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Date:      Wed, 17 Jan 1996 17:01:34 +0100
From:      se@zpr.uni-koeln.de (Stefan Esser)
To:        "Justin T. Gibbs" <gibbs@freefall.freebsd.org>
Cc:        CVS-committers@freefall.freebsd.org, cvs-sys@freefall.freebsd.org
Subject:   Re: cvs commit: src/sys/pci ncr.c
Message-ID:  <199601171601.AA08461@Sysiphos>
In-Reply-To: "Justin T. Gibbs" <gibbs@freefall.freebsd.org> "Re: cvs commit: src/sys/pci ncr.c" (Jan 16, 21:30)

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On Jan 16, 21:30, "Justin T. Gibbs" wrote:
} Subject: Re: cvs commit: src/sys/pci ncr.c
} >se          96/01/14 16:10:22
} >
} >  Modified:    sys/pci   ncr.c
} >  Log:
} >  Make the NCR driver on the boot floppy kernel not negotiate synch. SCSI
} >  transfers for CDROM drives.
} >  
} >  Revision  Changes    Path
} >  1.57      +3 -3      src/sys/pci/ncr.c
} 
} Does config still add a -DKERNEL_NAME to the build process?

AFAIK it still does for 2.1, but 
doesn't do it anymore for -current.


I want to suggest some "official"
way to make a kernel abstain from
trying generally useful performance
obtimizations, which might fail in
very rare situations, though.

There should be a kernel variable
(like bootverbose), whose default 
value should be set by a kernel 
CONFIG OPTION (e.g. using

options FAILSAVEMODE

or something like that) and should 
be made available as a BOOT OPTION
(is -f already used ?).


Install kernels must work on as much 
(even buggy) hardware as possible, 
while the kernel run everyday should
be able to make best use of available
performance features, IMHO.


All INSTALL kernels should default
to failsave, and I'd make this have
the following effects in drivers I'm
working on:

1) switch off NCR tagged commands
   (failed for 2 drives in the last
    20 months)

2) disable synch. negotiation requests
   for CDROM drives (which might be 
   a show stopper if the drive else
   does lock up)

3) PCI might use shorter burst length
   or other performance options that
   might make an install fail could
   be disabled

I don't know which other drivers might 
be able to take advantage of such a 
feature.


Does this sound reasonable ?

Regards, STefan

-- 
 Stefan Esser, Zentrum fuer Paralleles Rechnen		Tel:	+49 221 4706021
 Universitaet zu Koeln, Weyertal 80, 50931 Koeln	FAX:	+49 221 4705160
 ==============================================================================
 http://www.zpr.uni-koeln.de/~se			  <se@ZPR.Uni-Koeln.DE>



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