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Message-Id: <200709212343.41160.vda.linux@googlemail.com>
Date: Fri, 21 Sep 2007 23:43:40 +0100
From: Denys Vlasenko <vda.linux@...glemail.com>
To: Krzysztof Oledzki <olel@....pl>
Cc: Valdis.Kletnieks@...edu, David Miller <davem@...emloft.net>,
jeff@...zik.org, mchan@...adcom.com, linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org,
netdev@...r.kernel.org
Subject: Re: [PATCH 1/2] bnx2: factor out gzip unpacker
On Friday 21 September 2007 20:33, Krzysztof Oledzki wrote:
>
> On Fri, 21 Sep 2007, Denys Vlasenko wrote:
>
> > On Friday 21 September 2007 19:36, Valdis.Kletnieks@...edu wrote:
> >> On Fri, 21 Sep 2007 19:05:23 BST, Denys Vlasenko said:
> >>
> >>> I plan to use gzip compression on following drivers' firmware,
> >>> if patches will be accepted:
> >>>
> >>> text data bss dec hex filename
> >>> 17653 109968 240 127861 1f375 drivers/net/acenic.o
> >>> 6628 120448 4 127080 1f068 drivers/net/dgrs.o
> >>> ^^^^^^
> >>
> >> Should this be redone to use the existing firmware loading framework to
> >> load the firmware instead?
> >
> > Not in every case.
> >
> > For example, bnx2 maintainer says that driver and
> > firmware are closely tied for his driver. IOW: you upgrade kernel
> > and your NIC is not working anymore.
>
> Firmware may come with a kernel. We have a "install modules", we can also
> add "install firmware".
Install where? I boot my machine over NFS, and it has no hard drive.
> > Another argument is to make kernel be able to bring up NICs
> > without needing firmware images in initramfs/initrd/hard drive.
>
> It is not possible to bring up things like FC or WiFi without firmware,
> what special is in classic NICs?
Nothing.
It is just not (yet?) decreed from The Very Top that all and every
firmware image should be loaded using request_firmware().
Also people may want to gzip something else than firmware.
--
vda
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