Writing device drivers

Writing device drivers

[shampavman]

Hi all,

I've followed up LDD3 and started off with writing device drivers . As 
usual i've started with char drivers given in that book and also started 
to make minor modifications to learn it better and so on.

Now i would like to know how to take it forward and start writing 
drivers for a profession.
I know its too early to call myself a guy writing device drivers but how 
do i take if forward from here so that i can become one.

Is the only solution to pick up a device which does not work on linux 
and get it working? Are there any other ways as well?


Shampavman

Writing device drivers

[Victor Rodriguez]

On Wed, Jun 12, 2013 at 8:11 AM, shampavman <shampavman.cg@gmail.com> wrote:
Hi all,

I've followed up LDD3 and started off with writing device drivers . As
usual i've started with char drivers given in that book and also started
to make minor modifications to learn it better and so on.

Now i would like to know how to take it forward and start writing
drivers for a profession.
I know its too early to call myself a guy writing device drivers but how
do i take if forward from here so that i can become one.

Is the only solution to pick up a device which does not work on linux
and get it working? Are there any other ways as well?


Shampavman

_______________________________________________
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Kernelnewbies at kernelnewbies.org
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Hi Shampavman

There are many ways to became a Linux Device Driver Developer.

-> New Embedded platforms ; There are many platforms with none official
Linux kernels ( came to my mind some with HDMI like DN2800MT)
-> Fix and test the current development kernel. Check on Bugzilla the
thousands of bugs that haven't been fixed ( waiting for you )

Hope it helps

Regards

Victor Rodriguez
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Writing device drivers

[shampavman]

On 06/12/2013 07:06 PM, Victor Rodriguez wrote:
>
>
>
> On Wed, Jun 12, 2013 at 8:11 AM, shampavman <shampavman.cg@gmail.com 
> <mailto:shampavman.cg@gmail.com>> wrote:
> Hi all,
>
> I've followed up LDD3 and started off with writing device drivers . As
> usual i've started with char drivers given in that book and also started
> to make minor modifications to learn it better and so on.
>
> Now i would like to know how to take it forward and start writing
> drivers for a profession.
> I know its too early to call myself a guy writing device drivers but how
> do i take if forward from here so that i can become one.
>
> Is the only solution to pick up a device which does not work on linux
> and get it working? Are there any other ways as well?
>
>
> Shampavman
>
> _______________________________________________
> Kernelnewbies mailing list
> Kernelnewbies at kernelnewbies.org <mailto:Kernelnewbies@kernelnewbies.org>
> http://lists.kernelnewbies.org/mailman/listinfo/kernelnewbies
>
>
> Hi Shampavman
>
> There are many ways to became a Linux Device Driver Developer.
>
> -> New Embedded platforms ; There are many platforms with none 
> official Linux kernels ( came to my mind some with HDMI like DN2800MT)
I had to state my other problem here. Without actual hardware to work on 
its not possible to do much right.
In such a scenario what can i do?
> -> Fix and test the current development kernel. Check on Bugzilla the 
> thousands of bugs that haven't been fixed ( waiting for you )
>
here again the same thing, Unless I have the right hardware i dont know 
what the heck works and what doesn't . Or is there another way to work 
around this limitation?
> Hope it helps
>
> Regards
>
> Victor Rodriguez
>

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Writing device drivers

[Jonathan Paugh]

On 06/12/2013 09:41 AM, shampavman wrote:
>> Now i would like to know how to take it forward and start writing
>> drivers for a profession.
<snip>
> here again the same thing, Unless I have the right hardware i dont know
> what the heck works and what doesn't . Or is there another way to work
> around this limitation?

Why not look for a problem with an existing device driver you *can*
test? I can think of several annoying bugs that my laptop has had at
different times. Even if you can't make contributions right away, just
looking at the code of an interesting driver can help your skill &
understanding. Probably more so than trying to write one from scratch,
because you get the benefit of others' experience.

Regards,
Jonathan Paugh

Writing Device Drivers

[Nawn Given]

I recently read some post-commentary on very old Linux mailing list
messages (announcement to 0.96.)

I'm interested in how someone writes a driver for their hardware. What
is the process (or if it's become harder to explain since the early
90s, what was the process back then) for Linux?

Re: Writing Device Drivers

[Andi Kleen]

Nawn Given <wood.quinn.s@gmail.com> writes:

> I recently read some post-commentary on very old Linux mailing list
> messages (announcement to 0.96.)
>
> I'm interested in how someone writes a driver for their hardware. What
> is the process (or if it's become harder to explain since the early
> 90s, what was the process back then) for Linux?

1. Open editor
2. Type code
3. Test code
4. Repeat until code works.

No substantial change since 0.96 as far as I know.

-Andi

-- 
ak@linux.intel.com -- Speaking for myself only

Re: writing device drivers

[RaúlNúñez de Arenas Coronado]

[-- Warning: decoded text below may be mangled, UTF-8 assumed --]
[-- Attachment #1: Type: text/plain, Size: 334 bytes --]

    Hello Eliezer :)

>where can I find a good paper , or something good that could teach
>me how to write device drivers ??

    Undoubtly, IMHO, the book from Rubini and Corbet, 'Linux Device
Drivers' (O'Reilly). Is available freely online, but it really worths
the price and I encourage you to buy it. A very good job ;)

    Raúl

Re: Concerning a driver rewrite (NOT THE KERNEL)

[victor1 torres]

To clarify something I am not the WINMODEM Manufacture that would be Intel. 
Ian and I from linmodems.org have been working on building a AC97 Modem 
driver.


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writing device drivers

[Eliezer dos Santos Magalhães]

Hello all ,
where can I find a good paper , or something good that could teach me how to
write device drivers ?? I really would like to know , mainly network device
drivers , for example , how could I re-write the rtl8139 driver ?
Please , if someone can help me ...
Tankx ...

Re: writing device drivers

[Arnaldo Carvalho de Melo]

Em Wed, Dec 26, 2001 at 05:42:16PM -0200, Eliezer dos Santos Magalhães escreveu:
> where can I find a good paper , or something good that could teach me how to
> write device drivers ?? I really would like to know , mainly network device
> drivers , for example , how could I re-write the rtl8139 driver ?

http://www.xml.com/ldd/chapter/book/index.html

More specifically:

Chapter 14: Network Drivers
http://www.xml.com/ldd/chapter/book/ch14.html

- Arnaldo

Re: writing device drivers

[Robert Szentmihalyi]

On Wednesday, 26. December 2001 20:42, Eliezer dos Santos Magalhães 
wrote:
> Hello all ,
> where can I find a good paper , or something good that could
> teach me how to write device drivers ?? I really would like to
> know , mainly network device drivers , for example , how could I
> re-write the rtl8139 driver ? Please , if someone can help me ...
> Tankx ...

One of the best books on this topic is "Linux Device Drivers" by 
Alessandro Rubini & Jonathan Corbet.
You may have a look at it at 
http://www.xml.com/ldd/chapter/book/index.html
but I suggest buying the printed book. It's definately worth the 
money.

hth,
 Robert

-- 
Where do you want to be tomorrow?

Entracom. Building Linux systems.
http://www.entracom.de

Re: writing device drivers

[Riley Williams]

Hi Eliezer.

> where can I find a good paper , or something good that could teach
> me how to write device drivers ?? I really would like to know ,
> mainly network device drivers , for example , how could I re-write
> the rtl8139 driver ?

A good starting point is the book "Linux Device Drivers" published by
O'Reilly Associates (with which I have no relationship other than as a
satisfied customer, depite my name). Details can be found at...

	http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/linuxdrive2/

...regarding the second edition thereof - I have the first edition
myself, which covers the 2.0 kernel series, but I believe the second
edition covers the 2.4 series kernels, SMP and USB, all of which were
missing from the original.

Best wishes from Riley.

Re: writing device drivers

[Legacy Fishtank]

On Wed, Dec 26, 2001 at 05:42:16PM -0200, Eliezer dos Santos Magalhães wrote:
> where can I find a good paper , or something good that could teach me how to
> write device drivers ?? I really would like to know , mainly network device
> drivers , for example , how could I re-write the rtl8139 driver ?

For kernel 2.4, the -2nd- edition of _Linux Device Drivers_ is good, but
it doesn't cover nearly everything you need to know...  your best
reference is existing network driver source code for recent PCI drivers.

And, are you having problems with rtl8139 or was that just an example?  :)

	Jeff

Re: writing device drivers

[Eliezer dos Santos Magalhães]

----- Original Message -----
From: "Legacy Fishtank" <garzik@havoc.gtf.org>
To: "Eliezer dos Santos Magalhães" <magalhaes@intime-net.com.br>
Cc: <linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org>
Sent: Wednesday, December 26, 2001 8:41 PM
Subject: Re: writing device drivers


> On Wed, Dec 26, 2001 at 05:42:16PM -0200, Eliezer dos Santos Magalhães
wrote:
> > where can I find a good paper , or something good that could teach me
how to
> > write device drivers ?? I really would like to know , mainly network
device
> > drivers , for example , how could I re-write the rtl8139 driver ?
>
> For kernel 2.4, the -2nd- edition of _Linux Device Drivers_ is good, but
> it doesn't cover nearly everything you need to know...  your best
> reference is existing network driver source code for recent PCI drivers.
>
> And, are you having problems with rtl8139 or was that just an example?  :)
>
> Jeff
>
No , it was just an example , I would like to take a source of a device
drive , and study the code ... well , I have got that book ... I think I
need to read it very slowly ... thank for the help ...

Re: writing device drivers

[Arnaldo Carvalho de Melo]

Em Thu, Dec 27, 2001 at 12:56:58PM -0200, Eliezer dos Santos Magalhães escreveu:
> No , it was just an example , I would like to take a source of a device
> drive , and study the code ... well , I have got that book ... I think I
> need to read it very slowly ... thank for the help ...

Some tips: there's some IRC channels that you may find interesting, namely:

#kernelnewbies and #kernel-br, both at irc.openprojects.net, go there and
you'll find plenty of helpful people willing to help you to get into this
kernel hacking journey, join us! :)

- Arnaldo