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Re: Switching kernel drivers to userland microcode loading, and 'contrib'



On Sat, 10 Apr 2004, Nathanael Nerode wrote:
> So I started looking into switching various kernel drivers to userland
> firmware loading.  In many cases, it seems straightforward, apart from one
> issue: what if the firmware loading fails?

IMHO:

Add an "unavailable" state for every device, and start in it. If the
firmware upload happens without problems, set it to available. On failure,
reset the device and let it remain unavailable (if it can recover from a
failed firmware upload) or lock it unavailable forever (if it can't recover).

Chances are that if a firmware is being distributed inside the kernel
drivers, anyone with a device that has older firmware is better off with the
device unavailable.  Who knows what bugs the firmware update fixed, and what
kind of damage running the kernel driver with older firmware could cause?

So, IMHO, all firmware-upload-on-device-powerup devices are contrib/
material.

-- 
  "One disk to rule them all, One disk to find them. One disk to bring
  them all and in the darkness grind them. In the Land of Redmond
  where the shadows lie." -- The Silicon Valley Tarot
  Henrique Holschuh



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