cvs commit: src/sys/pci if_xl.c if_xlreg.h

[Sam Leffler]

Gleb Smirnoff wrote:
> On Wed, Dec 06, 2006 at 06:01:48PM +1100, Bruce Evans wrote:
> B> It's a shame to force all NIC drivers to manage the timeout for this.
> B> Most have a timeout for other purposes so I couldn't see how to save
> B> much code using a callback, but a callback would be cleaner.  (To avoid
> B> the race, just move the decrement of the count to drivers.)
> 
> It is a shame to have a two extra fields in struct ifnet, just for
> the sake of the drivers that can wedge. It is a shame to go through
> the whole list of interfaces every second.
> 
> There are routers with few NICs and dozens of vlan(4) interfaces. There
> are also PPP concentrators with up to thousand interfaces and only
> one NIC that really needs to have its watchdog.
> 

I agree with both sentiments and as the originator of the ifnet watchdog
mechanism I can only say that it's high time it was replaced by
something better.  My main worry with this change is that people will
_blindly_ sweep drivers replacing what was previously a fairly
lightweight mechanism with something much more expensive.

	Sam