Re: Linux 2.4 Status / TODO page (Updated as of 2.4.0-test10)

Jeff Garzik
2000-11-03T21:30:55Z

kuznet@ms2.inr.ac.ru wrote:
>
> Hello!
>
> > that does hardware register access without protecting against interrupts
> > or checking if the interface is up.
>
> This issue is not that issue. It is separate issue and in fact
> it is private problem of driver and its author, what is safe,
> what is not safe.
>
> F.e. I see no cathastrophe even if MII registers are accessed without
> any protections. Diag utilities do this from user space. 8)8)

It depends on the hardware... For the ioctl-only case, you are
correct. rtnl_lock protects us there. But when the timer and ioctl
both call mdio_xxx, you need SMP protection, otherwise you corrupt the
multi-step MDIO read/write found in many drivers.

IMNSHO the timer routines found in net drivers should all be converted
to kernel threads. There are too many limitations placed on you by
timers.

> > de4x5 is probably also buggy in regard to this.
>
> de4x5 is hopeless. I added nice comment in softnet to it.
> Unfortunately it was lost. 8)
>
> Andi, neither you nor me nor Alan nor anyone are able to audit
> all this unnevessarily overcomplicated code. It was buggy, is buggy
> and will be buggy. It is inavoidable, as soon as you have hundreds
> of drivers.

de4x5 is becoming EISA-only in 2.5.x too, since its PCI support is
duplicated now in tulip driver.

Jeff

--
Jeff Garzik | Dinner is ready when
Building 1024 | the smoke alarm goes off.
MandrakeSoft | -/usr/games/fortune