Re: Splitting e1000 (Was: Re: e1000: backport ich9 support from 7.5.5 ?)

[Jeff Garzik <jeff@garzik.org>]

Andrew Grover wrote:
> On 7/8/07, Jeff Garzik <jeff@garzik.org> wrote:
>> * e1000 gets feedback
>> * Intel disappears for months
>> * Intel reappears with e1000 rewrite
> 
> * you ask them for another complete (simpler) rewrite
> 
>> * Intel fights tooth and nail when the driver is not accepted verboten
> 
> I don't think it must be as-is (i.e. replacing e1000 for all HW) but
> don't throw away all the work they've done in architecting the driver
> to cleanly handle multiple chip generations.
> 
> How about:
> 
> 1) Considering e1000new's current design, but for ICH9 only
> 2) test test test
> 3) Sometime in the future, considering incrementally moving previous
> PCIe generations' support from e1000 to e1000new (like I initially
> wanted, since that at least means there would be some technical reason
> for where the split occurs :-)

That plan would be fine...  as long as the e1000new driver internals 
were restructured as I've been describing.

If one arrives at a driver containing an internal API that is flexible 
enough to implement support for almost -any- NIC, then that's a sign 
that it needs to be organized in a different fashion.

	Jeff




-------------------------------------------------------------------------
This SF.net email is sponsored by DB2 Express
Download DB2 Express C - the FREE version of DB2 express and take
control of your XML. No limits. Just data. Click to get it now.
http://sourceforge.net/powerbar/db2/