Re: ipw2100: firmware problem

[Pavel Machek <pavel@ucw.cz>]

Hi!

> >I agree.
> >
> >There is a similar problem in the Acenic driver, it brings the
> >link up and receives broadcast packets as soon as the driver
> >is loaded.  Mostly this is because the driver inits the chip
> >and registers the IRQ handler at probe time, whereas nearly
> >every other driver does this at ->open() time.
> >  
> >
> The ipw2100 originally postponed doing any initialization until open was
> called.  The problem at that time was that distributions were crafted to
> rely on link detection (I believe via ethtoolop's get_link) before they
> would bring the interface up.
> 
> With a wireless device, you don't have link until you are associated... 
> chicken and egg.  The solution was to move initialization and
> association to the probe.
> 
> I don't know if all the distributions have moved away from this model. 
> If they have and the devices are brought up regardless of link, then
> going back to delaying radio initialization until the open() is called
> is workable. 

Ook, great, I see.
								Pavel