Messages in this thread | | | Date | Fri, 14 Aug 1998 08:38:09 -0400 | From | Mark Lord <> | Subject | Re: [semi-offtopic] Linux 2.2 Changes ('really final' version) |
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>As far as Linux IDE is concerned, not much obvious has changed for Linux >2.2. The most obvious change is that it is now possible to load and unload
Not to be too nit-picky, but the IDE team has happily hidden several other new features that involved a heck of a lot more work than modules:
IDE tape and floppy (eg. ZIP & LS-120) support was originally developed in 2.1.xx, though some of this has now already been back-ported to the recent 2.03[45] releases as an interim measure.
An IDE tape device can operate in the background on the same IDE interface as an IDE disk, *at the same*, without little or no performance degradation.
/proc/ide provides a wide range of configuration/tuning services to user-level programs (eg. chipset timing tweakers etc..).
>the IDE subsystem as a module, just like SCSI. (This also has the added >bonus of allowing one to use a PnP-based IDE controller.) For less >bleeding-edge machines, the updated IDE driver now supports older MFM and >RLL disks and controllers without having to load an older version of the >PCI-based IDE cards automatically, including the activation of DMA >bus-mastering to reduce CPU overhead and improve performance. And finally,
Even more important: *detection* and activation of all complian PCI-IDE devices, including the Promise Ultra33 & FastTrak boards. Also, UDMA detection/support has been added, including auto-retry on CRC failure.
Support added for up to six IDE interfaces (up to twelve drives).
The IDE driver is fully MP/MT safe, ready for high-performance SMP and RAID applications.
>more drivers have been developed for controllers that are buggy or simply >different. It's amazing how even excellent things can continue to get >better.
Much of the above work was done by Gadi Oxman, who joined (and practically was) the IDE team for 2.1.xx. -- mlord@pobox.com
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