HEAD UP: non-MPSAFE network drivers to be disabled (was: 8.0 network stack MPsafety goals (fwd))

[Robert Watson]

On Mon, 30 Jun 2008, Robert Watson wrote:

> On Sun, 29 Jun 2008, Robert Watson wrote:
>
>> An FYI on the state of things here: in the last month, John has updated a 
>> number of device drivers to be MPSAFE, and the USB work remains in-flight. 
>> I'm holding fire a bit on disabling IFF_NEEDSGIANT while things settle and 
>> I catch up on driver state, and will likely send out an update next week 
>> regarding which device drivers remain on the kill list, and generally what 
>> the status of this project is.
>
> Here's the revised list of drivers that will have their build disabled in 
> the next week (subject to an appropriate block of time for me):

A quick update: I had postponed removing IFF_NEEDSGIANT while awaiting the 
apparently forthcoming USB stack commit.  Since it appears slow in coming, I 
will move ahead and disconnect non-USB drivers that require IFF_NEEDSGIANT in 
the coming week, but will leave the IFF_NEEDSGIANT infrastructure there, along 
with the current USB drivers that depend on it, until the USB merge is done.

Robert N M Watson
Computer Laboratory
University of Cambridge