Go back --> [[en/users/Drivers/ath10k|ath10k]] 


===== ath10k architecture =====

ath10k is a mac80211 driver, the architecture is depicted in the diagram below. 

{{ath10k-architecture.png}} 

The driver is located in directory drivers/net/wireless/ath/ath10k/. The source code is available for browsing from this location: 

[[https://github.com/kvalo/ath/tree/master/drivers/net/wireless/ath/ath10k|https://github.com/kvalo/ath/tree/master/drivers/net/wireless/ath/ath10k]] 


===== ath10k components =====

{{ath10k-components.png}} 


==== MAC ====
  * Files: mac.h mac.c This is the glue layer between mac80211 and ath10k lower levels. The interface to mac80211 is implemented through ath10k_ops. Data and management frames are sent to HTT, configuration commands to WMI. 


==== Host-Target Transport (HTT) ====
    * Files: htt.c  htt.h  htt_rx.c  htt_tx.c The data path for ath10k. Sends frame descriptors to the firmware using HTC. 


==== Wireless Module Interface (WMI) ====
      * Files: wmi.h wmi.c The control path for ath10k. Sends all sorts configuration commands to the firmware and receives configuration events from the firmware. 


==== Host-Target Communication (HTC) ====
        * Files: htc.h htc.c Multiplexes the bus for different services. The services are defined in enum ath10k_htc_svc_gid. 


==== Host interconnect Framework (HIF) ====
          * Files: hif.h Abstracts the access to different bus types. Currently only supports PCI, but it's easy to add different bus types. 


==== Debug ====
            * Files: debug.h debug.c Component for various debug related to code. Currently only log messages and debugfs. 


==== Tracing ====
              * Files: trace.h trace.c Provides tracing data (HTT/WMI packets) etc to userspace using Linux tracepoints. trace-cmd is the recommend tool to access the tracepoints. 


==== PCI ====
                * Files: pci.h pci.c ce.h ce.c 
                * Module: ath10k_pci.ko All PCI related code. Interface to HIF happens through ath10k_pci_hif_ops. 


==== Copy Engine (CE) ====

The firmware/ hardware has 8 rings for communication with host, defined in host_ce_config_wlan: 


<code>static const struct ce_attr host_ce_config_wlan[] = {
        /* CE0: host->target HTC control and raw streams */
        {
                .flags = CE_ATTR_FLAGS,
                .src_nentries = 16,
                .src_sz_max = 256,
                .dest_nentries = 0,
        },

        /* CE1: target->host HTT + HTC control */
        {
                .flags = CE_ATTR_FLAGS,
                .src_nentries = 0,
                .src_sz_max = 512,
                .dest_nentries = 512,
        },

        /* CE2: target->host WMI */
        {
                .flags = CE_ATTR_FLAGS,
                .src_nentries = 0,
                .src_sz_max = 2048,
                .dest_nentries = 32,
        },

        /* CE3: host->target WMI */
        {
                .flags = CE_ATTR_FLAGS,
                .src_nentries = 32,
                .src_sz_max = 2048,
                .dest_nentries = 0,
        },

        /* CE4: host->target HTT */
        {
                .flags = CE_ATTR_FLAGS | CE_ATTR_DIS_INTR,
                .src_nentries = CE_HTT_H2T_MSG_SRC_NENTRIES,
                .src_sz_max = 256,
                .dest_nentries = 0,
        },

        /* CE5: unused */
        {
                .flags = CE_ATTR_FLAGS,
                .src_nentries = 0,
                .src_sz_max = 0,
                .dest_nentries = 0,
        },

        /* CE6: target autonomous hif_memcpy */
        {
                .flags = CE_ATTR_FLAGS,
                .src_nentries = 0,
                .src_sz_max = 0,
                .dest_nentries = 0,
        },

        /* CE7: ce_diag, the Diagnostic Window */
        {
                .flags = CE_ATTR_FLAGS,
                .src_nentries = 2,
                .src_sz_max = DIAG_TRANSFER_LIMIT,
                .dest_nentries = 2,
        },
};</code>
Copy Engine provides abstraction for these ring buffers and calls each ring a pipe. 


==== Bootloader Messaging Interface (BMI) ====
                  * Files: bmi.h bmi.c Firmware upload and everything else which happens before firmware is booted. 


==== Core ====
                    * Files: core.h core.c Driver initialisation and firmware booting. Manages all ath10k components.