Re: [PATCH] net/ethernet/sgi: Code cleanup

From: Joshua Kinard
Date: Thu Oct 19 2017 - 22:01:11 EST


On 10/19/2017 08:27, David Miller wrote:
> From: Joshua Kinard <kumba@xxxxxxxxxx>
> Date: Tue, 17 Oct 2017 13:54:30 -0400
>
>> From: Joshua Kinard <kumba@xxxxxxxxxx>
>>
>> The below patch attempts to clean up the code for the in-tree driver
>> for IOC3 ethernet and serial console support, primarily used by SGI
>> MIPS platforms. Notable changes include:
>>
>> - Lots of whitespace cleanup
>> - Using shorthand integer types (u16, u32, etc) where appropriate
>
> These seem to be arbitrary, "unsigned int" is a fine value for a
> hash computation.

I can back those changes out if you'd like. I was aiming more for consistency.
There is one specific change that is required, where the IP protocol number is
being parsed into a signed char field when it should be unsigned char. I can
send that in as its own patch if you'd like.


> You're also making many different kinds of changes in one patch
> which makes it very difficult to review.

This patch is more of a preparation patch, because I have additional pending
changes to move towards using the IOC3 "metadriver" (drivers/sn/ioc3.c) on the
supported MIPS/SGI systems. That metadriver is only used by IA64 right now.
The changes in this patch were primarily to reduce the diff size of the
metadriver patch when I get time to get it cleaned up.

I can either try for a v2 of this patch to split it up, or hold off and make it
part of the metadriver patch. I figured since that patch will need to go
through several subsystem reviewers, better to try sending this one in first.


> This driver is also for such ancient hardware, that the risk
> of potentially breaking the driver far outweighs the value of
> "cleaning up" the code.

I am familiar with this hardware, actually. I have several SGI machines
powered on periodically that use this particular chip, and am familiar with its
quirks and frustrations. Although it's been a while since I tested this
specific batch of changes by itself, the last time I did, the machine booted
fine. With the metadriver patch applied on top, I know this driver works
well-enough.

--
Joshua Kinard
Gentoo/MIPS
kumba@xxxxxxxxxx
6144R/F5C6C943 2015-04-27
177C 1972 1FB8 F254 BAD0 3E72 5C63 F4E3 F5C6 C943

"The past tempts us, the present confuses us, the future frightens us. And our
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