Linux 2.6 on AMD Alchemy Au1500

Linux 2.6 on AMD Alchemy Au1500

[Sylvain Munaut]

Hi

For a new design, we're considering Alchemy Au1500 processor family. I'd 
like to know what is the current state of the linux 2.6 on this 
platforms / experiences ?

I mainly need :
 - PCI support to connect Wifi, IDE controller, USB2.0 Host, FireWire 
controller
 - Included Ethernet support

I've seen in the kernel sources that it should be supported but I'd like 
to know if there are known issues, comments, ...


Thanks for any info.

    Sylvain Munaut

Re: Linux 2.6 on AMD Alchemy Au1500

[Dan Malek]

Sylvain Munaut wrote:

> For a new design, we're considering Alchemy Au1500 processor family. I'd 
> like to know what is the current state of the linux 2.6 on this 
> platforms / experiences ?

There are several of us working on it.  The kernel is basically functional,
and we are now in the  midst of the 36-bit addressing updates for the
peripherals, such as PCI.  This should be completed soon.

> I mainly need :
> - PCI support to connect Wifi, IDE controller, USB2.0 Host, FireWire 
> controller
> - Included Ethernet support

If you are looking for product support, you should probably be contacting
people that provide these services :-)  We will eventually get around to
testing all of these devices, but those of us working on this are likely
to have different priorities.

> I've seen in the kernel sources that it should be supported but I'd like 
> to know if there are known issues, comments, ...

The kernel, serial ports, internal Ethernet are all functional.  The PCI
is going to require we complete the 36-bit addressing (as was done in 2.4),
and then I suspect the devices in your list will work as well as the
maintainers of them advertise, since they aren't Au1xxx specific.

Thanks.


	-- Dan

Re: Linux 2.6 on AMD Alchemy Au1500

[Sylvain Munaut]

Dan Malek wrote:

>> For a new design, we're considering Alchemy Au1500 processor family. 
>> I'd like to know what is the current state of the linux 2.6 on this 
>> platforms / experiences ?
>
>
> There are several of us working on it.  The kernel is basically 
> functional,
> and we are now in the  midst of the 36-bit addressing updates for the
> peripherals, such as PCI.  This should be completed soon.
>
Ok cool.

>> I mainly need :
>> - PCI support to connect Wifi, IDE controller, USB2.0 Host, FireWire 
>> controller
>> - Included Ethernet support
>
>
> If you are looking for product support, you should probably be contacting
> people that provide these services :-)  We will eventually get around to
> testing all of these devices, but those of us working on this are likely
> to have different priorities.

Yes, what I meant is that I needed PCI support and wanted to know if it 
was OK, the chips I connect on it are supported.

I just forgot to ask if the AC97 stuff was already supported by the ALSA 
stuff in the kernel ?


Thanks for the info
    Munaut Sylvain

Re: Linux 2.6 on AMD Alchemy Au1500

[Pete Popov]

On Wed, 2004-01-28 at 02:44, Sylvain Munaut wrote:
> Hi
> 
> For a new design, we're considering Alchemy Au1500 processor family. I'd 
> like to know what is the current state of the linux 2.6 on this 
> platforms / experiences ?

I'm working on it right now but it will take a bit more time to get
everything done. I have a beta version of the 36 bit address patch
that's required for the PCI and PCMCIA.

Pete

> I mainly need :
>  - PCI support to connect Wifi, IDE controller, USB2.0 Host, FireWire 
> controller
>  - Included Ethernet support
> 
> I've seen in the kernel sources that it should be supported but I'd like 
> to know if there are known issues, comments, ...
> 
> 
> Thanks for any info.
> 
>     Sylvain Munaut
> 
> 

Re: Linux 2.6 on AMD Alchemy Au1500

[Sylvain Munaut]

Pete Popov wrote:

>On Wed, 2004-01-28 at 02:44, Sylvain Munaut wrote:
>  
>
>>Hi
>>
>>For a new design, we're considering Alchemy Au1500 processor family. I'd 
>>like to know what is the current state of the linux 2.6 on this 
>>platforms / experiences ?
>>    
>>
>
>I'm working on it right now but it will take a bit more time to get
>everything done. I have a beta version of the 36 bit address patch
>that's required for the PCI and PCMCIA.
>
>  
>
Ok. Is it available on some CVS / www page ?
If we eventually choose Au1500 as platform I may be able to test it as 
well and bug reports.

Sylvain Munaut

Re: Linux 2.6 on AMD Alchemy Au1500

[Pete Popov]

> Ok. Is it available on some CVS / www page ?
> If we eventually choose Au1500 as platform I may be able to test it as 
> well and bug reports.

No yet, but I'll email it to the mailing list in the next couple of
days. I would consider it Beta.

Just curious, why 2.6? 2.4 is solid, everything works, provides a mature
kernel and drivers ...?

Pete

Re: Linux 2.6 on AMD Alchemy Au1500

[Ralf Baechle]

On Wed, Jan 28, 2004 at 07:22:59AM -0800, Pete Popov wrote:

> > Ok. Is it available on some CVS / www page ?
> > If we eventually choose Au1500 as platform I may be able to test it as 
> > well and bug reports.
> 
> No yet, but I'll email it to the mailing list in the next couple of
> days. I would consider it Beta.
> 
> Just curious, why 2.6? 2.4 is solid, everything works, provides a mature
> kernel and drivers ...?

Because in the not too far future the Linux community will largely run
away from 2.4?  In fact the motivation of many developers to continue
with 2.4 is quite down already and Marcelo is going to put 2.4 into
deep freeze after 2.4.25.

  Ralf

Re: Linux 2.6 on AMD Alchemy Au1500

[Sylvain Munaut]

>>>Ok. Is it available on some CVS / www page ?
>>>If we eventually choose Au1500 as platform I may be able to test it as 
>>>well and bug reports.
>>>      
>>>
>>No yet, but I'll email it to the mailing list in the next couple of
>>days. I would consider it Beta.
>>
>>    
>>
Ok, anyway I don't yet have a board ...

>>Just curious, why 2.6? 2.4 is solid, everything works, provides a mature
>>kernel and drivers ...?
>>    
>>
>
>Because in the not too far future the Linux community will largely run
>away from 2.4?  In fact the motivation of many developers to continue
>with 2.4 is quite down already and Marcelo is going to put 2.4 into
>deep freeze after 2.4.25.
>
>  
>
Yes that's one of my main reason. And by the time the products ships to 
customers it will be tested. I think that one more person testing it is 
one more person able to find/debug problems.
There are also some features that are natively in 2.6 and requires 
external patches / drivers in a 2.4 series kernel ( ipsec, preemption, 
alsa, ... )


Sylvain Munaut

Re: Linux 2.6 on AMD Alchemy Au1500

[Sylvain Munaut]

>>>Ok. Is it available on some CVS / www page ?
>>>If we eventually choose Au1500 as platform I may be able to test it as 
>>>well and bug reports.
>>>      
>>>
>>No yet, but I'll email it to the mailing list in the next couple of
>>days. I would consider it Beta.
>>
>>    
>>
Ok, anyway I don't yet have a board ...

>>Just curious, why 2.6? 2.4 is solid, everything works, provides a mature
>>kernel and drivers ...?
>>    
>>
>
>Because in the not too far future the Linux community will largely run
>away from 2.4?  In fact the motivation of many developers to continue
>with 2.4 is quite down already and Marcelo is going to put 2.4 into
>deep freeze after 2.4.25.
>
>  
>
Yes that's one of my main reason. And by the time the products ships to 
customers it will be tested. I think that one more person testing it is 
one more person able to find/debug problems.
There are also some features that are natively in 2.6 and requires 
external patches / drivers in a 2.4 series kernel ( ipsec, preemption, 
alsa, ... )


Sylvain Munaut

Re: Linux 2.6 on AMD Alchemy Au1500

[Dan Malek]

Ralf Baechle wrote:

> Because in the not too far future the Linux community will largely run
> away from 2.4?  In fact the motivation of many developers to continue
> with 2.4 is quite down already and Marcelo is going to put 2.4 into
> deep freeze after 2.4.25.

As someone that does _product_ development, 2.4 is going to be used
for a long time.  It may not be interesting to people with the goal
of software modification, but when you are deploying real devices to
real customers, people finding bugs is the last thing you want to see.


	-- Dan