ast SPARC graphics drivers [PSARC/2008/667 FastTrack timeout 11/07/2008]

[Neal Pollack]

Dan Mick wrote:
> Garrett D'Amore wrote:
>> Alan Coopersmith wrote:
>>> Eric Sultan wrote:
>>>  
>>>>    /usr/X11/lib/modules/drivers/ast_drv.so    Uncommitted
>>>>     
>>> Is this from the same code that we get from X.Org and build in the X
>>> consolidation for x86?   Are we now maintaining two separate copies
>>> of this driver, one in SPARC Graphics consolidation and one in X 
>>> Consolidation?
>>>
>>>   
>> And further, can someone elaborate what hardware this is for?  (What 
>> SPARC platforms can use this driver?)
>
> strings shows
> Driver for ASPEED Graphics Chipsets
>
> google for "aspeed" and SPARC shows SunFire X4140,4240,4440, which are 
> all Opteron.  Searching the Sun System Handbook shows X2100/2200/2250, 
> which are Opteron/Opteron/Intel.
>
> so I dunno about SPARC versions.
>
>

The Aspeed AST2100 is a BMC/Service Processor chip.  It is used on 
several sun commercial and telco rack servers.
Sun is trying to move toward more common use of the same components for 
economy of scale across
product lines.

The service processor contains a VGA core that goes to an HD-15 VGA 
connector on the server
chassis, for local console use.  The chip also contains all the standard 
features of a service processor
like i2c bus, IPMI/Ilom type interface, local out-of-band NIC for remote 
mgmt, USB, LPC, and serial lines,
x32 PCI link to southbridge, and RMII link to main system NIC, etc.   
The VGA core requires the current
X.org ddx driver.
We use this on many of the x86 rack servers today.

I express the same concerns as Alan;  We need to use common code as much 
as possible, and ensure
that we do not create custom branches/forks that double our costs.
Can this, and will this use, the same X.org code for this chip being 
used for x86 today?
If not, why?

Thanks,

Neal