[U-Boot-Users] IXP425 ethernet & NPE microcode

[Jonathan Pratt]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: David Hawkins [mailto:dwh at ovro.caltech.edu] 
> Sent: Thursday, 10 May 2007 9:16 AM
> To: Jonathan Pratt
> Cc: u-boot-users at lists.sourceforge.net
> Subject: Re: [U-Boot-Users] IXP425 ethernet & NPE microcode
> 
> Hi Jonathan,
> 
> > Is there another way of providing ethernet support for this 
> platform 
> > without the license violation? Are there any legal 
> ramifications that 
> > follow? (Are they more likely to come from Intel or elsewhere?)
> > 
> > It seems that u-boot wouldn't build until I added the file 
> (I suppose 
> > that I could have tried disabling ethernet)...
> 
> Take a look at the www.nslu2-linux.org project.
> 
> The NSLU2 is a Linksys USB network storage device.
> It has the same issue with IXP4xx Intel firmware.
> 
> The Slug's, as they are fondly referred to, use RedBoot as a 
> bootloader, and there exist various Linux kernels.
> 
> Look around the NSLU2 web site for comments on the Intel 
> firmware. If there is nothing definitive there, I recall Rod 
> Whitby posted messages to the nslu2-linux newsgroup 
> explaining the requirements; check the archives, or join the 
> group and ask Rod directly.
> 
> I haven't looked into the details, but I figured you might 
> not be aware of the project, so this might help.
> 
> Regards,
> Dave


Thanks, David.

I was not aware of the project. They merely point out that it's a
necessary evil. The Intel redistribution restrictions seem rather
draconian, however.

I'm not sure about the conflict with u-boot (GPL), however, and whether
the issues are more than philosophical.

Jonathan Pratt
Senior Development Engineer