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SubjectRe: Today Linus redesigns the networking driver interface (was Re: tulip driver in ...)
Richard Gooch wrote:

> > As I wrote to someone else, most device drivers are multi-kernel drivers.
> > In that scenario, it doesn't help to change things. It doesn't solve the
> > 2.0.35 IRQ conflicts when this type of thing happens.
>
> On the other hand, if 2.0.x is fundamentally broken in this regard,
> then with 2.1.x (or at least) 2.3.x we don't want to chain ourselves
> to a broken interface.

No, I fully agree with you that we shouldn't chain ourselves to something, I
was just pointing out that there is an actual reason to argue over the
correct usage of SA_INTERRUPT in 2.0.x since many of us are still
maintaining drivers there. My original arguments were basically that I
don't think SA_INTERRUPT really buys a SCSI driver anything so I personally
thought Gerard should take it out of his driver since doing so would solve
other problems. However, if the ncr cards can generate as many as 10,500
interrupts per second, maybe his driver does need the SA_INTERRUPT flag :)

> We may be faced with the necessity of having an
> incompatible interface. FS code has had to live with a changing API, I
> don't see why SCSI or network drivers should be treated differently.

We haven't been :) After all, we have the new_eh code in there :)

> > I think this is the path Linus is headed down in 2.1 already. It just isn't
> > all the way there yet.
>
> Really? Looking at kernel/softirq.c I don't see that. Where should I
> cast my gaze?

Sorry, I should clarify that. The code is headed in the direction of
SA_INTERRUPT being meaningless. Not that something else has been put in
place to replace it. It no longer does a lot of the things it used to do.

--

Doug Ledford <dledford@dialnet.net>
Opinions expressed are my own, but
they should be everybody's.

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