Re: [PATCH] request_firmware: skip timeout if userspace was not notified

[Kay Sievers <kay.sievers@vrfy.org>]

On Tue, 2007-08-07 at 15:59 +0200, Javier Pello wrote:
> On Tue, 07 Aug 2007, Kay Sievers wrote:
> 
> > If you don't have modules and the initial request fails, how do you
> > load the firmware later?
> 
> I trigger a rebinding of the device to the driver in an init file:
> # echo -n [device] >/sys/.../bind
> 
> > The real fix would be to change the driver not to block in the
> > firmware request and use async version of firmware loading. The
> > whole firmware class with its silly timeout is just a piece of
> > crap, that needs to be replaced.
> 
> I don't think that would be a real fix. You've done away with the
> kernel blocking, but the timeout is still there, only that in the
> background, and my point is still true: it is useless to wait at
> all if userspace didn't receive the event. Waiting asynchronously
> is less annoying than waiting synchronously, but equally useless.

Nope, you would just fulfill in a completely generic way all outstanding
requests when you are ready. All requests are all nicely grouped and
visible in sysfs. There would be no need of coding your own device
specific rebind. No timeout is needed or wanted, all requests would stay
until userspace has handled them successfully or canceled them.

Kay