svn commit: r48061 - head/en_US.ISO8859-1/htdocs/news/status

Mon Jan 18 23:03:32 UTC 2016

Author: bjk
Date: Mon Jan 18 23:03:30 2016
New Revision: 48061
URL: https://svnweb.freebsd.org/changeset/doc/48061

Log:
  Add entry on PNP-based kernel module autoloading from imp

Modified:
  head/en_US.ISO8859-1/htdocs/news/status/report-2015-10-2015-12.xml

Modified: head/en_US.ISO8859-1/htdocs/news/status/report-2015-10-2015-12.xml
==============================================================================

--- head/en_US.ISO8859-1/htdocs/news/status/report-2015-10-2015-12.xml	Mon Jan 18 22:54:45 2016	(r48060)
+++ head/en_US.ISO8859-1/htdocs/news/status/report-2015-10-2015-12.xml	Mon Jan 18 23:03:30 2016	(r48061)
@@ -4045,4 +4045,68 @@
       Netflix, Inc
     </sponsor>
   </project>
+
+  <project cat='kern'>
+    <title>Minimal kernel with PNP-based autoloading</title>
+
+    <contact>
+      <person>
+	<name>
+	  <given>Warner</given>
+	  <common>Losh</common>
+	</name>
+	<email>imp at FreeBSD.org</email>
+      </person>
+    </contact>
+
+    <links>
+      <url href="http://bsdimp.blogspot.com/2016/01/details-on-coming-automatic-module.html">Blog Post</url>
+    </links>
+
+    <body>
+      <p>Work on automatically loading modules based on the
+	plug-and-play data from devices that are scanned and found to not
+	already have a driver attached is in progress.  Digging this
+	information out from kernel modules, as well as tagging relevant
+	bits of driver tables, has been committed.  PC Card, USB and some
+	PCI devices now have these markings.  This data is stored in a
+	file that the kernel, boot loader and userland processes all have
+	access to.</p>
+
+      <p>When complete, a user will be able to run a minimal kernel
+	(currently checked in as the <tt>MINIMAL</tt> config).  Devices
+	necessary for booting will be loaded by <tt>loader(8)</tt>.  Other
+	devices may be loaded there, or early in the boot (depending on
+	which gives better performance).  Users will still be able to run
+	more "monolithic" configurations, as well as limit which
+	kernel modules are avalibale as can be done today, though without
+	the convenience that automatic loading will provide.  This work
+	remains ongoing.</p>
+    </body>
+
+    <help>
+      <task>
+	<p>Go through all the simplebus drivers and add
+	  plug-and-play information there.  Some additional minor simplebus
+	  functionality is needed.  There is some work in progress for
+	  this.</p>
+      </task>
+
+      <task>
+	<p>Go through all the PCI drivers and add plug-and-play
+	  information to them.  Unlike PC Card or USB, the PCI bus does
+	  not have a stylized table of PCI Ids, so each driver invents
+	  its own method, meaning that the semi-mechanical conversion
+	  that was done with PC Card and USB will not be possible.
+	  Instead, customized code for each dirver will be needed.
+	  Since a large number of drivers have their own device tables,
+	  the work will be primarily writing a description of the
+	  current table style.</p>
+      </task>
+
+      <task>
+	<p>Run-time parsing and loading is still needed.</p>
+      </task>
+    </help>
+  </project>
 </report>
