On 09/25/2015 03:14 PM, Greg KH wrote: > On Fri, Sep 25, 2015 at 07:08:32PM +0000, Rob Groner wrote: >>> -----Original Message----- >>> From: Greg KH [mailto:[email protected]] >>> Sent: Friday, September 25, 2015 2:37 PM >>> To: Rob Groner <[email protected]> >>> Cc: [email protected]; [email protected] >>> Subject: Re: [PATCH] 8250_pci: Prevent Exar/RTD Boards from binding. >>> >>> On Fri, Sep 25, 2015 at 05:37:03PM +0000, Rob Groner wrote: >>>>> -----Original Message----- >>>>> From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] >>>>> Sent: Friday, September 25, 2015 12:48 PM >>>>> To: Rob Groner <[email protected]> >>>>> Cc: [email protected] >>>>> Subject: Re: [PATCH] 8250_pci: Prevent Exar/RTD Boards from binding. >>>>> >>>>> On Fri, 25 Sep 2015 11:46:29 -0400, Rob Groner said: >>>>>> Serial boards made by RTD using the Exar XR17V358 chip rely on the >>>>>> extra capabilities of the Exar-provided driver to allow >>>>>> configuration of the board. When support for the Exar chip was >>>>>> added to the kernel 8250_pci driver, this then prevented easy use >>>>>> of the board by customers for anything other than standard serial usage >>> in RS232 mode. >>>>> Was it your intent to also prevent the use of this board in standard >>>>> serial usage in RS232 mode (which I'd expect is the most common use >>> case)? >>>> That is a byproduct of giving the non-average user the ability to >>>> reconfigure their board. This will basically move us back to pre-3.8, >>>> where the customer would simply have to insmod the provided Exar >>>> driver. The small inconvenience to that more common user seems (to us >>>> in Tech Support) outweighed by the much greater inconvenience to the >>>> user who wants to reconfigure. >>> Where is the exar driver, in the kernel already? >>> >>> confused, >> I'm sorry for the confusion. Let me summup: >> >> We produce a serial port board that uses the Exar XR17V358 chip. The board >> features a jumperless configuration so that to change the board from RS232 >> to RS422/RS485, you use the GPIO available on the Exar chip, via the Exar >> driver. That driver is provided by Exar (from their website, and repackaged >> on our website and with the board). >> >> Recently, we began to hear from customers who purchased the board but could >> not get the driver to find the board (and thus could not reconfigure it, nor >> use the non-standard high baud rates the chip is capable of). We discovered >> that in 3.8, support for the Exar chip was added to the 8250_pci driver, >> thus binding it to the kernel. >> >> Until (and probably if) Exar decides to submit their driver to the kernel, >> then it leaves us with a problem that we didn't have prior to 3.8...namely >> that the board won't do what it is advertised to do unless the customer >> rebuilds the kernel (that is the only supported workaround from Exar). The >> only other workaround we know of (unbind) has met with mixed success which I >> won't go into unless you want me to, and is already resisted by some >> customers. >> >> The goal of this patch is to get to a point where a customer can install >> Linux and have full use of this RTD board (using the driver Exar/RTD >> provides). No one who has an RTD board is going to feel this is an >> inconvenience. > Can you point me at the driver and I'll be glad to add it to the kernel > so that the proper driver will bind to the device and this will > not be an issue for users? > > thanks, > > greg k-h That would be WONDERFUL.
https://www.exar.com/common/content/document.ashx?id=20121 Thank you, Rob Groner _______________________________________________ Kernelnewbies mailing list [email protected] http://lists.kernelnewbies.org/mailman/listinfo/kernelnewbies
