linux/drivers/staging/brcm80211
Andy Shevchenko 48c51a8cf4 staging: brcm80211: use string native library
Signed-off-by: Andy Shevchenko <andy.shevchenko@gmail.com>
Signed-off-by: Greg Kroah-Hartman <gregkh@suse.de>
2010-09-16 12:51:56 -07:00
..
include staging: brcm80211: use string native library 2010-09-16 12:51:56 -07:00
phy staging: brcm80211: use string native library 2010-09-16 12:51:56 -07:00
sys staging: brcm80211: use string native library 2010-09-16 12:51:56 -07:00
util staging: brcm80211: use string native library 2010-09-16 12:51:56 -07:00
Kconfig Staging: Add initial release of brcm80211 - Broadcom 802.11n wireless LAN driver. 2010-09-08 23:09:11 -07:00
Makefile Staging: Add initial release of brcm80211 - Broadcom 802.11n wireless LAN driver. 2010-09-08 23:09:11 -07:00
Module.symvers Staging: Add initial release of brcm80211 - Broadcom 802.11n wireless LAN driver. 2010-09-08 23:09:11 -07:00
README staging: brcm80211: Fix URLs for firmware files. 2010-09-14 08:25:15 -07:00
TODO staging: brcm80211: Add contact info to TODO list. 2010-09-14 08:15:52 -07:00

Broadcom Mac80211 driver

This is a driver in progress.  It has features still to be implemented well as
bugs in current code.


What's here and not here
=======================
- Completely open source host driver, no binary object files
- Features Broadcom's OneDriver architecture (single source base for
  supported chips and architectures)
- On-chip firmware loaded using standard request_firmware()
- Support for BCM43224, BCM43225, BCM4313 (PCIe NIC)
- Framework for supporting new chips, including mac80211-aware embedded chips
- Does not support older PCI/PCIe chips with SSB backplane
- Driver includes BMAC interface for transparent dongle support
- Uses minstrel_ht rate algorithm
- HW based encryption not enabled yet


What's done
==========
- Integration with mac80211 stack
- A-MPDU single & dual stream rates
- BCM43224:	Dualband, Dual stream, 20MHz channels
	Throughput (in chamber): ~85-90 Mbits/sec (in both 2.4 & 5 GHz bands)
- BCM43225:	2.4 GHz, Dual Stream, 20MHz channels
	Throughput (in chamber): ~85-90 Mbits/sec
- BCM4313:		2.4 GHz, Single Stream
	Throughput (in chamber): ~40 Mbits/sec


Things To Be Done
=================
See the TODO file


Firmware installation
======================
Firmware is available from the Linux firmware repository at:

	git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/dwmw2/linux-firmware.git
	http://git.kernel.org/?p=linux/kernel/git/dwmw2/linux-firmware.git
	https://git.kernel.org/?p=linux/kernel/git/dwmw2/linux-firmware.git

For all chips, copy brcm/bcm43xx-0-610-809-0.fw and
brcm/bcm43xx_hdr-0-610-809-0.fw to /lib/firmware/brcm (or wherever firmware is
normally installed on the system).  In the /lib/firmware/brcm directory, then
create the following symlinks:

	ln -s bcm43xx-0-610-809-0.fw bcm43xx-0.fw
	ln -s bcm43xx_hdr-0-610-809-0.fw bcm43xx_hdr-0.fw


Currently supported chips
==============
PCI
Name		Device ID
BCM4313		0x4727
BCM43224	0x4353
BCM43225	0x4357


Bugs/Problems
==============
- Driver can get confused while scanning during high throughput, can cause
  burping, hanging, and possible crashing.
- Occasional hangs & burps with BCM43224 on 2.4 GHz with dual stream rates.
- Occasional crashes with BCM43224 on multicore machines.


Note on Regulatory Implementation
================================
This generation of chips contain additional regulatory support independent of
the driver. The devices use a single worldwide regulatory domain, with channels
12-14 (2.4 GHz band) and channels 52-64 and 100-140 (5 GHz band) restricted to
passive operation. Transmission on those channels is suppressed until
appropriate other traffic is observed on those channels.

Within the driver, we use the ficticious country code "X2" to represent this
worldwide regulatory domain. There is currently no interface to configure a
different domain.

The driver reads the SROM country code from the chip and hands it up to
mac80211 as the regulatory hint, however this information is otherwise unused
with the driver.


Contact Info:
=============
Brett Rudley	brudley@broadcom.com
Henry Ptasinski henryp@broadcom.com
Nohee Ko	noheek@broadcom.com