Subject: Survey: PCMCIA modems and other com devices
To: None <current-users@NetBSD.ORG>
From: Nathan J. Williams <nathanw@MIT.EDU>
List: current-users
Date: 07/16/1998 01:21:02
	Our PCMCIA code is a little weird with respect to serial
devices. The PCMCIA specification, as far as I know, does not provide
a way to indicate a generic property like "com-port-compatible". So
our driver for such devices depends on (1) a table of known serial devices
and (2) a heuristic for identifying other devices. 

	I'm investigating a better heuristic for automatic recognition
of PCMCIA com devices, and I need more data about the range of devices
in use to determine what a better probe would be.

	If you are using a PCMCIA modem or other PCMCIA device that
wants to present a serial interface, I would appreciate it if you
could mail me the probe messages for that device when PCMCIAVERBOSE is
enabled in your kernel configuration (privately, no need to spam the
list). I would also appreciate such probe messages from any of you who
have devices that have incorrectly been identified as serial devices,
under any of the various heuristics that we have used.

	Thanks!

	- Nathan