2004-03-03 21:55:08

by walt

[permalink] [raw]
Subject: udev versus parallel-port Zip drive

I've been fiddling with Zip-drive support -- both USB and
parallel-port.

When I compile everything as modules I find that the
parallel-port driver for Zip drives (ppa) does not load
automatically. To make the parallel Zip drive work I
need to do a 'modprobe ppa' manually, after which everything
works as expected.

I can only imagine the complexity involved in figuring out
what is attached to the parallel port at boot-time -- there
must be thousands of possibilities to sort through.

My question, I suppose, is: what are the chances that a
parallel-port device can be automatically detected by udev
and the appropriate module loaded? Is this a pipe-dream?
Or maybe it should already work and I'm just omitting some
important steps?

Any thoughts or suggestions?



2004-03-03 22:02:04

by Greg KH

[permalink] [raw]
Subject: Re: udev versus parallel-port Zip drive

On Wed, Mar 03, 2004 at 01:55:44PM -0800, walt wrote:
> I've been fiddling with Zip-drive support -- both USB and
> parallel-port.
>
> When I compile everything as modules I find that the
> parallel-port driver for Zip drives (ppa) does not load
> automatically. To make the parallel Zip drive work I
> need to do a 'modprobe ppa' manually, after which everything
> works as expected.
>
> I can only imagine the complexity involved in figuring out
> what is attached to the parallel port at boot-time -- there
> must be thousands of possibilities to sort through.
>
> My question, I suppose, is: what are the chances that a
> parallel-port device can be automatically detected by udev
> and the appropriate module loaded? Is this a pipe-dream?
> Or maybe it should already work and I'm just omitting some
> important steps?


udev does no device discovery. Please, please, please, please remember
this.

udev has nothing to do with this issue.

Here's a little sign to print out for the next time someone tries to
bring this issue up:

**********************************
* udev does no device discovery! *
**********************************

thanks,

greg k-h

2004-03-03 22:07:03

by Al Viro

[permalink] [raw]
Subject: Re: udev versus parallel-port Zip drive

On Wed, Mar 03, 2004 at 01:55:44PM -0800, walt wrote:

> My question, I suppose, is: what are the chances that a
> parallel-port device can be automatically detected

0

2004-03-04 00:36:01

by walt

[permalink] [raw]
Subject: Re: udev versus parallel-port Zip drive

Greg KH wrote:
> On Wed, Mar 03, 2004 at 01:55:44PM -0800, walt wrote:
>
>> the parallel-port driver for Zip drives (ppa) does not load
>>automatically...

> Here's a little sign to print out for the next time someone tries to
> bring this issue up:
>
> **********************************
> * udev does no device discovery! *
> **********************************

Okayokayokay! I admit it was a dumb question. Now that you point it
out to me with a two-by-four-to-the-forehead I see that udev is a user-
space thing, and devices are a kernel-space thing -- so it was a dumb
question. Guilty as charged :-(

Innovators are always frustrated with dumb questions from people who
Don't Understand The Problem. Users are frustrated with innovators
who don't understand the dumb users. C'est la vie! Both groups pay
the price for.......whatever it is we pay the price for...

Every dumb question can teach you something about being an innovator.
(The proof is left as an exercise for the reader...)



2004-03-04 17:06:57

by Martin Schlemmer

[permalink] [raw]
Subject: Re: udev versus parallel-port Zip drive

On Wed, 2004-03-03 at 23:55, walt wrote:
> I've been fiddling with Zip-drive support -- both USB and
> parallel-port.
>
> When I compile everything as modules I find that the
> parallel-port driver for Zip drives (ppa) does not load
> automatically. To make the parallel Zip drive work I
> need to do a 'modprobe ppa' manually, after which everything
> works as expected.
>
> I can only imagine the complexity involved in figuring out
> what is attached to the parallel port at boot-time -- there
> must be thousands of possibilities to sort through.
>
> My question, I suppose, is: what are the chances that a
> parallel-port device can be automatically detected by udev
> and the appropriate module loaded? Is this a pipe-dream?
> Or maybe it should already work and I'm just omitting some
> important steps?
>

You can have a look at sys-apps/discover or sys-apps/kudzu
for this.


Regards,

--

Martin Schlemmer




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