Timur Tabi wrote:
> ** Reply to message from Jeff Hartmann <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> on Thu, 25 Jan
> 2001 11:13:35 -0700
>
>
>
>> You need to have your driver in the early bootup process then. When
>> memory is being detected (but before the free lists are created.), you
>> can set your page as being reserved.
>
>
> But doesn't this mean that my driver has to be built as part of the kernel?
> The end-user won't have the source code, so he won't be able to compile it, only
> link it. As it stands now, our driver is a binary that can be shipped
> separately.
Sorry, this is the only way to do it properly. Binary kernel drivers
are intensely evil. ;) Open the driver and you have no problems. You
also do know that binary kernel drivers mean you'll be chasing every
kernel release, having to provide several different flavors of your
binary depending on the users kernel configuration. It also means that
when kernel interfaces change, people won't be nice and change your code
over to the new interfaces for you. For instance if a function
depreciates, your code might be automatically moved to use the
replacement function if your in the standard kernel. If your a binary
module, you have to do all that maintaining yourself.
(There are several other reasons to have open kernel modules. I won't
go into the entire argument, since that could take all day.)
You might be able to get away with making detection of this page open,
and keep the rest of the driver closed. However that is something for
Linus to decided, not I. I believe he doesn't like putting in hooks in
the kernel for binary modules. Since all you really want to do is
reserve the page during early bootup, perhaps he might let you get away
with it. Not my call though.
-Jeff
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