Re: Driver module access to filesystem

Andrew Bray (andy@madhouse.demon.co.uk)
3 Apr 1997 13:53:54 +0100

In article <9704030713.AA21657@dcl.MIT.EDU>,
Theodore Y. Ts'o <tytso@mit.edu> wrote:
>Umm.... it adds kernel bloat? Why have initialization code that needs
>to be able open files and read them? A much simpler way is to have an
>ioctl which loads the firmware, and then having a program which handles
>the firmware load. This is hardly a "gratuitous daemon" which has to be
>running all the time.

This approach has a problem: there becomes the necessity to have a support
program to accompany the kernel driver, which may require the download of a
separate package for the download program.

IMHO, a better approach would be to have a /proc entry that was a firmware
download port, then all the /etc/rc script would have to do is copy the
firmware to the /proc file. No ioctls, simple for the user to use and
understand. Minimal kernel bloat.

Just my 0.02 worth.

Regards,

Andy

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