Re: at76c503a crashes on 2.6.21.3

Quoting [email protected]:

> I'm using this device on another machine (Windows) as well.
> If I install the above firmware, what will be the consequences?

From what I see in the code, the firmware is only loaded into the device if it's
not already present or the present version is too old.  So, the possibilities
would be:

1) The firmware is not present at startup.  This means that the firmware is
volatile and would disappear when the device is reconnected to the Windows
machine, leaving the card in the same state as it was before connecting to the
Linux machine.

2) The firmware is old and gets replaced by the driver.  The code for loading
the firmware is the same as for the case when there is no firmware, so the
firmware is not likely to be flashed permanently.

3) The firmware is present at startup and is new enough.  In this case, the
driver is asking for the firmware unnecessarily.  No firmware will be loaded by
the Linux driver.

Neither case should affect operation on a separate Windows machine.  But it's
just my speculation.  I cannot guarantee anything.  If you cannot afford any
risks, please use a separate card.

--
Regards,
Pavel Roskin