Serial PCI driver in 2.6.x kernel (i.e. 8250_pci HOWTO)

["Matt Schulte" <matts@commtech-fastcom.com>]

I am paraphrasing my thread "development of serial driver" from the
linux-serial list.  I have not received much of a response on the serial
list.  I have noticed that there seems to be a fair amount of serial traffic
on this list and I am hoping to do a little bit better here.

When you respond, can you please copy the serial list at
linux-serial@vger.kernel.org

I am a developer for a line of multi-port PCI serial cards.  I have received
enough requests that it is time to make the cards work with the 2.6.x
kernels.  I see that serial.c has been deprecated and I am wondering if
anyone can tell me exactly how the serial is supposed to work in the new
kernel?

I have been painfully digging through the linux kernel mailing list archive
in an attempt to glean some insight as to the new serial driver.  But
haven't had much luck.  I am hoping somebody might be able to help me
understand how I can use the new driver (or at least point me where I need
to go).

In the past (2.4.x days) I have just hacked the serial.c code to do what I
needed and then recompiled it as something else.

I would like for someone to explain to me exactly how a guy like me is
"supposed" to use this new driver.  Let's say that I have submitted a patch
to 8250_pci.c that inserts my cards' device and vendor ids and my cards'
.init and .setup routines (if I need them).  Now they can be recognized by
the driver and will initialize correctly as 16550A type ports.  Now I need
to be able to write a few routines that can configure my card's special
features.  In my hijacked serial.c I just added these routines as IOCTL's
and life was good.  How should I "correctly" write these routines for the
new driver?

Thank you,

Remember, please copy the serial list at linux-serial@vger.kernel.org

Matt Schulte
Commtech, Inc.
http://www.commtech-fastcom.com