Re: [PATCH v1] platform/x86: thinkpad_acpi: Drop ACPI driver registration

["Mark Pearson" <mpearson-lenovo@squebb.ca>]

Hi Rafael

On Tue, Mar 24, 2026, at 4:08 PM, Rafael J. Wysocki wrote:
> From: "Rafael J. Wysocki" <rafael.j.wysocki@intel.com>
>
> There is no point in registering an ACPI driver that only has an empty
> .add() callback, which is done by the thinkpad_acpi driver, since
> after binding to an ACPI device it only sits there and does nothing.
>
> That binding only effectively causes the ACPI device's reference count
> to increase, but that can be achieved by using acpi_get_acpi_dev()
> instead of acpi_fetch_acpi_dev() in setup_acpi_notify(), and doing
> the corresponding cleanup in ibm_exit().
>
> Update the code accordingly and get rid of the non-functional ACPI
> driver.
>
> No intentional functional impact beyond altering sysfs content.

Just curious - where would I see changes?

>
> Signed-off-by: Rafael J. Wysocki <rafael.j.wysocki@intel.com>
> ---
>  drivers/platform/x86/lenovo/thinkpad_acpi.c | 62 ++-------------------
>  1 file changed, 4 insertions(+), 58 deletions(-)
>
> diff --git a/drivers/platform/x86/lenovo/thinkpad_acpi.c 
> b/drivers/platform/x86/lenovo/thinkpad_acpi.c
> index 8982d92dfd97..9e1614754cd7 100644
> --- a/drivers/platform/x86/lenovo/thinkpad_acpi.c
> +++ b/drivers/platform/x86/lenovo/thinkpad_acpi.c
> @@ -299,7 +299,6 @@ struct ibm_struct;
> 
>  struct tp_acpi_drv_struct {
>  	const struct acpi_device_id *hid;
> -	struct acpi_driver *driver;
> 
>  	void (*notify) (struct ibm_struct *, u32);
>  	acpi_handle *handle;
> @@ -322,7 +321,6 @@ struct ibm_struct {
>  	struct tp_acpi_drv_struct *acpi;
> 
>  	struct {
> -		u8 acpi_driver_registered:1;
>  		u8 acpi_notify_installed:1;
>  		u8 proc_created:1;
>  		u8 init_called:1;
> @@ -832,9 +830,9 @@ static int __init setup_acpi_notify(struct ibm_struct *ibm)
>  	vdbg_printk(TPACPI_DBG_INIT,
>  		"setting up ACPI notify for %s\n", ibm->name);
> 
> -	ibm->acpi->device = acpi_fetch_acpi_dev(*ibm->acpi->handle);
> +	ibm->acpi->device = acpi_get_acpi_dev(*ibm->acpi->handle);
>  	if (!ibm->acpi->device) {
> -		pr_err("acpi_fetch_acpi_dev(%s) failed\n", ibm->name);
> +		pr_err("acpi_get_acpi_dev(%s) failed\n", ibm->name);
>  		return -ENODEV;
>  	}
> 
> @@ -859,44 +857,6 @@ static int __init setup_acpi_notify(struct ibm_struct *ibm)
>  	return 0;
>  }
> 
> -static int __init tpacpi_device_add(struct acpi_device *device)
> -{
> -	return 0;
> -}
> -
> -static int __init register_tpacpi_subdriver(struct ibm_struct *ibm)
> -{
> -	int rc;
> -
> -	dbg_printk(TPACPI_DBG_INIT,
> -		"registering %s as an ACPI driver\n", ibm->name);
> -
> -	BUG_ON(!ibm->acpi);
> -
> -	ibm->acpi->driver = kzalloc_obj(struct acpi_driver);
> -	if (!ibm->acpi->driver) {
> -		pr_err("failed to allocate memory for ibm->acpi->driver\n");
> -		return -ENOMEM;
> -	}
> -
> -	sprintf(ibm->acpi->driver->name, "%s_%s", TPACPI_NAME, ibm->name);
> -	ibm->acpi->driver->ids = ibm->acpi->hid;
> -
> -	ibm->acpi->driver->ops.add = &tpacpi_device_add;
> -
> -	rc = acpi_bus_register_driver(ibm->acpi->driver);
> -	if (rc < 0) {
> -		pr_err("acpi_bus_register_driver(%s) failed: %d\n",
> -		       ibm->name, rc);
> -		kfree(ibm->acpi->driver);
> -		ibm->acpi->driver = NULL;
> -	} else if (!rc)
> -		ibm->flags.acpi_driver_registered = 1;
> -
> -	return rc;
> -}
> -
> -
>  /****************************************************************************
>   ****************************************************************************
>   *
> @@ -11532,6 +11492,8 @@ static void ibm_exit(struct ibm_struct *ibm)
>  		acpi_remove_notify_handler(*ibm->acpi->handle,
>  					   ibm->acpi->type,
>  					   dispatch_acpi_notify);
> +		ibm->acpi->device->driver_data = NULL;
> +		acpi_dev_put(ibm->acpi->device);
>  		ibm->flags.acpi_notify_installed = 0;
>  	}
> 
> @@ -11542,16 +11504,6 @@ static void ibm_exit(struct ibm_struct *ibm)
>  		ibm->flags.proc_created = 0;
>  	}
> 
> -	if (ibm->flags.acpi_driver_registered) {
> -		dbg_printk(TPACPI_DBG_EXIT,
> -			"%s: acpi_bus_unregister_driver\n", ibm->name);
> -		BUG_ON(!ibm->acpi);
> -		acpi_bus_unregister_driver(ibm->acpi->driver);
> -		kfree(ibm->acpi->driver);
> -		ibm->acpi->driver = NULL;
> -		ibm->flags.acpi_driver_registered = 0;
> -	}
> -
>  	if (ibm->flags.init_called && ibm->exit) {
>  		ibm->exit();
>  		ibm->flags.init_called = 0;
> @@ -11587,12 +11539,6 @@ static int __init ibm_init(struct 
> ibm_init_struct *iibm)
>  	}
> 
>  	if (ibm->acpi) {
> -		if (ibm->acpi->hid) {
> -			ret = register_tpacpi_subdriver(ibm);
> -			if (ret)
> -				goto err_out;
> -		}
> -
>  		if (ibm->acpi->notify) {
>  			ret = setup_acpi_notify(ibm);
>  			if (ret == -ENODEV) {
> -- 
> 2.51.0

Changes seem good to me (but not an expert).
I did try them out on a system (X1 Carbon 13) and didn't find any problems. Let me know if there's anything in particular I should look out for or check and happy to do that.

Tested-by: Mark Pearson <mpearson-lenovo@squebb.ca>
Reviewed-by: Mark Pearson <mpearson-lenovo@squebb.ca>

Mark