Re: [PATCH] [rpi4b] Make bootable rpi4b model

[Peter Maydell]

On Mon, 22 May 2023 at 11:42, Kambalin, Sergey
<sergey.kambalin@auriga.com> wrote:
>
> Hi!
>
> Unfortunately it can't be split without losing a functionality. It is a 
> minimal amount of code to make it able to boot the kernel (and therefore 
> confirm that it works).

No, it absolutely can. Each individual patch should be a
coherent chunk of work, and needs to compile cleanly,
but it doesn't have to be immediately useful on its own.
The usual setup is that a patchseries adding a new board
gradually adds pieces like new devices or bugfixes to
existing code, and it's only in a patch fairly late in the
series that the new board proper is added and enabled.

In a 5 minute scan of this patch I saw at least one cleanup
patch that should be separate (changing hard-coded numbers
in the switch cases in the bcm2835_property.c file). Anything
where you're touching the existing bcm2835/2836 code because
you need to refactor it to be a better base for the bcm2838
work should be a separate patch (this is particularly
important so we can review that the changes don't break the
existing boards). And the usual approach with a new board is
that you have a patch per new device being added (you have
several here) and then a patch at the end for the board changes.
New test cases can be their own patch. Documentation (which
seems to be missing here) can be its own patch.

I would estimate that this will end up being at least 6 patches,
probably more.

thanks
-- PMM