Subject: Parallel Port support on Indy?

From: blaine <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 26 Mar 2002 18:56:54 -0800 (PST)

Hi there;

  I've recently acquired an Indy, and I'd like to use it as my closet
firewall/webserver/printer box. I've been able to install debian/woody
without event, and the linux_2_4 tag from sgi's cvs compiles fine,
giving me OSS sound support with the HAL2 and enabling the Vino video
system. X came working out of the box...

The only thing I *can't* do with the Indy is use the parallel port,
which, in my case, is the most important thing... As far as I can tell
from reading around, the Indy supports a standard SPP parallel port
(plus a bunch of extra modes that haven't been implemented in linux,
afaict), but has a different base i/o address in addition to having the
data and control addresses at different offsets. I tried playing around
with the constants in [header file that controls that stuff in
include/linux], and managed to get the parport_pc module to stop causing
a [non-fatal] kernel oops. Now it just says something is wrong. ;-)

I would like to pursue fixing this, but being a student and not having
any experience playing with low-level hardware or kernel hacking are
conspiring against me. Is getting parport support on the Indy a major
undertaking, or are there just a few tweaks that need to be made to
existing drivers?

Any help on this would be most appreciated.
Thanks,

blaine cook.

     _                                  .
    ( o> - INDEED.                     .o.
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___`\V_/__http://www.yellow5.com/pokey/__/____

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From: Ladislav Michl <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 27 Mar 2002 08:43:24 +0100

> Hi there;
hi,
> giving me OSS sound support with the HAL2 and enabling the Vino video
enabling the Vino video does currently nothing.
> The only thing I *can't* do with the Indy is use the parallel port,
no support for it.
> from reading around, the Indy supports a standard SPP parallel port
SPP, SGIPP (SGI parallel port), HPBPP (HP BOISE high speed parallel
port) and Ricoh scanner mode. there are two modes of operation -
register and DMA.
> afaict), but has a different base i/o address in addition to having the
all IP22 peripherals are memory maped.
> a [non-fatal] kernel oops. Now it just says something is wrong. ;-)
aieee :-) Indy's PP is based on PI1 chip developed by SGI, so the only
way to get it work is write something like parport_sgi... patches
welcome :-)
> conspiring against me. 
when i bring Indy to home i was in the same situation :-)
> Is getting parport support on the Indy a major undertaking, or are 
> there just a few tweaks that need to be made to existing drivers?
unfortunately you have to write your own driver.

	ladis