From owner-freebsd-current@FreeBSD.ORG Sun Mar 1 09:22:46 2009 Return-Path: Delivered-To: current@freebsd.org Received: from mx1.freebsd.org (mx1.freebsd.org [IPv6:2001:4f8:fff6::34]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 9D14C106566B for ; Sun, 1 Mar 2009 09:22:46 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from LukeD@pobox.com) Received: from sasl.smtp.pobox.com (a-sasl-fastnet.sasl.smtp.pobox.com [207.106.133.19]) by mx1.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 693E48FC15 for ; Sun, 1 Mar 2009 09:22:46 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from LukeD@pobox.com) Received: from localhost.localdomain (unknown [127.0.0.1]) by a-sasl-fastnet.sasl.smtp.pobox.com (Postfix) with ESMTP id 8CC6A9EBEC; Sun, 1 Mar 2009 04:22:45 -0500 (EST) Received: from lukas.is-a-geek.org (unknown [71.112.215.112]) (using TLSv1 with cipher DHE-RSA-AES256-SHA (256/256 bits)) (No client certificate requested) by a-sasl-fastnet.sasl.smtp.pobox.com (Postfix) with ESMTPSA id 12F089EBEB; Sun, 1 Mar 2009 04:22:42 -0500 (EST) Date: Sun, 1 Mar 2009 01:22:38 -0800 (PST) From: Luke Dean X-X-Sender: lukas@border.lukas.is-a-geek.org To: Andrew Thompson In-Reply-To: <20090301043707.GA90301@citylink.fud.org.nz> Message-ID: References: <20090301043707.GA90301@citylink.fud.org.nz> User-Agent: Alpine 2.00 (BSF 1167 2008-08-23) MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; format=flowed; charset=US-ASCII X-Pobox-Relay-ID: 86196848-0642-11DE-8A4D-CFA5EBB1AA3C-96347044!a-sasl-fastnet.pobox.com Cc: current@freebsd.org Subject: Re: Future of the axe driver? X-BeenThere: freebsd-current@freebsd.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5 Precedence: list Reply-To: Luke Dean List-Id: Discussions about the use of FreeBSD-current List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Sun, 01 Mar 2009 09:22:46 -0000 On Sat, 28 Feb 2009, Andrew Thompson wrote: > On Sat, Feb 28, 2009 at 07:40:02PM -0800, Luke Dean wrote: >> >> I've got a Netgear FA120 usb-to-ethernet device. I don't use it >> regularly, but it has saved the day on many occasions. >> >> I'm running FreeBSD 7.1 right now, not CURRENT, and this device is >> supported by the axe driver. >> >> I've been trying to follow the news with CURRENT, and it sounds like axe >> is being phased out for a couple of different reasons. I saw posts about >> how it doesn't fit with the way CURRENT wants to do locking or with the >> new usb changes. I browsed the CVS repository and saw that its code had >> been moved into the attic this week. >> >> Has axe been phased out? Will there be another driver to support my >> device when I decide to move to FreeBSD 8? Is there anything I can do to >> help preserve support for this device? > > Im not sure what posts were saying it was going to be phased out but it > isnt true and the hardware is very much supported. The driver now lives > under a slighty different location of sys/dev/usb/net/if_axe.c > > > Andrew > There were a series of posts by Robert Watson titled "HEADS UP: IFF_NEEDSGIANT consumers to be disabled, removed" The latest one I received was on Feb 16 to current@freebsd.org. There's a very good chance that I'm not understanding what I'm reading, but I interpreted it to mean that all network drivers that required GIANT locking (axe among them) would be disabled in CURRENT starting March 1, and removed entirely on April 1. Thank you for confirming that I misunderstood this.