Re: new device driver features

Also, for i2c, do we want to use the kernel interfaces or re-implement
in our lib?  I suppose it depends on if the kernel supports i2c.  linux
does, not sure about the bsds.

Alex

--- Jon Smirl <jonsmirl-/[email protected]> wrote:
> We might also want to try building a model where the server doesn't
> need to run
> with root priv. What would be the issues with removing the need for
> root?
> 
> Here is a first pass at a split....
> 
> Device driver:
> > Query card capabilities:
> > 	- amount of VRAM
> > 	- number of screens
> > 	- make/model info
> > 	- interrupt #  (Jon Smirl)
> > 	- more?
> OS probing
> OS events - interrupt, power management
> Current DRM functions
> 
> Device specific library:
> > Cursor:
> > 	- show/hide
> > 	- get/set position
> > 	- get/set cursor image
> > 	- more?
> > Display:
> > 	- query supported display modes (for each screen)
> > 	- set display mode (for each screen)
> > 	- set start address/stride for scanning out the framebuffer
> > 	- set hardware colormap
> > 	- enable/disable each screen
> > 	- stereo mode
> > 	- setup hardware video overlays
> > 	- enable shadow display / TV-out  (Jon Smirl)
> > 	- enable ROM to get PLL values  (Jon Smirl)
> > 	- more?
> 
> Common code library:
> > Memory:
> > 	- allocate/free VRAM
> > 	- AGP allocation?
> > 	- map VRAM into process address space
> > Initialization:
> vm86 support so we can make BIOS calls when there is no other choice.
> > 	- ability to resent a secondary card; only primary cards
> > 	  are reset at boot by the BIOS.  (Jon Smirl)
> > 	- more?
> > 	- write a utility library of routines generally useful to most
> drivers
> > 		- EDID parsing
> > 		- frame buffer memory allocation
> > 		- I2C
> > 		- mode line files, etc.
> > Monitor:
> > 	- query monitor's parameters/limits (DDC / EDID?)
> > 	- fall back to a config file for monitors without DDC/EDID  (Jon
> Smirl)
> > 	- more?
> > Misc:
> > 	- hot-swap ability (change monitors)  (Alex Deucher)
> > 	- power management  (Alex Deucher)
> > Rendering:
> > 	- negotiate DMA based rendering?
> > 	- OpenGL renderer as an intrinsic piece, or layered?
> > 	- simple, built-in rendering (like blits)?
> > 	- more?
> > 
> > Jon Smirl
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> > 
> > "PCI probing and resource allocation needs to be done by the OS.
> > 
> > It shouldn't be very hard to write a minimal driver that used the
> OS
> > for probing and then exposed the frame buffer. That would allow
> > software mesa/xserver to run on a lot of different hardware to
> begin
> > with. We can then come around later and fix the acceleration.
> > 
> > I'm also against having multiple device drivers trying to share the
> > same piece of hardware. There is an awful lot of code in the XFree
> > drivers trying to support multitasking of two device drivers on the
> > same piece of hardware. You can easily fool this code and lock up
> your
> > system once you know where the holes are. There is also the issue
> of
> > saving/restore of complete hardware state between the drivers.
> > 
> > Coexistence with framebuffer can be achieved by booting on
> > framebuffer, but as soon as the new driver loads, deactivate the
> > framebuffer driver. Systems that don't run xserver would continue
> on
> > with framebuffer. Also note that most PCs, Mac, Sun boxes don't
> need
> > framebufer installed to boot since they have BIOS based video
> support.
> > 
> > Under the new scheme each VT would have it own buffer. A VT switch
> > would just tell the compositing engine to make one of these buffers
> > full screen."
> > 
> >
>
----------------------------------------------------------------------
> > 
> > 
> > _______________________________________________
> > Xserver mailing list
> > Xserver-u7BhqnqprCWvj1b/[email protected]
> > http://pdx.freedesktop.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/xserver
> 
> =====
> Jon Smirl
> jonsmirl-/[email protected]
> 
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