I'd appreciate if the kernel developers would reply on this one. Please reply to: 394344@bugs.debian.org, "Jacob L. Anawalt" <jacob@cachevalley.com> TIA, FJP ---------- Forwarded Message ---------- Subject: Bug#394344: another Marvell Technology 11ab:6101 PATA Controller (support all-generic-ide) Date: Saturday 03 February 2007 17:49 From: "Jacob L. Anawalt" <jacob@cachevalley.com> To: Geert Stappers <stappers@stappers.nl> Cc: 394344@bugs.debian.org Geert Stappers wrote: >Op 31-01-2007 om 16:27 schreef Jacob L. Anawalt: >>I have been using it and it works well enough for my needs >> post-install. It looks like drivers/ata/pata_marvell.c is in >> 2.6.20-rc7. >> >><snip/> I mean that I have been using pata_marvell.c in linux-2.6.19-rc1-mm1 in the system I first tested with in October 2006. The pata_marvell.c driver has been working for me, so I didn't need to wait for Marvell to do the honours. Actually, I didn't even need to wait for that driver if I used a kernel with ide built in so that the kernel option all-generic-ide actually did something for this chipset, like the one in Knoppix. Running the device in generic mode is fine for installing from a CD-ROM. >What follows is from the type of > "I don't understand the remark, but I think this helps" > >>I looked at the source for linux-2.6-2.6.18.dfsg.1. I will try it when >>it is released, but there seems to be no driver to claim the Marvell >> 6101. > >The file /lib/modules/$(uname -r)/modules.pcimap should contain an entry >that for PCI-ID 11ab:6101 the module pata_marvell should be claimed. Do you mean "If the file /lib/modules/$(uname -r)/modules.pcimap contains an entry for PCI-ID 11ab:6101 because pata_marvell.c is compiled for that kernel and had a MODULE_DEVICE_TABLE(pci entry for modutils to find, the module pata_marvell should be claimed"? If so, then yes, I understand that. If that is not what you mean, then please explain how pata_marvell will be in linux-2.6-2.6.18.dfsg.1's modules.pcimap when pata_marvell.c is not included in the source. You said that when my hardware has an unknown PCI IDE controller the wrong or no module will be loaded. I have shown that this is what is happening to me. You also said that you seriously doubt that an IDE controller driver _only can work_ in a _monolithic kernel_. Then you have said that you leave the honour to Marvell Technology Group. Do you mean "if your hardware won't work as a module, it won't work in the debian-installer because we will not support all-generic-ide as long as it requires that ide is built-in" or are you saying "you are up in the night about all-generic-ide being able to work without an entry in modules.pcimap?" I don't understand why ide/pci/generic.c only enables all-generic-ide when not built as a module, but it's been that way for the last few 2.6 kernels at least. What I do know is that I could have installed from the amd64 debian-installer using an IDE CD-ROM drive on the Marvell PATA interface in October of 2006 when I first got the Intel DG965RY main board if I could have gotten the installer to support the device in generic mode. I consider lack of generic ide support a bug in the way Debian x86/amd64 kernels are built, or, if everything must be modular, a bug due to the lack of a patch enabling generic ide support when CONFIG_BLK_DEV_IDE is built as a module. This is not just "another Marvell Technology 11ab:6101 PATA Controller" issue. The issue is the lack of having the option to fall back to generic support for an ide device without recompiling the kernel when a more specialized driver is not available. -- Jacob -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-boot-REQUEST@lists.debian.org with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact listmaster@lists.debian.org -------------------------------------------------------
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