Subject: Re: pci/pcmcia bridges?
To: None <current-users@netbsd.org>
From: David Young <dyoung@pobox.com>
List: current-users
Date: 03/29/2003 17:55:09
On Thu, Mar 27, 2003 at 11:31:51AM +0000, Rasputin wrote:
> Damn, my new via C3 board doesn't like this hack AT ALL.
> It causes a powercycle just after the three numbers appear
> when the kernel boots. Removing the hack locks the machine 
> as the wi(4) card is detected, just like on the old p3.
> 
> 
> Am I right in thinking this is down to WaveLANs on cardbus in general?
> I'm starting to think getting a different nic would be the simplest option...

I am also oftentimes frustrated in my attempts to use a PCI/PCMCIA bridge
with a desktop machine in NetBSD. Either NetBSD will hang on on insertion
of a PC Card, or it will tell me that the bridge is not configured.

My naive understanding of the problem is that while NetBSD relies on the
BIOS to write each PCI device's registers with IRQ, mem- and I/O-address
assignments, most desktop BIOS's do not make correct/complete assignments
for Cardbus/PCMCIA bridges.

This brings me to the following naive questions:

  * I have an inkling that on the same hardware, Linux & Windows do not
    have nearly as many problems

    * are there problems as serious or worse in Linux & Windows, and
      if not
    * what does NetBSD do differently with bridges than Linux &
      Windows do? Why doesn't NetBSD do the same?

  * can NetBSD dispense with the PC BIOS and make its own IRQ/address
    assignments, or will that

    * make the BIOS terribly confused
    * fail because NetBSD is not privy to essential information which
      the BIOS has?

  * can there be no *algorithm* for patching up the PCMCIA/Cardbus
    bridges whose PCI configuration the BIOS botched?

Dave

> 
> 
> > * HAYAKAWA@ilink.sony.co.jp <HAYAKAWA@ilink.sony.co.jp> [0325 11:25]:
> > 
> > > You can move PCMCIA I/O window using RBUS_IO_BASE option for
> > > kernel compile option, such as
> > > 
> > >   options RBUS_IO_BASE=0x2000.
> > > 
> > > The default value for the option is 0x4000.
> > 
> > You, sir, are a hero :D
>  
> > cbb0: interrupting at irq 9
> > cardslot0 at cbb0 slot 0 flags 0
> > cardbus0 at cardslot0: bus 2 device 0
> > pcmcia0 at cardslot0
> > Kernelized RAIDframe activated
> > IPsec: Initialized Security Association Processing.
> > pcmcia0: CIS version PC Card Standard 5.0
> > pcmcia0: CIS info: Lucent Technologies, WaveLAN/IEEE, Version 01.01,
> > pcmcia0: Manufacturer code 0x156, product 0x2
> > pcmcia0: function 0: network adapter, ccr addr 3e0 mask 1
> > pcmcia0: function 0, config table entry 1: I/O card; irq mask ffff; iomask 6, io
> > space 0-3f; io16 irqpulse irqlevel
> > wi0 at pcmcia0 function 0: Lucent Technologies, WaveLAN/IEEE, Version 01.01
> > wi0: 802.11 address 00:02:2d:1d:0f:0c
> > wi0: using Lucent Technologies, WaveLAN/IEEE
> > wi0: Lucent Firmware: Station (7.52.1)
> > wi0: supported rates: 1Mbps 2Mbps 5.5Mbps 11Mbps
> 
> > This seemed to be due to the wi(4) driver guzzling address space
> > (PCMCIA hard drives worked OK), is there any way to automatically
> >  handle this?
> 
>  > From: Rasputin <rasputin@idoru.mine.nu>
> > > Subject: pci/pcmcia bridges?
> > > Date: Mon, 3 Mar 2003 12:17:03 +0000
> 
> > >  > I'm retiring a noisy Sparc and replacing it with a quieter PC
> > >  > (the computer lab is becoming a nursery next month :) )
> > >  > and need to get my to take over wireless gateway duties.
> > >  > 
> > >  > I swapped an old ISA card for this one:
> > >  > 
> > >  > cbb0 at pci0 dev 10 function 0: vendor 0x1180 product 0x0475 (rev. 0x80)
> > >  > cbb0: interrupting at irq 9
> > >  > cardslot0 at cbb0 slot 0 flags 0
> > >  > cardbus0 at cardslot0: bus 0 device 0
> > >  > pcmcia0 at cardslot0
> > >  > 
> > >  > Branded as a SiteCom PCMCIA bridge, but it looks like cardbus here.
> > >  > Plugging in an Orinoco ( wi(4) ) locks the machine - no output it, just
> > >  > locks the box when I plug it in.
> > >  > (I'd quote the PR I found but the site is unreachable this morning).
> 
> -- 
> I'm a Lisp variable -- bind me!
> Rasputin :: Jack of All Trades - Master of Nuns

-- 
David Young             OJC Technologies
dyoung@ojctech.com      Urbana, IL * (217) 278-3933