>>>>> "jl" == James Lever <j...@jamver.id.au> writes:
jl> I thought they were both closed source
yes, both are closed source / proprietary. If you are really confused
and not just trying to pick a dictionary fight, I can start saying
``closed source / proprietary'' on Solaris lists from now on.
On Linux lists, ``proprietary'' is clear enough, but maybe the people
around here are different.
jl> and that the LSI chipset specifications were proprietary.
<shrug> I don't know about specifications, but I do know that Linux
has an open source driver for 1068, and Solaris has an open source
driver for 1078.
Getting source without specifications is a problem, though, yes, if
you want to track down a bug in the driver or write a driver for
another OS.
The other problem is, with both chips but especially with the 1078, it
soudns like these cards are very ``firmware'' heavy, and the firmware
is proprietary. This causes the complaints here that 'hd' (smartctl
equivalent) doesn't work. And that with PERC/1078 they have to make
RAID0's of each disk with LSI labels on the disk which blocks moving
the disk from one controller to another---meaning a broken controller
could potentially toast your whole zpool no matter what disk
redundancy you had, unless you figure out some way to escape the trap.
If not for the ``closed-source / proprietary'' firmware, these two
problems could never persist.
so, there is still no SATA driver for Solaris that:
* is open-source.
like a fully-open stack, not just ``here look! here is some source.
is that a rabbit over there?'' open-source meaning I can add
smartctl or DVD writer or NCQ support without bumping into some
strange blob that stops me. open-source meaning I can swap out a
disk without having to run any proprietary code to ``bless'' the
disk first. no BIOS bluescreen garbage either.
* supports NCQ and hotplug
* performs well and doesn't have a lot of bugs, like ``freezes'' and
so on
* works on x86 and SPARC
* comes in card form so it can achieve high port density
on Linux, both Marvell and LSI 1068 driver come close to or meet all
these. (smartctl DOES work with Linux's open source 1068 driver.)
Sun has more leverage with LSI than Linux not less because they are an
actual customer of LSI's chips for the hardware they sell---even
ditched Marvell for LSI!---yet they do worse on driver openness
negotiation and then try to blame LSI's whim, and tell random scmuck
user to ``go complain to LSI'' when we are not LSI's customer, Sun is.
The issue gets more complicated, but not better, IMHO.
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