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Subject: Re: WRT1900AC in Chaos Calmer ?
From: Ranga Krishnan <xxxx@eff.org>
In-Reply-To: <CAFFfgDwkUuW1_Qf9Sy_ykyEAp6UmKN2rGCxiun96AxuvxokgGA@mail.gmail.com>
Date: Thu, 11 Dec 2014 13:09:14 -0800
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To: mark milburn <youalreadyknowmyemail@gmail.com>
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Hi Mark,

  Thanks for the detailed reply. I sent your requests 3. a, b, c to my =
contact
at Belkin/Linksys. I have not heard back from them. I will follow up =
next
week and let you know if there are any results.=20

Best, Ranga


On Dec 9, 2014, at 10:30 AM, mark milburn <youalreadyknowmyemail@gmail.com> =
wrote:

> Hi Ragna,
> Realistically I don't think I'll be making the CC release for the wifi
> chip (the other drivers aren't really important by comparison).  I
> believe the OpenWRT devs were shooting for an end of year release for
> CC.  I am not sure if they are on schedule.
>=20
> As far as help for getting things back on track for a CC release:
> 1.  The firmware we currently have is not API compatible with the
> mainline kernel driver that supports other Marvell 8000 series wifi
> chips (mwl8k).  Without an API compatible firmware, development is
> significantly more difficult, and I would be concerned about our
> ability to merge our patches to mwl8k upstream.  Just yesterday I sent
> an email to Marvell employees asking if Marvell could make an API
> compatible firmware available for this wifi chip.  I intend to follow
> up with them tomorrow if I receive no response.
>=20
> 2.  If we're stuck with the firmware we have now, I think the easiest
> way to speed up development is to break down the task by firmware
> command packet and reworking the corresponding function in the mwl8k
> driver.  See below for links to code.
>=20
> 3.  Given what transpired between the OpenWRT devs and Belkin/Linksys
> representatives on the OpenWRT-dev mailing list, I am not confident
> that Belkin/Linksys knows what's actually necessary to get this
> deviced supported by mainline OpenWRT.  However, if Belkin/Linksys
> could do the following I think it would be extremely helpful:
> a.  Get us into contact with Marvell so that we could discuss the best
> way to go about adding support for our wifi chip into the linux kernel
> (mwl8k or creating a new driver).
> b.  Release the GPL tarball of the latest firmware for this device
> (there have been some wifi driver/firmware updates I'd like to be able
> to look at).
> c.  Start interacting with the OpenWRT community again.
>=20
> mwl8k changes that should compile against OpenWRT trunk:
> https://github.com/OperatorOverload/mwl8k-working
>=20
> firmware binaries:
> https://github.com/mmilburn/88W8764-firmware
>=20
> rename 88W8764.bin to fmimage_8864_ap-0.fw, place in =
/usr/lib/firmware/mwl8k/
>=20
> OpenWRT on WRT1900AC discussion thread:
> https://forum.openwrt.org/viewtopic.php?id=3D50173&p=3D63
>=20
> Hope that addresses your questions,
> Mark
>=20
>=20
> On Mon, Dec 8, 2014 at 3:54 PM, Ranga Krishnan <xxxx@eff.org> wrote:
>> Hi Mark,
>>=20
>>  I work on the open wireless router software at the EFF :
>>=20
>>   https://openwireless.org/router/download
>>=20
>>=20
>>  I am looking into having this software work on the
>> WRT1900AC. I saw in the OpenWRT mailing list that
>> the goal is to have this router supported in Chaos Calmer
>> and you are working on the driver (s?) to have this
>> happen.
>>=20
>>  I wanted to check if you see the work being on
>> target to be supported by CC release. If there was
>> some help you needed to make this happen, what
>> would it be ?
>>=20
>> I have made contact with some folks at Belkin/Linksys
>> and if there is something they could do to ensure the
>> WRT1900AC is supported in CC then I could ask them.
>> No guarantees, but I am willing to ask and see.
>>=20
>> Best regards,
>> Ranga
>=20

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               
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Date: Thu, 11 Dec 2014 11:20:53 -0700
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Subject: Re: linux mwl8k and Marvell 88W8864
From: mark milburn <youalreadyknowmyemail@gmail.com>
To: xxxx
Cc: xxxx
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8

Thanks for your reply xxxx.

I'd like to add support for the 8864 to mwl8k because I have a
consumer unit (Linksys WRT1900AC) that uses that SoC as its only
wireless adapter.

Linksys originally marketed this unit as having support for a specific
embedded Linux project called OpenWRT (https://openwrt.org/).  For a
variety of reasons, they were unable to follow through with that
promise.  Furthermore, the driver & firmware combination we use at the
moment (the previously referenced mrvl_wlanv7_drv) also has some
problems that prevent it from being included in OpenWRT (e.g. the
driver requires a special patched version of hostapd, which makes it
unmaintainable).

The thinking is that we can avoid all of these problems if support for
the 8864 can be added into mwl8k.  Since we knew that the 8764 is
supported by mwl8k and the mrvl_wlanv7_drv, it stood to reason that
support for the 8864 could be added to mwl8k.  That's the route we
have been pursuing here:
https://github.com/OperatorOverload/mwl8k-working .

...

Would Marvell and the OpenWRT project potentially be able to negotiate
a release of specifications that could allow outside developers to
participate in 8864 development?  I know Marvell and the OLPC project
were able to negotiate this with the 88W8388 (see here for a link to
the released firmware spec:
http://wiki.laptop.org/go/88W8388#Standard_interface)

Would Marvell be able to: make statements about, or keep the OpenWRT
community updated on the progress of 8864 development?

Finally, if there is anything outside developers can do to expedite
8864 development, please do not hesitate to contact me or the OpenWRT
project.

Thanks again,
Mark
>>-----Original Message-----
>>From: mark milburn [mailto:youalreadyknowmyemail@gmail.com]
>>Sent: 10 December 2014 23:56
>>To: xxxx
>>Cc: xxxx
>>Subject: linux mwl8k and Marvell 88W8864
>>
>>Hello xxxx & xxxx,
>>I'm reaching out to you two to see if I can't get into contact with
>>the de facto maintainer of the mwl8k driver.  I am attempting to add
>>support for the Marvell 88W8864 into mwl8k.  I was hoping that I might
>>be able to ask Marvell very nicely to release a firmware for the
>>88W8864 that has an API that more closely matches the one used by
>>mwl8k.
>>
>>Currently, I am using the GPLed reference driver & firmware found here:
>>https://github.com/TheDgtl/mrvl_wlan_v7drv
>>
>>and have found several differences in the firmware packet formats
>>contained in mwl8k and the reference driver (e.g. GET_HW_SPEC).
>>Because the 8864 hardware seems to be very similar to the 8764, it
>>appears as though an 8864 firmware that would be API compatible with
>>mwl8k would be technically possible.  Obviously there are far more
>>than just technical factors involved, but I figured it wouldn't hurt
>>to ask.
>>
>>Thanks for your time,
>>Mark Milburn