Re: [PATCH 03/21] mac80211: revamp interface and filter configuration

[Ivo van Doorn <ivdoorn@gmail.com>]

On Thursday 06 September 2007, Johannes Berg wrote:
> Drivers are currently supposed to keep track of monitor
> interfaces if they allow so-called "hard" monitor, and
> they are also supposed to keep track of multicast etc.
> 
> This patch changes that, replaces the set_multicast_list()
> callback with a new configure_filter() callback that takes
> filter flags (FIF_*) instead of interface flags (IFF_*).
> For a driver, this means it should open the filter as much
> as necessary to get all frames requested by the filter flags.
> Accordingly, the filter flags are named "positively", e.g.
> FIF_ALLMULTI.
> 
> Multicast filtering is a bit special, which is why drivers
> that do not require FIF_ALLMULTI for multicast address filters
> (i.e. they actually have filters for multicast addresses)
> need to set the new IEEE80211_HW_MULTICAST_FILTER flag and
> call the get_mc_item() function passed to the configure_filter
> callback.
> 
> At the same time, drivers are no longer notified about
> monitor interfaces at all, this means they now need to
> implement the start() and stop() callbacks and the new
> change_filter_flags() callback. Also, the start()/stop()
> ordering changed, start() is now called *before* any
> add_interface() as it really should be, and stop() after
> any remove_interface().
> 
> The patch also changes the behaviour of setting the bssid
> to multicast for scanning when IEEE80211_HW_NO_PROBE_FILTERING
> is set; the IEEE80211_HW_NO_PROBE_FILTERING flag is removed
> and the filter flag FIF_BCN_PRBRESP_PROMISC introduced.
> This is a lot more efficient for hardware like b43 that
> supports it and other hardware can still set the BSSID
> to all-ones.
> 
> Signed-off-by: Johannes Berg <johannes@sipsolutions.net>
> Cc: Larry Finger <larry.finger@lwfinger.net>
> Cc: Michael Wu <flamingice@sourmilk.net>
> Cc: Zhu Yi <yi.zhu@intel.com>
> Cc: Tomas Winkler <tomasw@gmail.com>
> Cc: Michael Buesch <mb@bu3sch.de>
> Cc: Ulrich Kunitz <kune@deine-taler.de>
> Cc: Daniel Drake <dsd@gentoo.org>
> Cc: Ivo van Doorn <ivdoorn@gmail.com>
> Cc: rt2400-devel@lists.sourceforge.net
> Cc: Li YanBo <dreamfly281@gmail.com>

rt2x00 changes look good to me,
it will probably take me some time to find time
to make the full correct patch to fix rt2x00 but
I'll do my best to do it as soon as possible.

In the mean time this patch can be applied anyway,
I'll try to keep the time rt2x00 will be bugging to
a minimum.

Ivo