From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 From: "Michael Chan" Subject: Re: [PATCH] bnx2: Use request_firmware() Date: Mon, 23 Mar 2009 18:44:38 -0700 Message-ID: <1237859078.18617.59.camel@HP1> References: <1237501747.4126.10.camel@deadeye.i.decadent.org.uk> <1237503884.16140.23.camel@HP1> <20090319232541.GA19262@wavehammer.waldi.eu.org> <20090320.155030.164080684.davem@davemloft.net> <1237844879.18617.20.camel@HP1> <20090323222915.GA29609@wavehammer.waldi.eu.org> <1237850656.18617.34.camel@HP1> <49C825EC.50100@hp.com> <1237857085.18617.47.camel@HP1> <49C836D0.1080304@hp.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Cc: "Bastian Blank" , "netdev@vger.kernel.org" To: "Rick Jones" Return-path: Received: from mms2.broadcom.com ([216.31.210.18]:2538 "EHLO mms2.broadcom.com" rhost-flags-OK-OK-OK-OK) by vger.kernel.org with ESMTP id S1751972AbZCXBty (ORCPT ); Mon, 23 Mar 2009 21:49:54 -0400 In-Reply-To: <49C836D0.1080304@hp.com> Sender: netdev-owner@vger.kernel.org List-ID: On Mon, 2009-03-23 at 18:26 -0700, Rick Jones wrote: > Michael Chan wrote: > > On Mon, 2009-03-23 at 17:14 -0700, Rick Jones wrote: > > > >>Michael Chan wrote: > >> > >>>May be I'll break up each firmware section into a > >>>different file and the file name will be updated with each version. > >>>This will allow different sections to be updated separately and older > >>>kernels will still have access to the older firmware. > >> > >>Is that really necessary? It is enough "fun" finding just the one firmware file > >>as it is. > > > > > > If all the firmware sections are in the same file, much of the firmware > > file will be duplicated in a new file when we update just one section. > > So? Perhaps I'm just experiencing distro pain which may not continue to exist or > which may not matter to netdev, but when one is installing to a system that uses > a core NIC which has firmware cast-out into "non-free" siberia, life is "fun" > enough making sure one has the one firmware file let alone N of them. If I now > have to make sure I have all N firmware files, and they are to be updated > separately, either that means I have to find N packages, or the distros are going > to package them into one "uber" package that might as well be a single firmware > file anyway. > I think we can assume that distros will package firmware files (make firmware_install) properly and not require users to install these firmware files on their own.