parport_serial link order bug, NetMos support

parport_serial link order bug, NetMos support

[Marek Michalkiewicz]

Hello,

I've been trying (for quite a long time now, starting around the
time when 2.4.19 was released) to submit the following patches into
the 2.4.x kernel:

http://www.amelek.gda.pl/linux-patches/2.4.20-pre9/00_parport_serial
http://www.amelek.gda.pl/linux-patches/2.4.20-pre9/01_netmos

(generated for 2.4.20-pre9, but apply cleanly to 2.4.20-final too,
00_parport_serial needs to be applied before 01_netmos).

The first patch fixes a bug with CONFIG_PARPORT_SERIAL=y (moves the
parport_serial driver - must be initialised after serial).  This
bug has been fixed in 2.5.x some time ago, by moving the serial
driver to its own directory - a change that looks too intrusive for
2.4.x, moving parport_serial instead looks much safer.  This patch
is quite big, but most of it is just moving parport_serial.c from
drivers/parport/ to drivers/char/ without changing a single line.
Now parport_serial is after serial, but before any drivers that
need parport already initialised: lp, block (paride), net (plip).

The second patch adds support for NetMos PCI I/O cards, based on
a >1 year old 2.5.x patch by Tim Waugh.  I've been using a few
NM9835-based cards in production use, no problems so far (in 3
machines, one of them is my server with two permanent 115.2k PPP
connections, which have seen quite a few gigabytes of traffic).

Now that 2.4.21-pre2 is out, I'd like to ask - are there any good
reasons why these patches are not going in?  There has been some
discussion, but no conclusion either way (not accepted, and not
rejected).  Are there any known problems, like some NM9835 chips
burn and explode when run under Linux and I've just been lucky? ;)

Please, I would really appreciate to see these patches in 2.4.21.

Thanks,
Marek

Re: parport_serial link order bug, NetMos support

[Zwane Mwaikambo]

On Thu, 19 Dec 2002, Marek Michalkiewicz wrote:

> Hello,
>
> I've been trying (for quite a long time now, starting around the
> time when 2.4.19 was released) to submit the following patches into
> the 2.4.x kernel:
>
> http://www.amelek.gda.pl/linux-patches/2.4.20-pre9/00_parport_serial
> http://www.amelek.gda.pl/linux-patches/2.4.20-pre9/01_netmos
>
> (generated for 2.4.20-pre9, but apply cleanly to 2.4.20-final too,
> 00_parport_serial needs to be applied before 01_netmos).

I have local patches which do the same and have been using them for about
a year too (also at 115k). Regarding the parallel port aspect of the card,
i have tested using shared IRQs by running an epat cdrom via said port and
generating a high amount of serial i/o

00:10.0 Communication controller: NetMos Technology 222N-2 I/O Card (2S+1P) (rev 01)

Last time i posted regarding this, Tim Waugh says that the cards brought
about a number of issues, of which i am unable to recollect.

	Zwane
-- 
function.linuxpower.ca

Re: parport_serial link order bug, NetMos support

[Marek Michalkiewicz]

> I have local patches which do the same and have been using them for about
> a year too (also at 115k). Regarding the parallel port aspect of the card,
> i have tested using shared IRQs by running an epat cdrom via said port and
> generating a high amount of serial i/o

Could you send me your local patches?  (I use parport in polling mode.)

> 00:10.0 Communication controller: NetMos Technology 222N-2 I/O Card (2S+1P) (rev 01)

Actually, these PCI vendor:device IDs are not specific to any card,
they are hardwired inside the NM9835 chip.  My no-name cards (made in
China) have an empty place instead of the the configuration EEPROM.

> Last time i posted regarding this, Tim Waugh says that the cards brought
> about a number of issues, of which i am unable to recollect.

Would be nice to know exactly what these issues are.  My only issue with
these cards so far is that I have to patch the kernel to use them...

Thanks,
Marek

Re: parport_serial link order bug, NetMos support

[Zwane Mwaikambo]

On Thu, 19 Dec 2002, Marek Michalkiewicz wrote:

> > I have local patches which do the same and have been using them for about
> > a year too (also at 115k). Regarding the parallel port aspect of the card,
> > i have tested using shared IRQs by running an epat cdrom via said port and
> > generating a high amount of serial i/o
>
> Could you send me your local patches?  (I use parport in polling mode.)

Currently i use the following patch since i only tested the epat to ensure
that shared parport/serial irq would work.

For serial in 2.4.20
http://function.linuxpower.ca/patches/patch-parport_serial-2.4

For shared IRQs (probably would need hand patching)
http://function.linuxpower.ca/patches/patch-parport-irq1

> Would be nice to know exactly what these issues are.  My only issue with
> these cards so far is that I have to patch the kernel to use them...

Perhaps google, he did mention that he had netmos support in and then
backed it out again.

	Zwane
-- 
function.linuxpower.ca

Re: parport_serial link order bug, NetMos support

[Pavel Janík]

   From: Marek Michalkiewicz <marekm@amelek.gda.pl>
   Date: Thu, 19 Dec 2002 11:03:12 +0100 (CET)

Hi Marek,

   > I've been trying (for quite a long time now, starting around the
   > time when 2.4.19 was released) to submit the following patches into
   > the 2.4.x kernel:

so why don't you send them to Marcelo?

   > http://www.amelek.gda.pl/linux-patches/2.4.20-pre9/01_netmos

[...]

   > The second patch adds support for NetMos PCI I/O cards, based on
   > a >1 year old 2.5.x patch by Tim Waugh.  I've been using a few
   > NM9835-based cards in production use, no problems so far (in 3
   > machines, one of them is my server with two permanent 115.2k PPP
   > connections, which have seen quite a few gigabytes of traffic).

We use this patch in a production use here too. Only direct serial traffic
with miscellaneous devices though but without problems so far.

   > Please, I would really appreciate to see these patches in 2.4.21.

+1
-- 
Pavel Janík

printk("??? No FDIV bug? Lucky you...\n");
                  -- 2.2.16 include/asm-i386/bugs.h