From owner-freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG Wed Feb 8 19:02:28 2006 Return-Path: X-Original-To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Delivered-To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Received: from mx1.FreeBSD.org (mx1.freebsd.org [216.136.204.125]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id AFA3016A420 for ; Wed, 8 Feb 2006 19:02:28 +0000 (GMT) (envelope-from keramida@ceid.upatras.gr) Received: from igloo.linux.gr (igloo.linux.gr [62.1.205.36]) by mx1.FreeBSD.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 6688243D49 for ; Wed, 8 Feb 2006 19:02:21 +0000 (GMT) (envelope-from keramida@ceid.upatras.gr) Received: from flame.pc (dialup16.ach.sch.gr [81.186.70.16]) (authenticated bits=0) by igloo.linux.gr (8.13.5/8.13.5/Debian-3) with ESMTP id k18J1cl7017427; Wed, 8 Feb 2006 21:01:43 +0200 Received: by flame.pc (Postfix, from userid 1001) id 251F25C8A; Wed, 8 Feb 2006 21:00:59 +0200 (EET) Date: Wed, 8 Feb 2006 21:00:58 +0200 From: Giorgos Keramidas To: Dieter Message-ID: <20060208190058.GA2219@flame.pc> References: <20060208065405.GA11496@epia2.farid-hajji.net> <200602081829.SAA13412@sopwith.solgatos.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Disposition: inline In-Reply-To: <200602081829.SAA13412@sopwith.solgatos.com> X-Hellug-MailScanner: Found to be clean X-Hellug-MailScanner-SpamCheck: not spam, SpamAssassin (score=-3.487, required 5, autolearn=not spam, ALL_TRUSTED -1.80, AWL 0.91, BAYES_00 -2.60) X-Hellug-MailScanner-From: keramida@ceid.upatras.gr Cc: cpghost , freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Subject: Re: [WISH] Linux kernel as drop-in replacement in FreeBSD? X-BeenThere: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5 Precedence: list List-Id: User questions List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Wed, 08 Feb 2006 19:02:28 -0000 On 2006-02-08 10:29, Dieter wrote: >>>> since Linux' support for some hardware is better than FreeBSD's, it >>>> would be nice to have an *optional* way of running a FreeBSD system >>>> (userland, including all third party programs) on top of the Linux >>>> kernel. >>> >>> I'd prefer to have a way to use a Linux device driver with a BSD >>> kernel. >> >> Of course, but if I understand drivers correctly, that would be >> nearly impossible... unless the interface between linux device >> drivers and the rest of the linux kernel consisted of a well defined >> API (perhaps it does, I don't know). Basically, a driver can access >> ANY data structure of the kernel, and that's why it's not trivial to >> combine a Linux driver with the FreeBSD kernel. > > If the driver is loaded with "modprobe", wouldn't that have a well > defined API? Only as far as loading & unloading is concerned. Once a driver gets loaded, even before module_load() finishes some times, the driver has full access to the guts of the kernel and can wreak havoc all over the place without any serious problem :) - Giorgos