Re: [PATCH] Fix the bcm43xx driver breakage in 2.6.24/25.

[Larry Finger <larry.finger@lwfinger.net>]

Alexey Zaytsev wrote:
> 
> [resent with lkml added to cc, sorry]
> 
> Hello, gentlemen.
> 
> Theese two patches fix a problem instroduced in Linux 2.6.24, and
> still present in the current Linus' 2.6.25 tree.
> 
> The bcm43xx Wifi driver won't work any more, if the b44 Ethernet
> driver is enabled. This happens because the b44 driver
> needlessly enables the b43_pci_bridge code, which claims
> the same pci ids as the bcm43xx driver. The b43_pci_bridge
> code is needed for the b43{legacy} drivers, but for the
> b44, only the "ssb pci core" is needed.
> 
> The first patch separates the ssb b43 pci bridge and the ssb pci
> core config options and enables only the needed ones.
> 
> A similar patch was once sent to Michael Buesch, but he rejected
> it, fearing that changing the config autoselects cold introduce
> some unexpected bugs.
> If you are intrested, a rather emotional thread may be found
> e.g. here:
> http://thread.gmane.org/gmane.linux.kernel/644266
> 
> That said, I believe the patch may introduce no more bugs,
> but fixes a critical regression, which left some users
> without a working wifi driver on the 2.6.24 kernel.
> 
> If you doubt its correctness, I may write a longer description
> on the changes introduced, but I hope they should be obvoius.
> 
> This patch is againts the current Linus' tree. I'd like it
> to be added to both 2.6.25 and the 2.6.24-stable trees.
> 
> The second patch disables the bcm43xx driver if it can't
> work due to the b43/b43legacy drivers inclusion, so no
> users should be confused.

I have reviewed the above patches and tested them with what I believe to be most combinations. 
Everything worked and corrected the unintended consequence of breaking bcm43xx when b44 is included. 
I agree that these patches belong in 2.6.25 and stable (2.6.24). Of course, the problem goes away in 
2.6.26.

ACKED-by: Larry.Finger@lwfinger.net

Larry