Re: [PATCH] serio.c: dynamically control serio ports bindings via procfs (Was: [RFC/RFT] Raw access to serio ports)

[Sau Dan Lee <danlee@informatik.uni-freiburg.de>]

>>>>> "Dmitry" == Dmitry Torokhov <dtor_core@ameritech.net> writes:

    >> Unfortunately, the connection between devices and drivers
    >> (either in the serio.c interface or in the input.c interface)
    >> is a graph.  It is more complicated than an array.  Yes, you
    >> can represent a graph with a matrix or an adjacency list, both
    >> representable as arrays in one way or another.  Nothing in a
    >> digital computer cannot be represented by an array of bits
    >> anyway!  But useability of the interface must not be ignored.
    >> 

    Dmitry> I am not sure where you see the problem - consider a PCI
    Dmitry> bus and all PCI devices and all drivers tyhat currently
    Dmitry> present in kernel. They are using the new driver model and
    Dmitry> sysfs and they come together quite nicely.

# ls -l /sys/bus/pci/devices/0000:01:00.0

        -r--r--r--    1 root     root          class
        -rw-r--r--    1 root     root          config
        -rw-r--r--    1 root     root          detach_state
        -r--r--r--    1 root     root          device
        -r--r--r--    1 root     root          irq
        drwxr-xr-x    2 root     root          power
        -r--r--r--    1 root     root          resource
        -r--r--r--    1 root     root          subsystem_device
        -r--r--r--    1 root     root          subsystem_vendor
        -r--r--r--    1 root     root          vendor

# ls -l /sys/bus/pci/drivers/PIIX\ IDE

        lrwxrwxrwx    1 root     root          17:20 0000:00:07.1 ->
                      ../../../../devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:07.1
        --w-------    1 root     root          17:20 new_id


The  info  are  binary  (shown  in 0x????  notation).   Each  reflects
directly the binary value of the corresponding 'attribute'.

1) None of these are arrays.  But in the input system, each device can
   be  attached to _multiple_  handlers, and  each handler  can handle
   _multiple_ devices.  That's an n-to-n relation.

2) I can't  find out  how to  dynamically change the  driver of  a PCI
   device.

3) PCI device<-->handler is a  many-to-one relation.  The input system
   is many-to-many.

4) How to  display/parse a device<-->handler connection?   You want to
   show and accept a pointer value?

The sysfs interface looks very confusing to me.




-- 
Sau Dan LEE                     李守敦(Big5)                    ~{@nJX6X~}(HZ) 

E-mail: danlee@informatik.uni-freiburg.de
Home page: http://www.informatik.uni-freiburg.de/~danlee