netdev - Re: [bug?] tg3: Failed to load firmware "tigon/tg3

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Date:	Sun, 6 Jul 2008 13:17:51 -0700 (PDT)
From:	david@...g.hm
To:	Alan Cox <alan@...rguk.ukuu.org.uk>
cc:	David Miller <davem@...emloft.net>, jeff@...zik.org,
	dwmw2@...radead.org, andi@...stfloor.org, tytso@....edu,
	hugh@...itas.com, akpm@...ux-foundation.org,
	kosaki.motohiro@...fujitsu.com, mchan@...adcom.com,
	linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org, linux-mm@...ck.org,
	netdev@...r.kernel.org
Subject: Re: [bug?] tg3: Failed to load firmware "tigon/tg3_tso.bin"

On Fri, 4 Jul 2008, Alan Cox wrote:

>> External firmware is by design an error prone system, even with
>> versioning.  But by being built and linked into the driver, it
>> is fool proof.
>>
>> On a technical basis alone, we would never disconnect a crucial
>> component such as firmware, from the driver.  The only thing
>> charging these transoformations, from day one, is legal concerns.
>
> As I said: We had this argument ten years ago (more than that now
> actually). People said the same thing about modules.
>

and they were right then as well. Fortunantly,at that time the kernel 
developers listened and retained the possibility to not use modules.

if David W were to make it possible to not use the load_firmware() call to 
userspace and build the firmware into the driver (be it in a monolithic 
kernel or the module that contains the driver) this would not be a 
problem. the default could be to build in the firmware (avoiding breakage) 
and those people and distros that see a reason to seperate the firmware 
would be able to by changing that setting.

we have also had the same argument about initrd/initramfs where people 
have wanted to make them mandatory by moving things (like partition 
detection) out of the kernel. so far this hasn't happened, and I hope it 
doesn't.

David Lang
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