[LAU] kernel changes

[Len Ovens]

On Sun, February 10, 2013 10:44 am, Ralf Mardorf wrote:

> "HDSPe AIO is the newly developed PCI Express version of the HDSP 9632.
> A newly developed genuine PCI Express core consequently takes full
> advantage of the new format, achieving significant performance gains in
> multitrack audio and lowest latency. Thanks to RME's secure flash update
> technology, firmware improvements, adjustments, and bugfixes can be
> installed easily at any time." -
> http://www.rme-audio.de/en_products_hdspe_aio.php

Ya, I've read that bit before. That is advertizing copy. I would like to
know what the experience of users who installed this in a win/OSX machine
is.... picky users :)
>
> For this card the Linux driver is very limited and I never updated the
> firmware, so also possible is, that

Two linux drivers to consider. The PCIe stuff in the kernel is probably
optimized for throughput to make the best use of Video cards, fast ether
net, etc. Means larger chunks of data for less overhead. Maybe higher
latency too. It shouldn't be as it is faster than PCI which handled things
just fine. The extra throughput should actually help for higher channel
counts. (from reading though some of the docs on netjack)

>
> - perhaps newer firmware is needed

Both ends of the PCIe IF have firmware.

> - perhaps a better Linux driver is needed

Testing with windows is the only way to tell.

> - perhaps PCI on my mobo is good, but PCI express on the same mobo is
>   bad

I don't know how to judge that. I have lots of ideas :)  but my knowledge
is limited. The IRQ logic on the new MB chipsets is interesting (to say
the least) as it has to handle a number of standards (from dos to now,
five or six)... I have not read the whole thing, just about the internal
audio stuff which may be useful as outputs in some situations because most
of them have 8... might make good headphone mixes. But while the outputs
are often 24 bit, the inputs are most often 16 and there are only two...
and the preamps are less than useful. Anyway, the MB glue logic may be of
some importance in all this too. All of our (linux based) audio with MB
research seems to be from the PCI era. We need something new.



-- 
Len Ovens
www.OvenWerks.net