linux-kernel - Re: [GIT *] Allow request_firmware() to be satisfied from in-kernel, use it in more drivers.

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Date:	Fri, 12 Sep 2008 16:59:36 -0400
From:	Jeff Garzik <jeff@...zik.org>
To:	Willy Tarreau <w@....eu>
CC:	Linus Torvalds <torvalds@...ux-foundation.org>,
	Frans Pop <elendil@...net.nl>, david@...g.hm,
	Marcel Holtmann <marcel@...tmann.org>,
	David Woodhouse <dwmw2@...radead.org>, arjan@...radead.org,
	akpm@...ux-foundation.org, alan@...rguk.ukuu.org.uk,
	linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org
Subject: Re: [GIT *] Allow request_firmware() to be satisfied from in-kernel,
 use it in more drivers.

Willy Tarreau wrote:
> Exactly. To give you an idea, I have a lot of servers running on a
> "firmware" which consists in two parts :
>   - a bzImage containing an initramfs with modules and a few scripts
>   - an initrd which is in fact the rootfs
> 
> When the kernel boots, it mounts the initrd, does a pivot_root and mounts
> its modules into /boot/$(uname -r). All my kernels run modules from /boot
> and not from /lib/modules, because it makes them more convenient to add
> and remove. So /lib/modules is just a symlink to /boot.
> 
> The above process is very convenient, as it is compatible with a lot of
> boot methods : hard disk, CDROM, USB stick, PXE, etc...
> 
> And moreover, I can have multiple kernels with only one rootfs (SMP, etc).
> Introducing firmware there would mean a major thinking and rework of the
> build (and possibly boot) process. The least invasive would probably be
> to stuff them next to the modules in $(uname -r)/firmware, but even then,
> it will take a lot of time to switch to a new system.
> 
> And judging from what I see around, I'm far from being the only one not
> using mkinitrd.


FWIW, due to both lack of time and lack of (apparent) interest, I didn't 
bother moving forward with the compile-firmware-into-module, even though 
I still think it would be useful to add [back].

	Jeff


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