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Date:      Sat, 12 Mar 2005 10:28:20 -0800
From:      Sam Leffler <sam@errno.com>
To:        Andre Oppermann <andre@freebsd.org>
Cc:        net@freebsd.org
Subject:   Re: Giant-free polling [PATCH]
Message-ID:  <423334C4.9060401@errno.com>
In-Reply-To: <42331EED.D7714E05@freebsd.org>
References:  <20050311110234.GA87255@cell.sick.ru> <E1D9kbt-000FAj-00._pppp-mail-ru@f22.mail.ru> <20050311141450.GF9291@darkness.comp.waw.pl> <20050311142805.GB88801@cell.sick.ru> <42320A3E.1020708@elischer.org> <20050311213544.GH9291@darkness.comp.waw.pl> <42322875.4030404@errno.com> <42331EED.D7714E05@freebsd.org>

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Andre Oppermann wrote:
> Sam Leffler wrote:
> 
>>Pawel Jakub Dawidek wrote:
>>
>>>On Fri, Mar 11, 2005 at 01:14:38PM -0800, Julian Elischer wrote:
>>>+> >P> There is still an unresolved problem (in your and our patch as well) of
>>>+> >P> using ifnet structure fields without synchronization, as we don't have
>>>+> >P> access tointerface's internal mutex, which protects those fields.
>>>+> >
>>>+> >
>>>+>
>>>+> you need to add an interface method that has access to it..
>>>
>>>I was thinking more about moving interface mutex into ifnet structure,
>>>but Robert has some objections IIRC.
>>>
>>
>>I don't know what Robert's objections are but I've considered doing it
>>for a while to deal with some locking issues in net80211-based drivers.
>>  The only issue I can see is if this mutex boxes drivers into a locking
>>model that interlocks the rx+tx paths.
> 
> 
> We don't want this.  This would paint us into a corner with modern
> high speed hardware that can hanle the rx+tx paths simulaneously.
> Depending on the hardware DMA model and driver architecture you
> want to have a different locking model.  I agree with Robert in
> objecting to this.
>


You did not read what I wrote.  The ath driver has separate tx+rx paths 
and it could benefit from the mutex being in the ifnet structure.

	Sam



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