(Theoretically, this is independant of the i386, though perhaps no one but
a port-i386 user would encounter this hardware...(^&  On the grounds of
theoretical generality, I'm posting to netbsd-help.)

My kernel probes two audio devices.  I'm not sure if one is preferable to
the other.

Is there a reason to keep both of these sound devices in my kernel?  My
impression is that there is just one audio chip in there, but that it
can masquerade as multiple types.  Should I twiddle the BIOS or my kernel
config?


dmesg | grep's:

 /~~~

(odysseus) 20021021 112952 : /usr/home/rkr| dmesg | grep audio
audio0 at wss1: full duplex, mmap
audio1 at sb0: half duplex, mmap, independent
(odysseus) 20021021 113001 : /usr/home/rkr| dmesg | grep wss
wss1 at pnpbios0 index 3 (NMX2210)
wss1: io 220-22f 530-537 388-38f 330-331 370-371, irq 11, dma 0 1
wss1: CS4231
audio0 at wss1: full duplex, mmap
opl0 at wss1: model OPL3
(odysseus) 20021021 113006 : /usr/home/rkr| dmesg | grep -E '[^u/]sb0'
audio1 at sb0: half duplex, mmap, independent
midi1 at sb0: SB MIDI UART
opl1 at sb0: model OPL3

 \___

..so if I want to drive an external MIDI device via the "joystick/MIDI"
port, I'd need the sb0, yes?  (Except that there is no such port; I assume
that I'd need a docking station for the laptop to gain such a port.  But
that gets into the particulars of how the laptop was manufactured and
marketed and isn't germane to this list.  (^&)


In particular I'm asking because things seem to use audio0 by default; if
sb0 has technical advantages (or if I can configure it via BIOS in such a
way), I'd rather things pick it up by default.  The easiest way to switch
them would presumably be to remove wss* support from the kernel.  (^&

Then again, maybe there is no reason to care, or the wss* device is better
at audio0.

(Also, why is my *only* wss* device showing up was wss1, rather than
wss0?)


Thanks in advance for insight, etc.  (^&


  ``I probably don't know what I'm talking about.'' --rauch@math.rice.edu