class_create函数源码分析

        宏class_create()用于动态创建设备的逻辑类，并完成部分字段的初始化，然后将其添加进Linux内核系统中。此函数的执行效果就是在/sys/class/目录下创建一个新的文件夹，此文件夹的名字为此函数的第二个输入参数，但此文件夹是空的。宏class_create()在实现时，调用了函数__class_create()。

/**
 * class_create - create a struct class structure
 * @owner: pointer to the module that is to "own" this struct class
 * @name: pointer to a string for the name of this class.
 *
 * This is used to create a struct class pointer that can then be used
 * in calls to device_create().
 *
 * Returns &struct class pointer on success, or ERR_PTR() on error.
 *
 * Note, the pointer created here is to be destroyed when finished by
 * making a call to class_destroy().
 */
#define class_create(owner, name)		\
({						\
	static struct lock_class_key __key;	\
	__class_create(owner, name, &__key);	\
})

        owner：一个struct module结构体类型的指针，指向函数__class_create()即将创建的、“拥有”这个struct class的模块。一般赋值为THIS_MODULE，此结构体的详细定义见文件include/linux/module.h。
        name：char类型的指针，代表即将创建的struct class变量的名字，用于给struct class的name字段赋值。通俗地说，就是指向struct class名称的字符串的指针。

        __class_create（）具体实现如下：

/**
 * __class_create - create a struct class structure
 * @owner: pointer to the module that is to "own" this struct class
 * @name: pointer to a string for the name of this class.
 * @key: the lock_class_key for this class; used by mutex lock debugging
 *
 * This is used to create a struct class pointer that can then be used
 * in calls to device_create().
 *
 * Returns &struct class pointer on success, or ERR_PTR() on error.
 *
 * Note, the pointer created here is to be destroyed when finished by
 * making a call to class_destroy().
 */
struct class *__class_create(struct module *owner, const char *name,
			     struct lock_class_key *key)
{
	struct class *cls;
	int retval;

	cls = kzalloc(sizeof(*cls), GFP_KERNEL);
	if (!cls) {
		retval = -ENOMEM;
		goto error;
	}

	cls->name = name;
	cls->owner = owner;
	cls->class_release = class_create_release;

	retval = __class_register(cls, key);
	if (retval)
		goto error;

	return cls;

error:
	kfree(cls);
	return ERR_PTR(retval);
}
EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL(__class_create);

        分析源码可知__class_create（）调用了__class_register()函数，它的具体实现如下：

int __class_register(struct class *cls, struct lock_class_key *key)
{
	struct subsys_private *cp;
	int error;

	pr_debug("device class '%s': registering\n", cls->name);

	cp = kzalloc(sizeof(*cp), GFP_KERNEL);
	if (!cp)
		return -ENOMEM;
	klist_init(&cp->klist_devices, klist_class_dev_get, klist_class_dev_put);
	INIT_LIST_HEAD(&cp->interfaces);
	kset_init(&cp->glue_dirs);
	__mutex_init(&cp->mutex, "subsys mutex", key);
	error = kobject_set_name(&cp->subsys.kobj, "%s", cls->name);
	if (error) {
		kfree(cp);
		return error;
	}

	/* set the default /sys/dev directory for devices of this class */
	if (!cls->dev_kobj)
		cls->dev_kobj = sysfs_dev_char_kobj;

#if defined(CONFIG_BLOCK)
	/* let the block class directory show up in the root of sysfs */
	if (!sysfs_deprecated || cls != &block_class)
		cp->subsys.kobj.kset = class_kset;
#else
	cp->subsys.kobj.kset = class_kset;
#endif
	cp->subsys.kobj.ktype = &class_ktype;
	cp->class = cls;
	cls->p = cp;

	error = kset_register(&cp->subsys);
	if (error) {
		kfree(cp);
		return error;
	}
	error = class_add_groups(class_get(cls), cls->class_groups);
	class_put(cls);
	return error;
}
EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL(__class_register);

注意：

        1、class_create宏需要与函数class_destroy()配对使用，不能单独使用。当单独使用时，第一次不会出现错误，但当第二次插入模块时就会出现错误。

        2、class_create创建一个逻辑类后，还需在这个类下面创建设备，不然的话这个类没什么用。