From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Return-Path: Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org via listexpand id S964948AbVHOUXq (ORCPT ); Mon, 15 Aug 2005 16:23:46 -0400 Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org id S964942AbVHOUXp (ORCPT ); Mon, 15 Aug 2005 16:23:45 -0400 Received: from smtpout.mac.com ([17.250.248.85]:25554 "EHLO smtpout.mac.com") by vger.kernel.org with ESMTP id S964948AbVHOUXp (ORCPT ); Mon, 15 Aug 2005 16:23:45 -0400 In-Reply-To: <20050815200522.GA3667@sysman-doug.us.dell.com> References: <20050815200522.GA3667@sysman-doug.us.dell.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 (Apple Message framework v733) Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; delsp=yes; format=flowed Message-Id: Cc: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit From: Kyle Moffett Subject: Re: [RFC][PATCH 2.6.13-rc6] add Dell Systems Management Base Driver (dcdbas) with sysfs support Date: Mon, 15 Aug 2005 16:23:37 -0400 To: Doug Warzecha X-Mailer: Apple Mail (2.733) Sender: linux-kernel-owner@vger.kernel.org X-Mailing-List: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org On Aug 15, 2005, at 16:05:22, Doug Warzecha wrote: > This patch adds the Dell Systems Management Base Driver with sysfs > support. > +On some Dell systems, systems management software must access certain > +management information via a system management interrupt (SMI). > The SMI data > +buffer must reside in 32-bit address space, and the physical > address of the > +buffer is required for the SMI. The driver maintains the memory > required for > +the SMI and provides a way for the application to generate the SMI. > +The driver creates the following sysfs entries for systems management > +software to perform these system management interrupts: Why can't you just implement the system management actions in the kernel driver? This is tantamount to a binary SMI hook to userspace. What functionality does this provide on a dell system from an administrator's point of view? > +Host Control Action > + > +Dell OpenManage supports a host control feature that allows the > administrator > +to perform a power cycle or power off of the system after the OS > has finished > +shutting down. On some Dell systems, this host control feature > requires that > +a driver perform a SMI after the OS has finished shutting down. > + > +The driver creates the following sysfs entries for systems > management software > +to schedule the driver to perform a power cycle or power off host > control > +action after the system has finished shutting down: > + > +/sys/devices/platform/dcdbas/host_control_action > +/sys/devices/platform/dcdbas/host_control_smi_type > +/sys/devices/platform/dcdbas/host_control_on_shutdown How is this different from shutdown() or reboot()? What exactly is smi_type used for? Please provide better documentation on how to use this and what it does. If this is supposed to be used with the RBU code to trigger a BIOS update, then why not integrate it into one kernel driver that receives firmware, loads it into the BIOS, and properly resets the machine at powerdown? I think PowerPC does a similar thing with OpenFirmware flash memory. When I change the default boot device or other firmware environment, I get a message from the kernel upon shutdown: Erasing flash bank 1... Writing flash bank 1... Would not a similar system work for Dell? It would be far simpler to use than the current mess of patches you've proposed. If done properly, I could even do this: cat firmware-with-checksum.img >/sys/devices/platform/dellbios/ firmware_upgrade Then an ordinary system reboot or shutdown would automatically use the SMI and host-control-action to upgrade the firmware and shutdown or reboot, instead of the normal ACPI shutdown and reboot code. Cheers, Kyle Moffett -- Somone asked me why I work on this free (http://www.fsf.org/philosophy/) software stuff and not get a real job. Charles Shultz had the best answer: "Why do musicians compose symphonies and poets write poems? They do it because life wouldn't have any meaning for them if they didn't. That's why I draw cartoons. It's my life." -- Charles Shultz