Return-Path: Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org via listexpand id S965354AbWH2UtH (ORCPT ); Tue, 29 Aug 2006 16:49:07 -0400 Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org id S965284AbWH2UtA (ORCPT ); Tue, 29 Aug 2006 16:49:00 -0400 Received: from warden-p.diginsite.com ([208.29.163.248]:30147 "HELO warden.diginsite.com") by vger.kernel.org with SMTP id S965329AbWH2Us7 (ORCPT ); Tue, 29 Aug 2006 16:48:59 -0400 Date: Tue, 29 Aug 2006 13:42:56 -0700 (PDT) From: David Lang X-X-Sender: dlang@dlang.diginsite.com To: Olaf Hering cc: Michael Buesch , Greg KH , Oleg Verych , James Bottomley , Sven Luther , debian-kernel@lists.debian.org, linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org Subject: Re: [PATCH] MODULE_FIRMWARE for binary firmware(s) In-Reply-To: <20060829201314.GA28680@aepfle.de> Message-ID: References: <1156802900.3465.30.camel@mulgrave.il.steeleye.com> <20060829183208.GA11468@kroah.com> <200608292104.24645.mb@bu3sch.de> <20060829201314.GA28680@aepfle.de> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII; format=flowed Sender: linux-kernel-owner@vger.kernel.org X-Mailing-List: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org Content-Length: 1916 Lines: 49 On Tue, 29 Aug 2006, Olaf Hering wrote: > On Tue, Aug 29, Michael Buesch wrote: > >> On Tuesday 29 August 2006 20:32, Greg KH wrote: >>> On Tue, Aug 29, 2006 at 08:46:45AM -0700, David Lang wrote: >>>> On Mon, 28 Aug 2006, Greg KH wrote: >>>> >>>>> I think the current way we handle firmware works quite well, especially >>>>> given the wide range of different devices that it works for (everything >>>>> from BIOS upgrades to different wireless driver stages). >>>> >>>> the current system works for many people yes, but not everyone. >>>> >>>> I'm still waiting to find a way to get the iw2200 working without having to >>>> use modules. >>> >>> Sounds like a bug you need to pester the iw2200 developers about then. >>> I don't think it has much to do with the firmware subsystem though :) >> >> Well, yes and no. >> The ipw needs the firmware on insmod time (in contrast to bcm43xx >> for example, which needs it on ifconfig up time). >> So ipw needs to call request_firmware at insmod time. In case of >> built-in, that is when the initcall happens. No userland is available >> and request_firmware can not call the userspace helpers to upload >> the firmware to sysfs. > > I dont use nor do I have access ipw hardware, but: > If it is an initcall, the initramfs should be usable at that time. > A creative CONFIG_INITRAMFS_SOURCE= will help, add the firmware and a > small helper that does the cat(1). > you are assuming that 1. modules are enabled and ipw2200 is compiled as a module 2. initrd or initramfs are in use besides, several kernel versions ago this used to work. the current requirement is a regression as far as the user is concerned. David Lang - To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe linux-kernel" in the body of a message to majordomo@vger.kernel.org More majordomo info at http://vger.kernel.org/majordomo-info.html Please read the FAQ at http://www.tux.org/lkml/