On Thu, 2008-11-13 at 09:31 -0800, Greg KH wrote: 
> On Thu, Nov 13, 2008 at 03:49:50PM +1100, Michael Ellerman wrote:
> > Currently it's not easy to share file_operations between multiple
> > instances of a miscdevice. In order to do this, the device code needs to
> > store a list of all it's miscdevice instances, and when fops->open() is
> > called, search the list and find the right device based on the minor
> > number.
> > 
> > However the generic miscdevice code already has a list of miscdevices,
> > and uses this to find the right device in misc_open(). If misc_open()
> > would store the miscdevice it found in file->private_data, then the
> > device code wouldn't need to worry about storing it's own separate list
> > and searching that as well.
> > 
> > The rest of the miscdevice code does not use file->private_data, so the
> > device code is still free to use file->private_data for something else
> > if it wants to.
> > 
> > Signed-off-by: Michael Ellerman <michael@ellerman.id.au>
> 
> Do you have a follow-on patch for some misc device using code that would
> take advantage of this change?

Ah, good point. I do, but not for upstream :/

cheers

-- 
Michael Ellerman
OzLabs, IBM Australia Development Lab

wwweb: http://michael.ellerman.id.au
phone: +61 2 6212 1183 (tie line 70 21183)

We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors,
we borrow it from our children. - S.M.A.R.T Person