Re: tlug: Re: kernel modules (was: Kernel rebuild problem)

[Chris Sekiya <chris@example.com>]

On Wed, 30 Sep 1998, Howard Abbey wrote:

> Speaking of interrupts, is it possible to share interrupts, as Win95
> hardware manager seems to do?  It would greatly ease my interrupt
> crunch. 

With ISA cards?  If the driver is written properly, it mostly works okay.
The problem is the way that interrupts are handled at the hardware level
(edge-triggered as opposed to level-triggered).

> Say I compile everything as modules.  When those modules are unloaded,
> take lpd for instance, can the interrupt be used for something else, say
> a pcmcia card?  I rarely use a printer, but don't want to be forced to
> eliminate support for it completely to free up int 7 for other stuff. Is
> this possible and I just missed a description somewhere?  Or am I
> dreaming. 

Hmmm.  The lp driver doesn't use the interrupt unless you explicitly tell
it to do so.  Back when printer support wasn't integrated onto the
motherboard, I cut the IRQ7 trace on the interface card with no ill
effects  (I did this because I didn't (and still don't) know if the
interface chip will blindly generate interrupts, and if so if it would
confuse other drivers).

-- Chris

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