Re: Board level compatibility matching

[David Gibson <david@gibson.dropbear.id.au>]

On Thu, Jul 31, 2008 at 04:58:34PM -0400, Jon Smirl wrote:
> On 7/31/08, Grant Likely <grant.likely@secretlab.ca> wrote:
> > On Thu, Jul 31, 2008 at 04:49:49PM -0400, Jon Smirl wrote:
> >  > On 7/31/08, Grant Likely <grant.likely@secretlab.ca> wrote:
> >  > > This topic keeps coming up, so it is probably time to address it once
> >  > >  and for all.
> >  > >
> >  > >  When it comes to machine level support in arch/powerpc, there seems to
> >  > >  me that there are two levels or machine support.
> >  > >
> >  > ......
> >  > >
> >  > >  Thoughts?
> >  > >  g.
> >  >
> >  >
> >  > As part of this, how can we going to solve the problem with triggering
> >  > the load of a board specific machine/fabric driver in a generic way?
> >
> >
> > That really is a separate problem.  We *could* do this with a board
> >  specific powerpc machine driver, but I don't think it is the best
> >  solution.
> >
> >  I'm still thinking that the drivers module_init() function could check
> >  the top level board model property and decide whether or not to load
> >  based on that.
> 
> You're assuming the driver is compiled in.
> 
> If the drivers are on initrd selection has to happen via the normal
> device/driver matching process. Search for a device in the alias table
> of the drive file.

This can still be done via the board platform code.  The platform code
creates a platform device which the driver can later bind to.


-- 
David Gibson			| I'll have my music baroque, and my code
david AT gibson.dropbear.id.au	| minimalist, thank you.  NOT _the_ _other_
				| _way_ _around_!
http://www.ozlabs.org/~dgibson