The return of the ITeX PCI ADSL card for 2.6 kernels

The return of the ITeX PCI ADSL card for 2.6 kernels

[Jan Pieter]

Hi,

ITeX stopped support for their PCI ADSL Apollo3 chipset because
they gone bankrupt. The latest Linux drivers for their chipset are
for kernel 2.4.15. They are binary-only.

I made a patch and a modified binary that allows you to use the
ITeX card with Linux 2.6.15 kernels. It has only been tested with
PPPoATM. It uses a modified binary that was originaly build by
ITeX for kernel 2.4.15.  Some 2.6.15 kernel structures were
modified for compatibility with 2.4.15, but no functionality has
been changed in the 2.6.15 kernel. I use this for more than a
month now without problems. It works with vanilla, Debian and
Ubuntu kernel sources. See http://jp.dhs.org/~itex/2.6/ .

There is also a patch for vanilla 2.4.31 and 2.4.32 kernel sources
at http://jp.dhs.org/~itex/patch-2.4.31-oldatm.bz2 . For Debian's
2.4.27 source at http://jp.dhs.org/~itex/patch-2.4.27-oldatm.bz2


Jan Pieter. 

Re: The return of the ITeX PCI ADSL card for 2.6 kernels

[Stephen Hemminger]

On Sat, 11 Nov 2006 01:16:29 +0100
Jan Pieter <pptp@jp.dhs.org> wrote:

> Hi,
> 
> ITeX stopped support for their PCI ADSL Apollo3 chipset because
> they gone bankrupt. The latest Linux drivers for their chipset are
> for kernel 2.4.15. They are binary-only.

Wrong list. We don't do binary drivers.... 

-- 
Stephen Hemminger <shemminger@osdl.org>

Re: The return of the ITeX PCI ADSL card for 2.6 kernels

[Valdis.Kletnieks]

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On Mon, 13 Nov 2006 09:10:17 PST, Stephen Hemminger said:
> On Sat, 11 Nov 2006 01:16:29 +0100 Jan Pieter <pptp@jp.dhs.org> wrote:
> > ITeX stopped support for their PCI ADSL Apollo3 chipset because
> > they gone bankrupt. The latest Linux drivers for their chipset are
> > for kernel 2.4.15. They are binary-only.
> 
> Wrong list. We don't do binary drivers.... 

On the other hand, if we can track down whoever got the wreckage of the
bankrupt company, they might be persuaded to cough up enough documentation
to allow writing an open driver....

Anybody know how many Apollo3-based cards were sold?  Enough to make it
worth pursuing, or did ITeX go under because only 45 people bought the card,
and 43 of them have since disposed of the hardware?

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Re: The return of the ITeX PCI ADSL card for 2.6 kernels

[Jan Pieter]

On Monday 13 November 2006 18:22, you wrote:
> On Mon, 13 Nov 2006 09:10:17 PST, Stephen Hemminger said:
> > On Sat, 11 Nov 2006 01:16:29 +0100 Jan Pieter <pptp@jp.dhs.org> wrote:
> > > ITeX stopped support for their PCI ADSL Apollo3 chipset because
> > > they gone bankrupt. The latest Linux drivers for their chipset are
> > > for kernel 2.4.15. They are binary-only.
> >
> > Wrong list. We don't do binary drivers....
>
> On the other hand, if we can track down whoever got the wreckage of the
> bankrupt company, they might be persuaded to cough up enough documentation
> to allow writing an open driver....

You also need an ADSL library. That info is available, but it takes a *lot* of
hard work to implement. On the other hand, all future adsl drivers can use
the library. Dsl drivers are closed source because of this library. If such
library existed, there would be no reason for manufacturers to do closed
source Linux drivers.

> Anybody know how many Apollo3-based cards were sold?  Enough to make it
> worth pursuing, or did ITeX go under because only 45 people bought the
> card, and 43 of them have since disposed of the hardware?

I have 3 cards working now. Alcatel also sold it, as 'Speedtouch PC'. So it
must be more than 45 ;-)


Jan Pieter.

Re: The return of the ITeX PCI ADSL card for 2.6 kernels

[Lennart Sorensen]

On Wed, Nov 15, 2006 at 06:18:38PM +0100, Jan Pieter wrote:
> You also need an ADSL library. That info is available, but it takes a *lot* of
> hard work to implement. On the other hand, all future adsl drivers can use
> the library. Dsl drivers are closed source because of this library. If such
> library existed, there would be no reason for manufacturers to do closed
> source Linux drivers.
> 
> I have 3 cards working now. Alcatel also sold it, as 'Speedtouch PC'. So it
> must be more than 45 ;-)

I know the Sangoma S518 also uses a binary blob for the ADSL component
for I guess the same reason.  At least they maintain their drivers so
their cards work with current kernels (as long as you use one of the
architectures they compile the binary blob for).

Stupid secret libraries. :(

Of course claiming such drivers are GPL is nonsense in my opinion.

--
Len Sorensen