The synchronous extensions for standard character devices are solely because
I need to be able to flip tty lines into sync modes on the many systems
that support them. To have a sane way to handle them really needs that
to be a line discipline. Where the packets go then is open to debate but
a WANPIPE interface is perfectly viable - basically you'd get
tty-driver dumb-sync-board smart-sync-board
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sync line discipline | |
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Sync support libraries |
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WANPIPE etc
The problems we then have that I know of are
a) The existing ISDN layer and glue. Thats a fine example of why we
shouldn't have the system we do now
b) PPP is in the wrong place, PPP really is a sync support library
with some kind of async framing layer able to front it as a line discipline
not two copies of the code (one for ISDN)
c) The other frame relay code and cleanly handling multipoint devices
Alan