the License issue.

2. If set submodules: true in west.yaml for hal_telink, will the git submodule added/cloned automatically during "west init"?

[carlescufi]

hal_telin contains only cmake and module yaml files, the driver files are added as a git submodule with the existing Telink License and precompiled binary inside. If this workaround works for precompiled binary, I suppose, it also can work for the License issue.

I am not sure this would be accepted. First of all, the current recommended pattern is to have all glue code files, include CMake and Kconfig, in the main zephyr tree, in the modules/ folder. Second, a repository with only a submodule is likely not going to be approved in the TSC. You can of course feel free to join the meeting next week and argue for it.