Date: Fri, 08 Jun 2012 17:27:29 +0100 From: Matthew Seaman <matthew@FreeBSD.org> To: Rick Miller <vmiller@hostileadmin.com> Cc: freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.org Subject: Re: How do I determine support for $xx? Message-ID: <4FD227F1.40607@FreeBSD.org> In-Reply-To: <CAHzLAVHJL-%2B5Aofcf%2BG8p19ZQX0s5QA=M4t5D7Hz%2B-Fwuoqkgg@mail.gmail.com> References: <CAHzLAVHJL-%2B5Aofcf%2BG8p19ZQX0s5QA=M4t5D7Hz%2B-Fwuoqkgg@mail.gmail.com>
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This is an OpenPGP/MIME signed message (RFC 2440 and 3156) --------------enig09D0C58E0119DEFF6AB16019 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable On 08/06/2012 16:07, Rick Miller wrote: > If this question is better suited for a different list please let me > know. Simply stated, my question is 'What is the best source for > identifying supported hardware?'. Having said that, allow me to pose > an example... >=20 > I've attempted to identify if various ethernet controllers are > supported by FreeBSD and the drivers. I used the hardware notes and > manpages for the respective ethernet drivers. The information between > the two sometimes seems inconsistent and/or inaccurate. For example, > the BCM5719 and BCM5720 are unsupported in FreeBSD at this time. The > hardware notes at freebsd.org do not specify these controllers are > supported. Inspection of the bge(4) manpage implies that the > controllers are supported as seen in the description section where it > states: >=20 > "The bge driver provides support for various NICs based on the > Broadcom BCM570x, 571x, 572x, 575x, 576x, 578x, 5776x and 5778x > Gigabit Ethernet controller chips and the 590x and 5779x Fast Ethernet > controller chips." The Hardware notes do not contain definitive lists of all of the hardware that is supported. Support for NICs generally goes by what chipset is used in the NIC, but may be confounded by some manufacturers using unusual firmware. If a particular device is listed in a man page, that indicates that device has been tested and is known to work. If the source code makes reference to a specific device, then generally that device will work too: part working or in-progress code is not generally committed to the FreeBSD sources. If a devices' chipset is listed in a man page, but there's no reference to a specific device, then the device stands a good chance of working. If such a device doesn't work, then frequently it can be fixed quite easily by specifying appropriate device quirks. > I browsed the source and found many references to the BCM5719 and > BCM5720. However, I am unfamiliar enough with driver programming in C > to identify if a controller is fully supported. >=20 > Also, I attempted to identify whether the Intel i350 is supported. > It's not listed in the hardware notes or the igb(4) manpage so I > suspect it is not supported. When I view the igb source, the i350 is > referenced numerous times. Are these references simply code in > preparation for support of the i350? As I said above, this would be unusual. The development process in FreeBSD nowadays is to work on projects (eg. the addition of a driver for a new piece of hardware) off-line and only commit the code to the mainline sources once it is basically complete and ready for exposure to a wider audience for testing. Ultimately the best way to tell if any particular device is supported is to try it. There are plenty of USB-stick images of FreeBSD or PC-BSD readily downloadable so you can test boot up a candidate machine without committing to install the OS on it. While most manufacturers won't "support" FreeBSD per-se, if you can find the right sort of techy person to talk to, they'll often tip you off about whether FreeBSD is known to work or not. Hardware from big-name suppliers (Dell, HP and the like for complete systems; Intel, Broadcomm for NICs) is a priority for support although it may take a few months for the code to become generally available for the newest bits of kit. In fact, so long as the components you want to use have been on the market for around 6 months (very approximately) and they are aimed at use in server hardware rather than personal or casual use, the chances are good that they will just work in FreeBSD. Cheers, Matthew --=20 Dr Matthew J Seaman MA, D.Phil. PGP: http://www.infracaninophile.co.uk/pgpkey --------------enig09D0C58E0119DEFF6AB16019 Content-Type: application/pgp-signature; name="signature.asc" Content-Description: OpenPGP digital signature Content-Disposition: attachment; filename="signature.asc" -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: GnuPG/MacGPG2 v2.0.16 (Darwin) Comment: Using GnuPG with Mozilla - http://enigmail.mozdev.org/ iEYEARECAAYFAk/SJ/gACgkQ8Mjk52CukIx9AwCfXhhkv51S8to50G6iNXFXIlpa NMQAnjwvmP4FbYhMBvcRXjIZVAI4dKnG =jRZT -----END PGP SIGNATURE----- --------------enig09D0C58E0119DEFF6AB16019--
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