Re: Handling firmware versions

On Wed, Jul 18, 2007 at 11:08:28PM +0200, degrootenetbsd.org wrote:
> On Wed, Jul 18, 2007 at 10:23:14PM +0200, Quentin
Garnier wrote:
> > 
> > On Wed, Jul 18, 2007 at 09:33:18PM +0200, Joerg
Sonnenberger wrote:
> > > On Wed, Jul 18, 2007 at 09:31:03PM +0200,
Quentin Garnier wrote:
> > > > The way we handle firmwares in pkgsrc is
just wrong.  We should have
> > > > only one package, that installs all the
versions the kernel could
> > > > possibly ask for (which means the kernel
asks for a specific version).
> > > 
> > > Keep in mind that the firmware images are not
only used by NetBSD.
> > > Please carefully consider this before
changing any policy...
> > 
> > There's a policy?  I'd actually like to set
one...
> 
> I understand what you mean and I agree. The current way
we deal with
> firmware version is a pain, particulary when
constructors decided to change
> the firmware layout every two minors revision of
firmware ... 
> 
> On other side, I don't think it is a good idea that the
kernel ask for a
> specific version. In most of the case, new version of
the firmware solves
> internal issues and doesn't need change in the driver.
It may not be a
> problem in current but in the stable branche, we can't
ask for people to
> patch by hand their kernel in order to use the new
firmware.

Why not use a sysctl node then?  Or a symlink, or whatever,
there are
many ways to solve that.

> On pkgsrc side, what I understand from your proposal is
that you want to
> rename the firmware so we can retrieve the different
versions of firmware.
> What joerg says I think is that other Os may not find
the firmware file
> because it doesn't have the canonical name found in the
default install.

Sure, but what matters is that we agree on something and
stick to it.
When you update the package like you did, in a way that
requires changes
to the kernel, you're not helping other OSes that might not
have the
necessary kernel changes yet either...

-- 
Quentin Garnier - cubecubidou.net - cubeNetBSD.org
"You could have made it, spitting out benchmarks
Owe it to yourself not to fail"
Amplifico, Spitting Out Benchmarks, Hometakes Vol. 2,
2005.

On Wed, Jul 18, 2007 at 11:36:51PM +0200, Quentin Garnier
wrote:
> > On pkgsrc side, what I understand from your
proposal is that you want
> > to rename the firmware so we can retrieve the
different versions of
> > firmware.  What joerg says I think is that other
Os may not find the
> > firmware file because it doesn't have the
canonical name found in the
> > default install.
> 
> Sure, but what matters is that we agree on something
and stick to it.
> When you update the package like you did, in a way that
requires changes
> to the kernel, you're not helping other OSes that might
not have the
> necessary kernel changes yet either...

You are right. I didn't think a lot about other system when
I commited it.
I just want to commit my last wpi change (in order to
prepare the pullup
for netbsd-4 of wpi(4)) and so first, I needed to update the
firmware in
the pkgsrc. 

Feel free to revert it or change it if you have a cool
solution to handle
the different firmware. I will update wpi(4).

Take cares.
-- 
Arnaud Degroote
degrootenetbsd.org