RE: 2.4.x parport_serial link order bug (only works as a module)

[Ed Vance <EdV@macrolink.com>]

Hi Marcelo,

on Thu, November 20, 2003 at 7:23 AM, Marek Michalkiewicz wrote:
> I've just looked at the 2.4.x changelog (up to 2.4.23-rc2) and still
> don't see any fix for the parport_serial link order bug fix.  Without
> it, the driver (which handles various PCI multi I/O serial+parallel
> cards) only works as a module (broken when compiled into the kernel,
> because parport_serial must be initialised after serial).
> 
> I've tried to submit the fix a few times since 2.4.19 or so, with
> no success so far.  Is there any hope that it would go into 2.4.23?
> 
> The patch is here (can be updated to 2.4.23-rc if you are interested):
> 
> http://www.amelek.gda.pl/linux-patches/2.4.21/00_parport_serial
> 
> Quite big, but the largest part of it simply moves parport_serial.c
> from drivers/parport/ to drivers/char/ without changing a single line
> inside the file.  Really, no 2-line local root backdoors inserted ;-)
> 
> In the same directory, you can also find the NetMos patch, 
> which should
> be applied after the parport_serial link order bugfix patch.  Yes, I'm
> still using a few NM9835 cards, no problems except having to 
> patch each
> kernel version forever.  This boring task would be easier for me if at
> least the simple parport_serial link order fix would be accepted...

Russell King looked at this about a year ago and found no specific flaw with
moving the parport_serial.c file from drivers/parport/ to drivers/char to
solve the ordering issue: 

On Mon, Sep 30, 2002 at 2:49 AM, Russell King wrote:
[snip] 
> Other than it's a gross hack rather than a fix.  However, for 2.4, I
> think this is probably the best solution without creating a risk of
> other init ordering problems.  Ed, any comments?
> 
> In 2.5, its easier to solve; we just need to make sure serial is
> initialised before parport.  This is easy, since serial now has its
> own drivers/serial subdirectory.

I think it should go into 2.4. It fixes this particular ordering issue
without mucking about with the ordering mechanism or even adding code. I'm
sorry to say that I had forgotten about it. It's a good minimum-change
brute-force umm... solution. No bloat or complexity issues. 

At your convenience, please move the parport_serial.c file and apply the
corresponding Makefile changes. 

cheers,
Ed Vance