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From: Tim Gardner <tim.gardner@canonical.com>
To: Ben Hutchings <ben@decadent.org.uk>
Cc: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org, Jon Mason <jdmason@kudzu.us>,
	netdev@vger.kernel.org
Subject: Re: [PATCH net-next] net: vxge: Add MODULE_FIRMWARE
Date: Mon, 16 Apr 2012 08:52:07 -0600	[thread overview]
Message-ID: <4F8C3217.4030702@canonical.com> (raw)
In-Reply-To: <1334586550.3209.128.camel@deadeye>

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On 04/16/2012 08:29 AM, Ben Hutchings wrote:
>> 
>> I guess I'm confused about use of the MODULE_FIRMWARE() macro. I 
>> thought it merely described the names of the firmware files that
>> were actually used by the driver and had no run-time impact.
>> Regardless of whether firmware files are used on every load, why
>> _not_ describe them to modinfo ?
> [...]
> 
> Ah, that's a good question.  Quoting my own interpretation from 
> <1257629601.15927.361.camel@localhost>:
> 
>> Drivers that must load 'firmware' into the devices they drive
>> should declare the names of the files they will request, using
>> the MODULE_FIRMWARE() macro.  This enables other tools to
>> discover these dependencies statically, and warn the user if
>> firmware files are missing.
> 
> In Debian we use this to decide which files need to be copied into
> an initramfs.  You use that too unless you've changed this feature
> of initramfs-tools.  We warn when building an initramfs and during
> a major kernel upgrade if it looks like a driver will be used and
> the corresponding firmware isn't installed.
> 

Yep, we've merged "initramfs-tools (0.99) unstable" into precise. I'll
assume it behaves as described. The Ubuntu server installer will
certainly annoy you if firmware is missing. Its likely the LiveCD will
as well.

> I also have an (unfinished) patch that will use this information
> for CONFIG_FIRMWARE_IN_KERNEL.
> 
> In this case the firmware files are used to upgrade old flash, but
> since the vendor has closed down there aren't going to be any
> further updates. So the likelihood of the files actually being
> needed by the driver is very small.
> 
> Ben.
> 

I didn't realize the vendor is defunct, so I suddenly don't care as much.

rtg
- -- 
Tim Gardner tim.gardner@canonical.com
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      reply	other threads:[~2012-04-16 14:52 UTC|newest]

Thread overview: 6+ messages / expand[flat|nested]  mbox.gz  Atom feed  top
2012-04-12 20:34 [PATCH net-next] net: vxge: Add MODULE_FIRMWARE Tim Gardner
2012-04-15 13:56 ` Ben Hutchings
2012-04-15 16:33   ` David Miller
2012-04-16 12:21   ` Tim Gardner
2012-04-16 14:29     ` Ben Hutchings
2012-04-16 14:52       ` Tim Gardner [this message]

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