Re: [PATCH] usb: add sysfs configuration interface for CP2101

[Greg KH <greg@kroah.com>]

On Tue, Mar 04, 2008 at 08:03:11AM +0100, Dirk Eibach wrote:
> greg@kroah.com wrote:
> > On Mon, Mar 03, 2008 at 10:07:41AM -0500, Alan Stern wrote:
> >> On Mon, 3 Mar 2008, Dirk Eibach wrote:
> >>
> >>> From: Dirk Eibach <eibach@gdsys.de>
> >>>
> >>> The usb configuration data for the Silabs CP2101 usb to uart bridge 
> >>> controller can be customized:
> >>> - Vendor ID
> >>> - Product ID
> >>> - Power Descriptor
> >>> - Release Number
> >>> - Serial Number
> >>> - Product Description String
> >>>
> >>> Silabs provides a windows-only tool to do that.
> >>> Since we use linux-only machines in our production-environment, we have no 
> >>> proper way to customize the chips for our purpose.
> >>> So I added sysfs configuration support to the linux driver.
> >> Surely this sort of thing is better done in userspace, with libusb.
> > 
> > I agree, any reason why you have not tried that?  Adding files like
> > "vendor_id" to an interface directory in sysfs could cause a lot of
> > people to get very confused, very quickly :)
> 
> Greg, any reason why you didn't suggest using libusb in your first mail ;) ?

My appologies, I totally forgot about it at the moment.  It's usually my
first question when confronted with a new driver, not a patch to an
existing one.

> I have not used libusb yet, but looking at the api it seems to be just
> what I need. I had heard about libusb before, but never really had a
> look at it. So thanks for your advice, Alan. I will implement this
> stuff in userspace.
> 
> On the other hand it would a little bit sad, if Silabs windows tool
> would stay the only way to setup for all other people. I cannot see
> how I could spread the userspace tool the way it would be spread if it
> was in the kernel.  Maybe someone has an idea on that.

Just get it added to all of the distros, that shouldn't be that hard, I
think almost all of them let you request a package to be added.

thanks,

greg k-h