Allowing access of PCI config space from an application...is it reasonable?

NTDEV
1

Hello,

I am implementing a WDM driver based on a NT4 driver created by an outside
consultant. As I ported the code over, I removed the ability to access the
configuration space on our PCI card - both read and write. This is a data
acquisition card, produced in small quantities for (usually) dedicated
applications. It is not a consumer board, and the users write their own
applications to talk to the board using the driver.

Our test code assumes the ability to read PCI config space, and I hesitate
to include the ability to mess with PCI config space in a driver API. My
attitude is that the user has no business tuning the values in PCI config
space.

I expect to get some flak tomorrow for not wanting to make the WDM driver
exactly like the NT 4 driver, and I’m turning to the list to answer the
fundamental question:

  1. Am I being reasonable, or:
  2. Am I being a jerk?

Thanks,

Evan Hillman

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2

Reading config space is not in itself a bad thing. Providing a private
IOCTL-based api to push pci config space data up to applications is not
unreasonable. Writing on the other hand…

=====================
Mark Roddy
Windows XP/2000/NT Consulting
Hollis Technology Solutions 603-321-1032
www.hollistech.com
xxxxx@hollistech.com
For Windows Device Driver Training: see www.azius.com

-----Original Message-----
From: xxxxx@lists.osr.com
[mailto:xxxxx@lists.osr.com] On Behalf Of Evan Hillman
Sent: Tuesday, January 15, 2002 9:23 PM
To: NT Developers Interest List
Subject: [ntdev] Allowing access of PCI config space from an
application…is it reasonable?

Hello,

I am implementing a WDM driver based on a NT4 driver created by an
outside
consultant. As I ported the code over, I removed the ability to access
the
configuration space on our PCI card - both read and write. This is a
data
acquisition card, produced in small quantities for (usually) dedicated
applications. It is not a consumer board, and the users write their own
applications to talk to the board using the driver.

Our test code assumes the ability to read PCI config space, and I
hesitate
to include the ability to mess with PCI config space in a driver API.
My
attitude is that the user has no business tuning the values in PCI
config
space.

I expect to get some flak tomorrow for not wanting to make the WDM
driver
exactly like the NT 4 driver, and I’m turning to the list to answer the
fundamental question:

  1. Am I being reasonable, or:
  2. Am I being a jerk?

Thanks,

Evan Hillman

You are currently subscribed to ntdev as: xxxxx@hollistech.com
To unsubscribe send a blank email to leave-ntdev-$subst(‘Recip.MemberIDChar’)@lists.osr.com

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