Hi Jeff,

This patch modifies gzip unpacking code in bnx2 driver so that
it does not depend on bnx2 internals. I will move this code
out of the driver and into zlib in follow-on patch.

It can be useful in other drivers which need to store firmwares
or any other relatively big binary blobs - fonts, cursor bitmaps,
whatever.

Patch is run tested by Michael Chan (driver author).

Michael, can you add your ACK?

Signed-off-by: Denys Vlasenko <vda.linux@googlemail.com>
--
vda
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No, I won't. I accidentally attached both patches to first email,
you can find it there. Sorry.
--
vda
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From: Denys Vlasenko <vda.linux@googlemail.com>

BNX2 and TG3 patches goes through Michael Chan and myself,
and I usually merge them in instead of Jeff.
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Didn't know that, sorry.

Do patches look ok to you?
--
vda
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From: Denys Vlasenko <vda.linux@googlemail.com>

I'm travelling so I haven't looked closely yet :-)

Michael can take a look and I'll try to do so as well
tonight.
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Good.

I plan to use gzip compression on following drivers' firmware,
if patches will be accepted:

   text    data     bss     dec     hex filename
  17653  109968     240  127861   1f375 drivers/net/acenic.o
   6628  120448       4  127080   1f068 drivers/net/dgrs.o
         ^^^^^^

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vda
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Should this be redone to use the existing firmware loading framework to
load the firmware instead?
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Not in every case.

For example, bnx2 maintainer says that driver and
firmware are closely tied for his driver. IOW: you upgrade kernel
and your NIC is not working anymore.

Another argument is to make kernel be able to bring up NICs
without needing firmware images in initramfs/initrd/hard drive.
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vda
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OK, I can live with "considered and decided against". :)
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Firmware may come with a kernel. We have a "install modules", we can also=
=20

It is not possible to bring up things like FC or WiFi without firmware,=20
what special is in classic NICs?

Best regards,

 =09=09=09=09Krzysztof Ol=EAdzki
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Nothing.

It is just not (yet?) decreed from The Very Top that all and every
firmware image should be loaded using request_firmware().

Also people may want to gzip something else than firmware.
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vda
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Special cases already fail when using distro-linked targets like "make 
install."

	Jeff



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dgrs should be using the request_firmware interface. Actually dgrs is
probably a good candidate for /dev/null

Alan
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According to an earlier thread, dgrs was never really maintained, 
written for hardware that was never really distributed widely, and very 
likely hasn't had users in years... if ever.

If that picture is accurate (it's a story I was told), then I am 
definitely queueing up a deletion patch.

	Jeff



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I think thats sensible. If someone whines it can be put back but I really
don't think anyone will
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nobody did yet, please yell if you need a rebased patch.

-- 
maks
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Just change the makefiles to always install gzip'ed modules
modutils knows how to unzip them on the fly.

That will catch all the firmware and all the other code too.

-Andi
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> Just change the makefiles to always install gzip'ed modules
 > modutils knows how to unzip them on the fly.

But that leaves the uncompressed firmware blobs in .data that ends up
in unswappable kernel memory.

 - R.
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But I compile net/* into bzImage. I like netbooting :)
--
vda
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Isn't it possible to netboot with an initramfs image?  I am pretty sure
I have seen some systems do exactly that.

--
Len Sorensen
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Yeah, I've got Debian boxes that have never *not* netbooted (one Dell  
Op^?^?Craptiplex box whose BIOS and ACPI sucks so bad it can't even  
load GRUB/LILO, although Windows somehow works fine).  So they boot  
PXELinux using the PXE boot ROM on the NICs and it loads both a  
kernel and an initramfs into memory.  Kernel is stock Debian and  
hardly has enough built-in to spit at you, let alone find network/ 
disks, but it manages to load everything it needs off the  
automagically-generated initramfs.

Cheers,
Kyle Moffett

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I've already reviewed the earlier versions of the patch and have made
some suggestions.  This latest one looks ok to me and tested ok.

I'll follow up later with another patch to remove all the zeros in other
firmware sections, and to remove the gzip headers completely.

Acked-by: Michael Chan <mchan@broadcom.com>

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From: "Michael Chan" <mchan@broadcom.com>

I've added these patches to net-2.6.24, thanks.
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