[PATCH 0/2] net: ethernet: Remove the 8390 network drivers

STALE1821d

6 messages, 4 authors, 2021-08-09 · open the first message on its own page

[PATCH 0/2] net: ethernet: Remove the 8390 network drivers

From: Cai Huoqing <hidden>
Date: 2021-08-07 14:56:58

commit <0cf445ceaf43> ("<netdev: Update status of 8390 based drivers>")
indicated the 8390 network drivers as orphan/obsolete in Jan 2011,
updated in the MAINTAINERS file.

now, after being exposed for 10 years to refactoring and
no one has become its maintainer for the past 10 years,
so to remove the 8390 network drivers for good.

additionally, 8390 is a kind of old ethernet chip based on
ISA interface which is hard to find in the market. 

Cai Huoqing (2):
  net: ethernet: Remove the 8390 network drivers
  MAINTAINERS: Remove the 8390 network drivers info

 MAINTAINERS                           |    6 -
 drivers/net/ethernet/8390/8390.c      |  103 --
 drivers/net/ethernet/8390/8390.h      |  236 ----
 drivers/net/ethernet/8390/8390p.c     |  105 --
 drivers/net/ethernet/8390/Kconfig     |  212 ---
 drivers/net/ethernet/8390/Makefile    |   20 -
 drivers/net/ethernet/8390/apne.c      |  619 ---------
 drivers/net/ethernet/8390/ax88796.c   | 1022 ---------------
 drivers/net/ethernet/8390/axnet_cs.c  | 1707 ------------------------
 drivers/net/ethernet/8390/etherh.c    |  856 -------------
 drivers/net/ethernet/8390/hydra.c     |  273 ----
 drivers/net/ethernet/8390/lib8390.c   | 1092 ----------------
 drivers/net/ethernet/8390/mac8390.c   |  848 ------------
 drivers/net/ethernet/8390/mcf8390.c   |  475 -------
 drivers/net/ethernet/8390/ne.c        | 1004 ---------------
 drivers/net/ethernet/8390/ne2k-pci.c  |  747 -----------
 drivers/net/ethernet/8390/pcnet_cs.c  | 1708 -------------------------
 drivers/net/ethernet/8390/smc-ultra.c |  629 ---------
 drivers/net/ethernet/8390/stnic.c     |  303 -----
 drivers/net/ethernet/8390/wd.c        |  574 ---------
 drivers/net/ethernet/8390/xsurf100.c  |  377 ------
 drivers/net/ethernet/8390/zorro8390.c |  452 -------
 drivers/net/ethernet/Kconfig          |    1 -
 drivers/net/ethernet/Makefile         |    1 -
 24 files changed, 13370 deletions(-)
 delete mode 100644 drivers/net/ethernet/8390/8390.c
 delete mode 100644 drivers/net/ethernet/8390/8390.h
 delete mode 100644 drivers/net/ethernet/8390/8390p.c
 delete mode 100644 drivers/net/ethernet/8390/Kconfig
 delete mode 100644 drivers/net/ethernet/8390/Makefile
 delete mode 100644 drivers/net/ethernet/8390/apne.c
 delete mode 100644 drivers/net/ethernet/8390/ax88796.c
 delete mode 100644 drivers/net/ethernet/8390/axnet_cs.c
 delete mode 100644 drivers/net/ethernet/8390/etherh.c
 delete mode 100644 drivers/net/ethernet/8390/hydra.c
 delete mode 100644 drivers/net/ethernet/8390/lib8390.c
 delete mode 100644 drivers/net/ethernet/8390/mac8390.c
 delete mode 100644 drivers/net/ethernet/8390/mcf8390.c
 delete mode 100644 drivers/net/ethernet/8390/ne.c
 delete mode 100644 drivers/net/ethernet/8390/ne2k-pci.c
 delete mode 100644 drivers/net/ethernet/8390/pcnet_cs.c
 delete mode 100644 drivers/net/ethernet/8390/smc-ultra.c
 delete mode 100644 drivers/net/ethernet/8390/stnic.c
 delete mode 100644 drivers/net/ethernet/8390/wd.c
 delete mode 100644 drivers/net/ethernet/8390/xsurf100.c
 delete mode 100644 drivers/net/ethernet/8390/zorro8390.c

-- 
2.25.1

Re: [PATCH 0/2] net: ethernet: Remove the 8390 network drivers

From: Michael Schmitz <schmitzmic@gmail.com>
Date: 2021-08-07 22:50:38

Cai,

a number of the 8390 drivers are still in active use on legacy 
architectures. These drivers get occasional updates (not just bugfixes, 
but support for 'new' network cards - I have a patch to add X-Surf 500 
support somewhere in the pipline).

Removing the 8390 drivers would leave most m68k legacy systems without 
networking support.

Unless there is a clear and compelling reason to do so, these drivers 
should not be removed.

Cheers,

	Michael

Am 08.08.2021 um 02:56 schrieb Cai Huoqing:
commit <0cf445ceaf43> ("<netdev: Update status of 8390 based drivers>")
indicated the 8390 network drivers as orphan/obsolete in Jan 2011,
updated in the MAINTAINERS file.

now, after being exposed for 10 years to refactoring and
no one has become its maintainer for the past 10 years,
so to remove the 8390 network drivers for good.

additionally, 8390 is a kind of old ethernet chip based on
ISA interface which is hard to find in the market.

Cai Huoqing (2):
  net: ethernet: Remove the 8390 network drivers
  MAINTAINERS: Remove the 8390 network drivers info

 MAINTAINERS                           |    6 -
 drivers/net/ethernet/8390/8390.c      |  103 --
 drivers/net/ethernet/8390/8390.h      |  236 ----
 drivers/net/ethernet/8390/8390p.c     |  105 --
 drivers/net/ethernet/8390/Kconfig     |  212 ---
 drivers/net/ethernet/8390/Makefile    |   20 -
 drivers/net/ethernet/8390/apne.c      |  619 ---------
 drivers/net/ethernet/8390/ax88796.c   | 1022 ---------------
 drivers/net/ethernet/8390/axnet_cs.c  | 1707 ------------------------
 drivers/net/ethernet/8390/etherh.c    |  856 -------------
 drivers/net/ethernet/8390/hydra.c     |  273 ----
 drivers/net/ethernet/8390/lib8390.c   | 1092 ----------------
 drivers/net/ethernet/8390/mac8390.c   |  848 ------------
 drivers/net/ethernet/8390/mcf8390.c   |  475 -------
 drivers/net/ethernet/8390/ne.c        | 1004 ---------------
 drivers/net/ethernet/8390/ne2k-pci.c  |  747 -----------
 drivers/net/ethernet/8390/pcnet_cs.c  | 1708 -------------------------
 drivers/net/ethernet/8390/smc-ultra.c |  629 ---------
 drivers/net/ethernet/8390/stnic.c     |  303 -----
 drivers/net/ethernet/8390/wd.c        |  574 ---------
 drivers/net/ethernet/8390/xsurf100.c  |  377 ------
 drivers/net/ethernet/8390/zorro8390.c |  452 -------
 drivers/net/ethernet/Kconfig          |    1 -
 drivers/net/ethernet/Makefile         |    1 -
 24 files changed, 13370 deletions(-)
 delete mode 100644 drivers/net/ethernet/8390/8390.c
 delete mode 100644 drivers/net/ethernet/8390/8390.h
 delete mode 100644 drivers/net/ethernet/8390/8390p.c
 delete mode 100644 drivers/net/ethernet/8390/Kconfig
 delete mode 100644 drivers/net/ethernet/8390/Makefile
 delete mode 100644 drivers/net/ethernet/8390/apne.c
 delete mode 100644 drivers/net/ethernet/8390/ax88796.c
 delete mode 100644 drivers/net/ethernet/8390/axnet_cs.c
 delete mode 100644 drivers/net/ethernet/8390/etherh.c
 delete mode 100644 drivers/net/ethernet/8390/hydra.c
 delete mode 100644 drivers/net/ethernet/8390/lib8390.c
 delete mode 100644 drivers/net/ethernet/8390/mac8390.c
 delete mode 100644 drivers/net/ethernet/8390/mcf8390.c
 delete mode 100644 drivers/net/ethernet/8390/ne.c
 delete mode 100644 drivers/net/ethernet/8390/ne2k-pci.c
 delete mode 100644 drivers/net/ethernet/8390/pcnet_cs.c
 delete mode 100644 drivers/net/ethernet/8390/smc-ultra.c
 delete mode 100644 drivers/net/ethernet/8390/stnic.c
 delete mode 100644 drivers/net/ethernet/8390/wd.c
 delete mode 100644 drivers/net/ethernet/8390/xsurf100.c
 delete mode 100644 drivers/net/ethernet/8390/zorro8390.c

Re: [PATCH 0/2] net: ethernet: Remove the 8390 network drivers

From: Arnd Bergmann <arnd@arndb.de>
Date: 2021-08-08 19:50:02

On Sun, Aug 8, 2021 at 12:51 AM Michael Schmitz [off-list ref] wrote:
Removing the 8390 drivers would leave most m68k legacy systems without
networking support.

Unless there is a clear and compelling reason to do so, these drivers
should not be removed.
Right, any driver that is tied to a particular machine should generally
be left working as long as we support that machine.
quoted
 MAINTAINERS                           |    6 -
 drivers/net/ethernet/8390/8390.c      |  103 --
 drivers/net/ethernet/8390/8390.h      |  236 ----
 drivers/net/ethernet/8390/8390p.c     |  105 --
 drivers/net/ethernet/8390/Kconfig     |  212 ---
 drivers/net/ethernet/8390/Makefile    |   20 -
 drivers/net/ethernet/8390/apne.c      |  619 ---------
 drivers/net/ethernet/8390/ax88796.c   | 1022 ---------------
 drivers/net/ethernet/8390/axnet_cs.c  | 1707 ------------------------
 drivers/net/ethernet/8390/etherh.c    |  856 -------------
 drivers/net/ethernet/8390/hydra.c     |  273 ----
 drivers/net/ethernet/8390/lib8390.c   | 1092 ----------------
 drivers/net/ethernet/8390/mac8390.c   |  848 ------------
 drivers/net/ethernet/8390/mcf8390.c   |  475 -------
 drivers/net/ethernet/8390/ne.c        | 1004 ---------------
 drivers/net/ethernet/8390/ne2k-pci.c  |  747 -----------
 drivers/net/ethernet/8390/pcnet_cs.c  | 1708 -------------------------
 drivers/net/ethernet/8390/smc-ultra.c |  629 ---------
 drivers/net/ethernet/8390/stnic.c     |  303 -----
 drivers/net/ethernet/8390/wd.c        |  574 ---------
 drivers/net/ethernet/8390/xsurf100.c  |  377 ------
 drivers/net/ethernet/8390/zorro8390.c |  452 -------
Two candidates I can see for removing would be smc-ultra and
wd80x3, both of them fairly rare ISA cards. The only other
ISA 8390 variant is the ne2000 driver (ne.c), which is probably
the most common ISA card overall, and I'd suggest leaving
that in place for as long as we support CONFIG_ISA.

There are a couple of other ISA-only network drivers (localtalk,
arcnet,  ethernet/amd) that may be candidates for removal,
or perhaps some PCMCIA ones.

      Arnd

Re: [PATCH 0/2] net: ethernet: Remove the 8390 network drivers

From: Michael Schmitz <schmitzmic@gmail.com>
Date: 2021-08-08 20:38:13

Hi Arnd,

On 9/08/21 7:49 am, Arnd Bergmann wrote:
On Sun, Aug 8, 2021 at 12:51 AM Michael Schmitz [off-list ref] wrote:
quoted
Removing the 8390 drivers would leave most m68k legacy systems without
networking support.

Unless there is a clear and compelling reason to do so, these drivers
should not be removed.
Right, any driver that is tied to a particular machine should generally
be left working as long as we support that machine.
Thanks - if it was any help to alleviate the maintenance burden, I'd be 
happy to help look after that section of the network drivers.
quoted
quoted
  MAINTAINERS                           |    6 -
  drivers/net/ethernet/8390/8390.c      |  103 --
  drivers/net/ethernet/8390/8390.h      |  236 ----
  drivers/net/ethernet/8390/8390p.c     |  105 --
  drivers/net/ethernet/8390/Kconfig     |  212 ---
  drivers/net/ethernet/8390/Makefile    |   20 -
  drivers/net/ethernet/8390/apne.c      |  619 ---------
  drivers/net/ethernet/8390/ax88796.c   | 1022 ---------------
  drivers/net/ethernet/8390/axnet_cs.c  | 1707 ------------------------
  drivers/net/ethernet/8390/etherh.c    |  856 -------------
  drivers/net/ethernet/8390/hydra.c     |  273 ----
  drivers/net/ethernet/8390/lib8390.c   | 1092 ----------------
  drivers/net/ethernet/8390/mac8390.c   |  848 ------------
  drivers/net/ethernet/8390/mcf8390.c   |  475 -------
  drivers/net/ethernet/8390/ne.c        | 1004 ---------------
  drivers/net/ethernet/8390/ne2k-pci.c  |  747 -----------
  drivers/net/ethernet/8390/pcnet_cs.c  | 1708 -------------------------
  drivers/net/ethernet/8390/smc-ultra.c |  629 ---------
  drivers/net/ethernet/8390/stnic.c     |  303 -----
  drivers/net/ethernet/8390/wd.c        |  574 ---------
  drivers/net/ethernet/8390/xsurf100.c  |  377 ------
  drivers/net/ethernet/8390/zorro8390.c |  452 -------
Two candidates I can see for removing would be smc-ultra and
wd80x3, both of them fairly rare ISA cards. The only other
ISA 8390 variant is the ne2000 driver (ne.c), which is probably
the most common ISA card overall, and I'd suggest leaving
that in place for as long as we support CONFIG_ISA.
That particular driver is the one I rely on (via a weird ROM-port to ISA 
bridge). Would be useful even after ISA bus support is gone, in that 
case. Just saying. The Amiga and Mac drivers likewise. Though you may 
well argue that once ISA support has been removed, these can all be 
rewritten to support MMIO more directly (and more flexibly).
There are a couple of other ISA-only network drivers (localtalk,
arcnet,  ethernet/amd) that may be candidates for removal,
or perhaps some PCMCIA ones.
ethernet/amd has the other set of network card drivers used on m68k 
(*lance).

Cheers,

     Michael

       Arnd

Re: [PATCH 0/2] net: ethernet: Remove the 8390 network drivers

From: Arnd Bergmann <arnd@arndb.de>
Date: 2021-08-08 21:10:01

On Sun, Aug 8, 2021 at 10:39 PM Michael Schmitz [off-list ref] wrote:
quoted
Two candidates I can see for removing would be smc-ultra and
wd80x3, both of them fairly rare ISA cards. The only other
ISA 8390 variant is the ne2000 driver (ne.c), which is probably
the most common ISA card overall, and I'd suggest leaving
that in place for as long as we support CONFIG_ISA.
That particular driver is the one I rely on (via a weird ROM-port to ISA
bridge). Would be useful even after ISA bus support is gone, in that
case. Just saying. The Amiga and Mac drivers likewise. Though you may
well argue that once ISA support has been removed, these can all be
rewritten to support MMIO more directly (and more flexibly).
I don't think we are anywhere near removing ISA support (probably
not before removing EISA, which in turn is required for some platforms),
but that was what I implied: No point removing NE2000 support as long as
there are platforms or bus types using that driver (Q40, Atari, TX49xx),
and even the ISA version of NE2000 may outlive other CONFIG_ISA
itself because it is a typical emulation target.
quoted
There are a couple of other ISA-only network drivers (localtalk,
arcnet,  ethernet/amd) that may be candidates for removal,
or perhaps some PCMCIA ones.
ethernet/amd has the other set of network card drivers used on m68k
(*lance).
Same here, I specifically mean the drivers that are /only/ used for ISA
here: CONFIG_LANCE and CONFIG_NI65, not the various other lance
variants.

       Arnd

Re: [PATCH 0/2] net: ethernet: Remove the 8390 network drivers

From: Geert Uytterhoeven <geert@linux-m68k.org>
Date: 2021-08-09 11:57:39

On Sun, Aug 8, 2021 at 12:50 AM Michael Schmitz [off-list ref] wrote:
a number of the 8390 drivers are still in active use on legacy
architectures. These drivers get occasional updates (not just bugfixes,
Exactly.
but support for 'new' network cards - I have a patch to add X-Surf 500
support somewhere in the pipline).
According to the picture on [1], the X-Surf 500 is from 2018.
The ASIX AX88796B[2] it is based on seems to be readily available,
so new designs may still use the "obsolete" 8390.

[1] https://icomp.de/shop-icomp/en/produkt-details/product/x-surf-500.html
[2] https://www.asix.com.tw/en/product/EmbeddedEthernet/1-Port_Ethernet/AX88796B
Am 08.08.2021 um 02:56 schrieb Cai Huoqing:
quoted
commit <0cf445ceaf43> ("<netdev: Update status of 8390 based drivers>")
indicated the 8390 network drivers as orphan/obsolete in Jan 2011,
updated in the MAINTAINERS file.

now, after being exposed for 10 years to refactoring and
no one has become its maintainer for the past 10 years,
so to remove the 8390 network drivers for good.

additionally, 8390 is a kind of old ethernet chip based on
ISA interface which is hard to find in the market.
Gr{oetje,eeting}s,

                        Geert

-- 
Geert Uytterhoeven -- There's lots of Linux beyond ia32 -- geert@linux-m68k.org

In personal conversations with technical people, I call myself a hacker. But
when I'm talking to journalists I just say "programmer" or something like that.
                                -- Linus Torvalds
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