Since Windows 8 requirement asks below, I see a trend that OEM is moving wireless to HW-control to SW-control. That's also why some new systems never trigger hard-blocks. I was also told that there may be no "HW-GPIO" (my translation -> no hard-block) to control wireless in some of future systems. I do not have any details but will share / submit patches if this is going to impact Linux kernel. ============================================ System.Client.RadioManagement.HardwareButton If a PC has a physical (hardware) button switch on a PC that turns wireless radios on and off, it must be software controllable and interact appropriately with the Radio Management UI ============================================ I don't see the kernel parameter as a workaround, either. I agree with Gabriele that it is giving users an second option to choose how to use the hardware they purchased. On Wed, May 6, 2015 at 5:23 AM, Gabriele Mazzotta <gabriele.mzt@xxxxxxxxx> wrote: > On Thursday 30 April 2015 09:44:29 Pali Rohár wrote: >> On Thursday 30 April 2015 14:06:27 Alex Hung wrote: >> > Method ABRT is to be used by driver to disable BIOS handling of radio >> > button. So the changes in behaviours observed by Gabriele is expected. >> > I have seen other systems behave the same way. >> > >> >> Right, that after that ARBT call operating system get full control over >> radio devices and ACPI/BIOS will not automatically enable/disable them. >> I think this is OK. >> >> But for that we need also support for manually enable/disable radio >> devices and code for this support is missing. Or do DELLABCE/RBTN acpi >> devices somehow support enabling/disabling it via system/kernel request? >> >> > I do also see firmware only sends Notify(RBTN, 0x80) and no hard block >> > whether ABRT(1) is called or not. Thus keycode are the only option on >> > those machines. >> > >> >> Key is ok, but we *must* have ability to hard block it via some >> ACPI/WMI/BIOS/FW/etc... call. Otherwise ARBT(1) is no go as users should >> be able to enable/disable their radio devices (bluetooth for powersave) > > Does it really matter in the end? As I understand it, radio devices are > off either way. > >> > The idea to have an option (kernel parameter) for calling ABRT is >> > great. I can help verify on more machines. Is Gabriele's patch above a >> > final version that I should test? >> > >> >> No, I do not think so. This looks like hack or pure design. Kernel >> option could be there, but just for buggy BIOSes (and future changed >> design). >> >> But now it looks like for correct work is specifying that param >> required -- which is bad. >> >> Alex, can you ask Dell people how should system turn off e.g bluetooth >> or wifi device if ARTB(1) is called and system/kernel (instead ACPI) is >> expected to turn off/on blueooth (and wifi) devices? >> >> I think that without this information (and working driver for it) we >> should not enable ARTB(1) or including this driver into kernel tree as >> it will break some existing machines... > > I disagree. If we skip ARBT(1), userspace will get confused on laptops > like mine as it would receive two events: an rfkill event (because of > the BIOS shutting down radios) and a keypress (because of Alex's patch). > If we call ARBT(1), userspace will only receive the keypress and > userspace will correctly handle the devices. > > That's why I suggested the use of a kernel parameter. It was just a way > to allow users to choose one mode over another when they know they're > both available. It's not something users are required to do. > > I believe that in the end what really matters is that when function > keys are pressed something happens, be it the BIOS turning off radio > devices or the kernel telling userspace to do it, but not both. > >> Darren, I do not know what is better, but it looks like that some dell >> machines working fine now and some not (since begining). And after >> loading this driver some machines are fixed, but some which worked are >> broken... What do you think as maintainer? -- Cheers, Alex Hung -- To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe platform-driver-x86" in the body of a message to majordomo@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx More majordomo info at http://vger.kernel.org/majordomo-info.html
