Date: Sun, 2 Apr 2000 22:17:48 +0200 From: Gerhard Sittig <Gerhard.Sittig@gmx.net> To: stable@FreeBSD.org Subject: Re: ICU configuration (was: FIXED --> Thanks! Re: ep0 eeprom failed to come ready...) Message-ID: <20000402221748.A22330@speedy.gsinet> In-Reply-To: <200004021821.LAA02427@freeway.dcfinc.com>; from chad@DCFinc.com on Sun, Apr 02, 2000 at 11:20:59AM -0700 References: <Pine.BSF.4.21.0003252309120.50194-100000@sasami.jurai.net> <200004021821.LAA02427@freeway.dcfinc.com>
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On Sun, Apr 02, 2000 at 11:20 -0700, Chad R. Larson wrote: > > Ok. So if you are going to invest programming effort, give me > a tool that allows me to set any PnP compatible device exactly > where I want it to be (without booting MS-DOS). Put a smarter, > configurable version of the PnP BIOS functionality into the > loader, for example. Sorry for throwing the L-word into this discussion, but one of the other free UNIX systems has exactly such a tool. The manpage of isapnp(8) refers to the "Plug and Play ISA Specification, Version 1.0a, May 5, 1994. Available from ftp://ftp.microsoft.com/developer/drg/Plug-and-Play/Pnpspecs" as the underlying spec and sources can be found at ftp://ftp.demon.co.uk/pub/unix/linux/utils. The package description reads as follows: ----- :r !rpm -qi -f /sbin/isapnp ------------------------------- Name : isapnp Distribution: S.u.S.E. Linux 5.3 (i386) Version : 1.10 Vendor: S.u.S.E. GmbH, Fuerth, Germany Release : 18 Build Date: Thu Jul 30 04:35:24 1998 Install date: Sat Oct 17 00:34:11 1998 Build Host: wolfskehl.suse.de Group : Source RPM: isapnp-1.10-18.src.rpm Size : 98440 Packager : feedback@suse.de Summary : ISA plug and play configuration utility Description : Two programs - one allows the dumping of resource data and generation of a skeleton configuration file, the other configures ISA PnP hardware using a configuration file. More Info: /usr/doc/packages/isapnp/README.SuSE Authors: -------- Peter Fox <fox@roestock.demon.co.uk> ----------------------------------------------------------------- That's right what I think is needed: In the earlier days there was a need to - identify the hardware and dump their resource wishes to a file (once or when new hardware was added) - modify these descriptions to form a collision-free allocation scheme or to force the hardware to what the admin thinks how it should be (once) - use this scheme for assigning these resources and activating the devices (upon every boot process, usually automated) This includes the possibility to disable disturbing devices (no matter what the device itself or a driver thought it should be like) and to treat broken or even working ICU stuff just like the jumpered ISA cards. But now it doesn't even take a screw driver to arrange for the settings. That's what comes closest to how I know 3c509 cards w/ its disabled PnP feature -- which I feel to be the ultimate solution in comfort and flexibility: software configuration _and_ no bad surprises due to badly implemented automatisms! Newer releases could permute these reservations themselves and thereby generate a "suggestion" for one such collision-free set without the user's need to intervene. The latest releases are said to watch out for the PCI resources, too. Although I never followed this very closely. This seems to be what newer BIOSes do -- but not everyone has such a BIOS and still wants to use ICU cards (network, ISDN, sound, whatever in an 486). Isn't there anything comparable to this tool in FreeBSD country? Could it be made a port? Do I miss a point when I think all this program needs is access to an (ISA) io port and the sped'ed ICU algo runs the same in any system? I understand that it's a limitation for this program to be in userland and running after the kernel is loaded (that's why it could only help when the ICU using driver is a lkm). Even if it wasn't this very program which could make it to FreeBSD (for the above reason), maybe this one can serve as a template for something useful. I just wished there was a means to - manually tell the machine where to put certain devices *when*in*such*need* - manually tell the machine where _not_ to put _any_ devices *when*in*such*need* (since there's legacy hardware which cannot be detected _cleanly_, and admin's hints often are more determined than autodetection) - automatically have all the resources assigned to the hardware for those lucky of us where everything works as specified It could work as headed for by Matthew N. Dodd (?) with everything done as planned _with_ the addition of overriding the settings found by the BIOS or permutated ourselfes when there's a configuration file provided by the admin. I see a need for - exclusion of resources from the pool to be assigned (i.e. "reservation") and - fixed assignments independent of what other resource combination an ICU component might suggest ("weakening" or "deletion" of the/some capabilities provided by the device) Please forgive my being focused on Linux since I haven't found my way to FreeBSD yet (still looking for a guide like "if you want to ... do this" -- there may be similarities but they're not obvious to me, so I'm still toying around and I'm still some sort of without orientation). virtually yours 82D1 9B9C 01DC 4FB4 D7B4 61BE 3F49 4F77 72DE DA76 Gerhard Sittig true | mail -s "get gpg key" Gerhard.Sittig@gmx.net -- If you don't understand or are scared by any of the above ask your parents or an adult to help you. 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