Re: [GIT *] Allow request_firmware() to be satisfied from in-kernel, use it in more drivers.

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From: Jeff Garzik
Date: Tuesday, July 15, 2008 - 12:21 am

Linus Torvalds wrote:

Oh come on, embedded systems use modules all the time, and surely you 
know that.  My router running OpenWRT says

	root@gw:~# ipkg list | grep -c kmod
	91

Therefore, simple kernel replacement can create a regression by doing

1) build 2.6.26 kernel, including all associated kernel module packages 
("kmod-*")
2) install new kernel and associated kmod packages
3) watch system work as expected
4) build 2.6.27 kernel, including all associated kernel module packages
5) install new kernel and associated kmod packages
6) watch system fail

Why fail?  The package file lists for kmod-* ipkg's are unaware of any 
firmware needs newly added in 2.6.27.

So the driver gets packaged, but ipkg build process is completely 
unaware of the additional firmware requirement until a manifest is 
updated.  The normal build process appears to succeed -- yet at next 
boot you see that it failed.

Similar breakage for driver disks.

Similar breakage for older versions of mainstream distros (won't get 
copied into initrd, with obvious results).



Does that mean you agree it's a regression?  :)  Sure, I'd be happy to 
help fix the damage.

I am still surprised this was merged at all in its state, and am a bit 
disappointed.  This one

* removed choice, by removing ability to build firmware into modules

* forced a flag day build process change upon all distros/builders who 
switch to >= 2.6.27.  no build script updates == non-working drivers.

* the legal subtext of these changes was not mentioned at all

Generally, we don't do that.  Generally, we give distros the ability to 
choose between old-way and new-way during a time of transition. 
Generally we make it easy for newer kernels to work on existing systems, 
maximizing the [test] audience.

	Jeff



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Messages in current thread:
Re: [GIT *] Allow request_firmware() to be satisfied from ..., Arjan van de Ven, (Mon Jul 14, 4:59 pm)
Re: [GIT *] Allow request_firmware() to be satisfied from ..., Arjan van de Ven, (Mon Jul 14, 9:56 pm)
Re: [GIT *] Allow request_firmware() to be satisfied from ..., Benjamin Herrenschmidt, (Mon Jul 14, 10:05 pm)
Re: [GIT *] Allow request_firmware() to be satisfied from ..., David Woodhouse, (Mon Jul 14, 10:09 pm)
Re: [GIT *] Allow request_firmware() to be satisfied from ..., Benjamin Herrenschmidt, (Mon Jul 14, 10:15 pm)
Re: [GIT *] Allow request_firmware() to be satisfied from ..., David Woodhouse, (Mon Jul 14, 10:30 pm)
Re: [GIT *] Allow request_firmware() to be satisfied from ..., David Woodhouse, (Mon Jul 14, 10:32 pm)
Re: [GIT *] Allow request_firmware() to be satisfied from ..., David Woodhouse, (Mon Jul 14, 11:03 pm)
Re: [GIT *] Allow request_firmware() to be satisfied , Oliver Neukum, (Mon Jul 14, 11:23 pm)
Re: [GIT *] Allow request_firmware() to be satisfied from ..., Jeff Garzik, (Tue Jul 15, 12:21 am)
Re: [GIT *] Allow request_firmware() to be satisfied from ..., David Woodhouse, (Tue Jul 15, 12:36 am)
Re: [GIT *] Allow request_firmware() to be satisfied from ..., Arjan van de Ven, (Tue Jul 15, 9:04 am)
Re: [GIT *] Allow request_firmware() to be satisfied , Oliver Neukum, (Tue Jul 15, 9:52 am)
Re: [GIT *] Allow request_firmware() to be satisfied from ..., Arjan van de Ven, (Tue Jul 15, 10:33 am)
Re: [GIT *] Allow request_firmware() to be satisfied from ..., David Woodhouse, (Tue Jul 15, 10:36 am)
Re: [GIT *] Allow request_firmware() to be satisfied from ..., David Woodhouse, (Tue Jul 15, 10:44 am)
Re: [GIT *] Allow request_firmware() to be satisfied from ..., Henrique de Moraes H ..., (Tue Jul 15, 11:05 am)
Re: [GIT *] Allow request_firmware() to be satisfied from ..., David Woodhouse, (Tue Jul 15, 11:09 am)
Re: [GIT *] Allow request_firmware() to be satisfied from ..., David Woodhouse, (Tue Jul 15, 11:20 am)
Re: [GIT *] Allow request_firmware() to be satisfied from ..., David Woodhouse, (Tue Jul 15, 11:30 am)
Re: [GIT *] Allow request_firmware() to be satisfied from ..., David Woodhouse, (Tue Jul 15, 12:07 pm)
Re: [GIT *] Allow request_firmware() to be satisfied from ..., Marcel Holtmann, (Tue Jul 15, 12:20 pm)
Re: [GIT *] Allow request_firmware() to be satisfied from ..., Marcel Holtmann, (Tue Jul 15, 12:22 pm)
Re: [GIT *] Allow request_firmware() to be satisfied from ..., Marcel Holtmann, (Tue Jul 15, 12:26 pm)
Re: [GIT *] Allow request_firmware() to be satisfied from ..., David Woodhouse, (Tue Jul 15, 12:27 pm)
Re: [GIT *] Allow request_firmware() to be satisfied from ..., Peter T. Breuer, (Tue Jul 15, 12:29 pm)
Re: [GIT *] Allow request_firmware() to be satisfied from ..., Marcel Holtmann, (Tue Jul 15, 12:31 pm)
Re: [GIT *] Allow request_firmware() to be satisfied from ..., David Woodhouse, (Tue Jul 15, 12:36 pm)
Re: [GIT *] Allow request_firmware() to be satisfied from ..., Marcel Holtmann, (Tue Jul 15, 12:39 pm)
Re: [GIT *] Allow request_firmware() to be satisfied from ..., Marcel Holtmann, (Tue Jul 15, 12:44 pm)
Re: [GIT *] Allow request_firmware() to be satisfied from ..., Marcel Holtmann, (Tue Jul 15, 12:54 pm)
Re: [GIT *] Allow request_firmware() to be satisfied from ..., David Woodhouse, (Tue Jul 15, 12:57 pm)
Re: [GIT *] Allow request_firmware() to be satisfied from ..., Rafael J. Wysocki, (Tue Jul 15, 1:45 pm)
Re: [GIT *] Allow request_firmware() to be satisfied from ..., Rafael J. Wysocki, (Tue Jul 15, 4:45 pm)
Re: [GIT *] Allow request_firmware() to be satisfied from ..., Sven-Haegar Koch, (Tue Jul 15, 5:55 pm)
Prosaic firmware issues, Alexey Dobriyan, (Tue Jul 15, 6:11 pm)
Re: Prosaic firmware issues, Linus Torvalds, (Tue Jul 15, 6:45 pm)
Re: Prosaic firmware issues, David Woodhouse, (Tue Jul 15, 10:54 pm)
Re: [GIT *] Allow request_firmware() to be satisfied from ..., David Woodhouse, (Wed Jul 16, 12:01 am)
Re: Prosaic firmware issues, Alexey Dobriyan, (Wed Jul 16, 7:19 am)
Re: [GIT *] Allow request_firmware() to be satisfied from ..., Rafael J. Wysocki, (Wed Jul 16, 2:28 pm)
Re: [GIT *] Allow request_firmware() to be satisfied from ..., Rafael J. Wysocki, (Thu Jul 17, 1:42 pm)
Re: [GIT *] Allow request_firmware() to be satisfied from ..., Rafael J. Wysocki, (Thu Jul 17, 3:25 pm)