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Date: Tue, 27 Mar 2001 14:02:02 -0800 (PST)
From: Andre Hedrick <andre@linux-ide.org>
To: Linus Torvalds <torvalds@transmeta.com>
cc: Alan Cox <alan@lxorguk.ukuu.org.uk>, "H. Peter Anvin" <hpa@transmeta.com>,
        Andries.Brouwer@cwi.nl, linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org, tytso@MIT.EDU
Subject: Re: Larger dev_t
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On Tue, 27 Mar 2001, Linus Torvalds wrote:

> 
> 
> On Tue, 27 Mar 2001, Alan Cox wrote:
> >
> > > layer made it impossible for a driver writer to be nice to the user, so
> > > instead they got their own major numbers.
> >
> > Not deficiencies in the SCSI layer, there is no way the scsi layer can
> > handle high end raid controllers. In fact one of the reasons we can beat
> > NT with some of these controllers is because NT does exactly what you
> > suggest with scsi miniport driver hacks and it _sucks_. Its an ugly hack.
> 
> We could do this fairly _trivially_ today.
> 
> With absolutely no performance degradation.
> 
> With a simple "queue" mapping for the SCSI majors. Just look up which
> queue to use for requests to which major, and you're done. The actual
> IO may by-pass the SCSI layer altogether.
> 
> So I'm absolutely not advocating using the SCSI layer for the
> high-end-disks. Rather the reverse. I'm advocating the SCSI layer not
> hogging a major number, but letting low-level drivers get at _their_
> requests directly.

Am I hearing you state you want dynamic device points and dynamic majors?
Thus would be nice because the ridge structure now prevents a lot if
things from developing.

Andre Hedrick
Linux ATA Development
ASL Kernel Development
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