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Re: eCos Wifi/WPA support


On 2008-09-16, Chris Zimman <czimman@bloomberg.com> wrote:

>> Sorry to be dense, but I don't understand what you mean by
>> "provide the MAC level interface in software".  Does that mean
>> that the Wifi chipset basically replaces the PHY and you have
>> to do the equivalent of what a MAC does in software? Do you
>> mean that you have to handle the incoming/outgoing data in
>> real-time a nibble at a time rather than a frame at a time?
>
> I mean the 802.11 framework.  Take a look at
> drivers/net/wireless and net/mac80211 in the Linux kernel to
> get an idea of what you'd be looking at.

OK, thanks.  I know of some eCos-based products with Wifi, so
they presumably wrote their own 802.11 framework.  The other
option would be to switch from eCos to uCLinux.

>> I think we can assume that the interface spec for the Wifi
>> chip would be available from the manufacturer.  I can't
>> imagine a vendor expecting to get a design win without
>> providing specs for the part in question.
>
> For a lot of them they're not.  The big design wins are for
> Windows, not for eCos.  A lot of the manufacturers typically
> will not entertain customer volumes of less than several
> hundred thousand parts for WiFi parts.
>
> If you want access in smaller volumes, you typically have to
> go via a WiFi module vendor, and they typically will not
> provide driver source either.

A module with a PCI or PCI-express interface would suffice, but
I would need HW specs sufficient for writing a driver.

> Two of the more open source friendly WiFi vendors are Atheros
> (recently I hear anyway) and Realtek.
>
> Broadcom and Marvell (probably two of the most popular
> chipsets out there) don't provide open source drivers,

The availability of open-source drivers may not be important
(though it would be nice if they were open-source).

> and generally don't want to talk to you without serious
> volume.

That would be a problem.  My volumes (a few thousand a year)
are definitely not "serious" by IC vendor standards.

-- 
Grant Edwards                   grante             Yow! My polyvinyl cowboy
                                  at               wallet was made in Hong
                               visi.com            Kong by Montgomery Clift!


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