[mpeg2] Hard lockups when loading the kfir module

[Ralph Metzler <rjkm@convergence.de>]

Andreas Trottmann writes:
 > Hi!
 > 
 > We just got a LinuxTV MPEG2 Encoder card from BMK-Elektronik.
 > 
 > The Linux driver (CVS pull as of today, 15:00 CEST) built fine, and the 
 > extraction of the firmware from the Windows driver also seemed to work fine. 
 > The md5sums of the generated files match the ones given in the README, namely:
 > 
 > 05269813b418d4ce733e69b13db8dc03  MPEG1_6.HLD
 > 4e3e3088a1f5ad1e480ef1aa0456cdf5  altera_keb_plx_5e.rbf
 > 40ce0f03215ff51d4a8aaaf846389c5e  kfir_micro.h
 > 
 > Loading the videodev, i2c-core, i2c-algo-bit and saa7113 modules works
 > fine -- but the machine locks up tightly when loading the kfir module.
 > We get the following output on the screen:
 > 
 > kfir: Kfir board revision 5e
 > kfir: Reset Kfir and PLL ... done
 > 
 > and then, the machine seems dead.
 > 
 > 
 > 
 > If we try to load the module with the parameter "loaded=1", we get
 > 
 > kfir: Kfir board revision 5e
 > kdir: Reset Altera
 > 
 > followed by a similar lockup.
 > 
 > 
 > Using the "debug=1" parameter doesn't seem to change anything.
 > 
 > 
 > We got this result when using the driver on a plain 2.4.3 kernel, as
 > well as on a 2.4.3-ac13 one. We used gcc version 2.95.2 20000220 (Debian
 > GNU/Linux) to compile it, the standard gcc that comes with Debian
 > potato.
 > 
 > 
 > Is this a known problem? Do we need a different kernel version? Could
 > you maybe provide us with a kernel version and a .config that works for
 > you?


The locking up problem is known and mainly occurs on boards with VIA
chipsets (although I also have an ABIT KT100 which works fine).
Some had success by disabling USB in the BIOS. We don't know how
exactly this is related but it probably changes something in the bus
timing.


Ralph