On Tue, 19 Oct 1999 13:09:30 -0700 
 Jonathan Stone <jonathan@DSG.Stanford.EDU> wrote:

 > Doing a small Web search and asking Linux-on-Vaio users gave two
 > possible options to get  sound hardware working:
 > 
 >   a) Linux 2.2.x reportedly attaches the NeoMagic via its  SoundBlaster
 >      hardware-emulation; the device reportedly  attaches via
 >      the Linux SoundBlaster driver as an ESS1688.
 > 
 >   b) A native-hardware driver, using  the Neomagic hardware API
 >      which someone found via `psychic means'. Works on the 505 line.
 >      Based on Intel AC97, it has no DMA but uses a ring-buffer located
 >      just above the end of the 2.5Mbyte video memory.
 >      see  http://www.uglx.org/sony.html for more info.

     c) Use it under WSS emulation, like I do on my Dell Inspiron
	laptop:

.
.
.
Neomagic MagicMedia 256AV Audio (audio multimedia, revision 0x20) at pci1 dev 0 function 1 not configured
.
.
.
opl0 at isa0 port 0x388-0x38b: model OPL3
midi0 at opl0: <Yamaha OPL3>
.
.
.
wss0 at isa0 port 0x530-0x537 irq 5 drq 0 drq2 1: CS4231 or AD1845
audio0 at wss0: full duplex
.
.
.

Note that I occasionally get:

ad1848_commit: Auto calibration timed out

...and after suspend/resume, seems like interrupts stop working, but it's
usually good enough for me to listen to NPR news via RealAudio :-)

 > One tradeoff is that the SB emulation apparently gets a synthesizer;
 > the `native' API relies on a Windows software synthesizer
 > 
 > So. Do we have AC97 support? Is it OK to rewrite something based on
 > the Linux code (which is given as public-domain, not copyleft).
 > Or pursue the ESS1688 emulation?

Ezra Story just submitted a patch for AC97 for the Creative AudioPCI.

 > (Does anyone have sound working on a NeoMagic 256AV already?)

        -- Jason R. Thorpe <thorpej@nas.nasa.gov>