Subject: Re: High serial port (output) speeds
To: None <port-sparc@netbsd.org>
From: der Mouse <mouse@Rodents.Montreal.QC.CA>
List: port-sparc
Date: 10/23/1999 21:32:56
> I remember Jonathan experimented once with running sone pmax
> workstations in 1x mode.  It just didn't work reliably in his
> experience.  I'm afraid the same'd happen here.

Do the pmax boxen also use 8530s?  If so, which ones?  Someone quoted a
Zilog data sheet...but I just now opened up an IPX, and it (at least
this particular one) uses AMD chips, not Zilog chips.  They may be
bug-for-bug compatible, but they also may not; if I built a chip with
the interface of the 8530 but with more accurate mid-bit sampling and
synchronization (see an upcoming message for how this could be done), I
wouldn't hesitate to call it an 8530.  For all I know, not having seen
the spec sheets, AMD did.

> Or actually what I'm more concerned about is that folks who didn't
> understand what's wrong with 1x mode would try to use it, and then
> get mad at NetBSD when it didn't work. :-)

Or rather, mostly worked but produced garbled bursts now and then.
This is certainly a reasonable concern; if anything like that patch
goes into the tree perhaps it should be in a fashion that requires
explicit turning on before it can be used at all.  (Kernel build
option?  Sysctl?)

					der Mouse

			       mouse@rodents.montreal.qc.ca
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