FIRMLOAD(9)            NetBSD Kernel Developer's Manual            FIRMLOAD(9)

NAME
     firmload -- Firmware loader API for device drivers

SYNOPSIS
     #include <dev/firmload.h>

     int
     firmware_open(const char *drvname, const char *imgname,
         firmware_handle_t *fhp);

     int
     firmware_close(firmware_handle_t fh);

     off_t
     firmware_get_size(firmware_handle_t fh);

     int
     firmware_read(firmware_handle_t fh, off_t offset, void *buf,
         size_t size);

     void *
     firmware_malloc(size_t size);

     void
     firmware_free(void *buf, size_t size);

DESCRIPTION
     firmload provides a simple and convenient API for device drivers to load
     firmware images from files residing in the file system that are necessary
     for the devices that they control.  Firmware images reside in sub-direc-
     tories, one for each driver, of a series of colon-separated path prefixes
     specified the sysctl variable hw.firmware.path.

     The following functions are provided by the firmload API:

     int firmware_open(const char *drvname, const char *imgname,
             firmware_handle_t *fhp)

             Open then firmware image imgname for the driver drvname.  The
             path to the firmware image file is constructed by appending the
             string ``/drvname/imgname'' to each configured path prefix until
             opening the firmware image file succeeds.  Upon success,
             firmware_open() returns 0 and stores a firmware image handle in
             the location pointed to by fhp.  Otherwise, an error code is
             returned to indicate the reason for failure.

     int firmware_close(firmware_handle_t fh)

             Close the firmware image file associated with the firmware handle
             fh.  Returns 0 upon success or an error code to indicate the rea-
             son for failure.

     off_t firmware_get_size(firmware_handle_t fh)

             Returns the size of the image file associated with the firmware
             handle fh.

     int firmware_read(firmware_handle_t fh, off_t offset, void *buf, size_t
             size)

             Reads from the image file associated with the firmware handle fh
             beginning at offset offset for length size.  The firmware image
             data is placed into the buffer specified by buf.  Returns 0 upon
             success or an error code to indicate the reason for failure.

     void *firmware_malloc(size_t size)

             Allocates a region of wired kernel memory of size size.  Note:
             firmware_malloc() may block.

     void firmware_free(void *buf, size_t size)

             Frees a region of memory previously allocated by
             firmware_malloc().

SEE ALSO
     autoconf(9), malloc(9), vnsubr(9)

HISTORY
     The firmload framework first appeared in NetBSD 4.0.

AUTHORS
     Jason Thorpe <thorpej@NetBSD.org>

NetBSD 5.0_STABLE              January 17, 2006              NetBSD 5.0_STABLE
