DOC2000 and 2.2.12 kernel

DOC2000 and 2.2.12 kernel

[Adi Linden]

Hi,

I am new to using the DOC2000 devices. I successfully patched the 2.2.12
kernel with the M-Systems provided binary driver. But I can't get plilo to
compile. I understand distributing the kernel patched with a binary driver
will violate the GPL license.

Now I am looking at mtd. I am lost in its documentation. Now I have a
bunch of questions:

1. Is mtd a kernel patch? if so, how to I apply it to the kernel?
2. Which devices do I have to create to access the doc2000? 
3. Does mtd require the doc2000 firmaware which conflicts with lilo?

Regards,
Adi



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DOC2000 and 2.2.12 kernel

[Christer Weinigel]

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> I am new to using the DOC2000 devices. I successfully patched the
> 2.2.12 kernel with the M-Systems provided binary driver. But I can't 
> get plilo to compile. I understand distributing the kernel patched
> with a binary driver will violate the GPL license.

I actually got the M-systems driver working as a module a couple of
weeks ago, and have been using it with an initrd.  I still dislike
using a binary only module, but I was under a lot of time pressure and
didn't have the time to try to find the bugs in the mtd-implementation
(or rather the mismatch between what David Woodhouse's mtd code writes
to the flash and what the M-systems BIOS expects).

> Now I am looking at mtd. I am lost in its documentation. Now I have
> a bunch of questions:

> 1. Is mtd a kernel patch? if so, how to I apply it to the kernel?

MTD as it looks right now is a set of modules that should be compiled
and placed on an initrd if you need to use the flash as your root
device.  I have modified the mtd-files so that they can be compiled
into the kernel to avoid the initrd, but haven't had the time nor
energy to clean up my changes.  But if anyone is interested in it and
pesters me enough, I'll probably do it sometime this year :-)  The
same goes for the M-systems driver too, if anyone wants a modularized
version of that driver to avoid the copyright problems, please get in
touch with me.

> 3. Does mtd require the doc2000 firmaware which conflicts with lilo?

Yes, you still have to patch LILO.  Unfortunately, when I last looked
at the mtd-implementation at the beginning of november, there was some
kind of incompatibility between it and the M-systems BIOS, so after a
while it would not be possible to boot from flash anymore.  This might
have changed lately.

  /Christer

-- 
Christer Weinigel		Cendio Systems AB
Email:	wingel@cendio.se	Teknikringen 8
Phone:	+46-13-21 46 00		583 30  Linköping
Fax:	+46-13-21 47 00		Sweden
[please note that Signum Support has changed its name to Cendio Systems]


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Re: DOC2000 and 2.2.12 kernel

[Adi Linden]

> I actually got the M-systems driver working as a module a couple of
> weeks ago, and have been using it with an initrd.  I still dislike
> using a binary only module, but I was under a lot of time pressure and
> didn't have the time to try to find the bugs in the mtd-implementation
> (or rather the mismatch between what David Woodhouse's mtd code writes
> to the flash and what the M-systems BIOS expects).

I'd be interested in your modularized M-Systems driver if you'd like to
share it.

I think I'll stick to using syslinux for booting from flash right now.
I've only briefly worked with syslinux. If it works as it looks it might
even be a better solution for me than lilo. I can boot the kernel and the
compressed ramdisk from the doc2000 using syslinux. Once the system is up
the module for the doc2000 can be loaded, whether it be the M-sys or mtd
driver. 

Regards,
Adi



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