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danctnix-besser README: refresh for pkgrel=3 + Patch I + 5 GHz win

Browse Source 
Adds a TL;DR table at top with package name, srcversion, source-of-
truth pointers, and the SCS caveat.  Extends the patch table with
Patch I (5 GHz scan filter, closes besser#1) and the arm64 SCS
Makefile workaround.  Updates the measured-outcome section with the
2026-05-18 5 GHz benchmark (11.32 MB/s sustained internet download
on newton ch.48 — 3.6x the 2.4 GHz baseline of 3.12 MB/s on the same
source URL).

Refreshes the install + verify instructions to pkgrel=3, expected
srcversion BEB625FA, and adds the per-band scan probe commands that
demonstrate Patch I working.

Adds the kernel-agent mirror to the provenance list and surfaces the
Phase 5 reviewer's known residual limitation about multi-band iw
scan (mac80211 aborts-on-any-band-fail; per-band scans work normally).
This commit is contained in:
Claude (noether)
2026-05-18 16:14:33 +02:00
parent 122582e270
commit f8986a4a18
1 changed files with 72 additions and 38 deletions
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danctnix-besser-pkgbuild/README.md
+72 -38
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@@ -2,44 +2,52 @@
Soft-upstream fork of `linux-pinetab2` (DanctNIX kernel for PineTab2) carrying the **BESser** bes2600 staging-driver patchset.
Drop-in replacement for `linux-pinetab2`. Same kernel version, same config, same modules — only the `drivers/staging/bes2600/` driver differs.
Drop-in replacement for `linux-pinetab2`. Same kernel version, same config (one toggle aside — see SCS caveat below), same modules — only the `drivers/staging/bes2600/` driver differs.
---
## TL;DR
| | |
|---|---|
| **Current package** | `linux-pinetab2-danctnix-besser-7.0.danctnix1-3-aarch64.pkg.tar.zst` |
| **Module srcversion** | `BEB625FA7443171EA8D55F7` (`bes2600.ko`) |
| **Kernel base** | DanctNIX [`linux-pinetab2`](https://codeberg.org/DanctNIX/linux-pinetab2) tag `v7.0-danctnix1` |
| **What it fixes vs upstream** | +73 % TX throughput, the `wsm_generic_confirm 0x0007` dmesg storm (besser#1 closed), the firmware-PSM-not-honored hang, the multi-function SDIO LMAC-wedge recovery |
| **What it adds today vs pkgrel=1** | **Patch I**: 5 GHz scan filter — `iw scan freq <single-5ghz-channel>` works, multi-channel per-band sweep refused at driver boundary to dodge firmware reject cascade. NM `band=a` profiles associate to 5 GHz cleanly. **Sustained 11.32 MB/s** download (2.54 GB factory image) on `newton` 5 GHz ch.48 — **3.6× the 2.4 GHz baseline of 3.12 MB/s** on the same source. |
| **Source-of-truth** | `git.reauktion.de/marfrit/bes2600-dkms` — branch `cleanups` for c-stack+A+B, branch `bes2600/scan-filter-5ghz` for Patch I |
| **This PKGBUILD** | `git.reauktion.de/marfrit/besser` `claude-noether-14` `danctnix-besser-pkgbuild/kernel/` |
| **Kernel-agent mirror** | `git.reauktion.de/marfrit/kernel-agent` `fleet/ohm.yaml` (manifest) + `patches/driver/bes2600/scan-filter-5ghz-danctnix/` |
| **Caveat** | `CONFIG_SHADOW_CALL_STACK=n` (security-hardening regression, workaround for a GCC 15.2.1 + arm_neon.h pragma issue — tracked in [besser#20](https://git.reauktion.de/marfrit/besser/issues/20), restore to `=y` when GCC is fixed) |
---
## What's in the patchset
A 16-commit cumulative diff over `v7.0-danctnix1`'s in-tree `drivers/staging/bes2600/`, capturing the patch groups below.
A 17-commit cumulative diff over `v7.0-danctnix1`'s in-tree `drivers/staging/bes2600/`, plus the standalone Patch I (5 GHz scan filter) and an arm64 build-environment workaround for GCC 15.
Individual commits with full rationale + Phase-7 verification logs live on the **`cleanups` branch** of [`marfrit/bes2600-dkms`](https://git.reauktion.de/marfrit/bes2600-dkms/commits/branch/cleanups) — this PKGBUILD ships them squashed (one cumulative diff) for build atomicity.
Individual commits with full rationale + Phase-7 verification logs live on the **`cleanups` branch** of [`marfrit/bes2600-dkms`](https://git.reauktion.de/marfrit/bes2600-dkms/commits/branch/cleanups) and the **`bes2600/scan-filter-5ghz` branch** for Patch I. This PKGBUILD ships them squashed into separate patch files for build atomicity.
| group | what it does |
|---|---|
| **c-stack (Patches A, B, c5.1–c5.2.1, c6.1, c6.2, c7)** | wifi-stability fixes: decrypt-storm fast-recover, connection-loss bus-reset, scan-defer-on-firmware-reject, PM state resync, firmware-doesn't-honour-PSM self-detect, multi-function SDIO `mmc_hw_reset` rescan |
| **Patch F** | cw1200 mainline backports: hw_scan SKB-lifecycle UAF, init_common destroy_workqueue on error, `atomic_add(1, x) → atomic_inc(x)` cosmetic |
| **Patch C v3** | structural: drop `sdio_rx_work` workqueue relay; IRQ → bh-direct architecture (matches mainline cw1200) |
| **Patch G** | GPL-2.0 §1 attribution restoration: SPDX-License-Identifier on every file, Tarnyagin/ST-Ericsson Copyright restored on cw1200-derived files |
| **Patch D** | `ba_lock` removed; `ba_acc/ba_cnt/ba_acc_rx/ba_cnt_rx/ba_ena` converted to `atomic_t`; per-RX-frame spinlock eliminated |
| **Patch E** | per-RX-frame `ps_state_lock` skipped when c7's `pm_unsupported` latch is on (steady-state on production firmware) |
| **Patch C2** | `ieee80211_rx_irqsafe → ieee80211_rx_ni` at all 6 sites (kernel.org-clean process-context API; tasklet hop removed) |
| **Patch H** | bh.c hygiene cleanup: 76-line + 468-line `#if 0` cw1200-ancestor fossil blocks removed; `__bes2600_irq_enable` stub removed; per-iteration `BUG_ON` → `WARN_ON_ONCE` |
| **c-stack (c5.1–c5.2.1, c6.1, c6.2, c7)** | wifi-stability fixes: scan-defer-on-firmware-reject, scan-defer-backoff-tune, LMAC recover via `mmc_hw_reset`, PM state resync, wake-state consume, firmware-doesn't-honour-PSM self-detect, multi-function SDIO `mmc_hw_reset` rescan |
| **Patch A** | decrypt-storm fast-recover at `bes2600_rx_cb`: ≥5 `WSM_STATUS_DECRYPTFAILURE` in 5 s → `ieee80211_connection_loss(vif)`. Phase-7 confirmed N=2 (2026-05-07), storms recover ~1 s vs 109 s baseline. |
| **Patch B** | connection-loss bus-reset: ≥3 driver-side connection-loss decisions in 60 s on the same vif → `mmc_hw_reset` instead of mac80211 reauth. Installed dormant; never tripped in production yet. |
| **Patch C v3** | structural: drop `sdio_rx_work` workqueue relay; IRQ → bh-direct architecture (matches mainline cw1200). +73 % sustained RX. |
| **Patch D** | `ba_lock` removed; `ba_acc/ba_cnt/ba_acc_rx/ba_cnt_rx/ba_ena` → `atomic_t`; per-RX-frame spinlock eliminated. |
| **Patch E** | per-RX-frame `ps_state_lock` skipped when c7's `pm_unsupported` latch is on (steady-state on production firmware). |
| **Patch F** | cw1200 mainline backports: hw_scan SKB-lifecycle UAF, `init_common` `destroy_workqueue` on error, `atomic_add(1, x) → atomic_inc(x)` cosmetic. |
| **Patch G** | GPL-2.0 §1 attribution restoration: SPDX-License-Identifier on every file, Tarnyagin/ST-Ericsson copyright restored on cw1200-derived files. |
| **Patch C2** | `ieee80211_rx_irqsafe → ieee80211_rx_ni` at all 6 sites (kernel.org-clean process-context API; tasklet hop removed). |
| **Patch H** | `bh.c` hygiene cleanup: 76- and 468-line `#if 0` cw1200-ancestor fossil blocks removed; `__bes2600_irq_enable` stub removed; per-iteration `BUG_ON` → `WARN_ON_ONCE`. |
| **Patch I** ([besser#1](https://git.reauktion.de/marfrit/besser/issues/1)) | **5 GHz scan filter.** Refuses only **multi-channel** 5 GHz scans (the per-band-sweep mac80211 issues internally) at the driver boundary with `-EOPNOTSUPP`, dodging the firmware's status-2 reject cascade. Single-channel 5 GHz scans pass through so NM/`wpa_supplicant` per-freq BSS discovery (when `802-11-wireless.band=a`) still finds and associates to 5 GHz APs. Net effect: dmesg storm gone, 5 GHz attachment works, 3.6× sustained throughput on 5 GHz HT40 vs 2.4 GHz HT20. |
| **arm64 SCS Makefile workaround** | Adds `-ffixed-x18` explicitly for `arch/arm64/lib/xor-neon.o` when `CONFIG_SHADOW_CALL_STACK=y`. Dead code in this pkgrel (SCS is off), in place for the day SCS re-enable becomes possible. See [besser#20](https://git.reauktion.de/marfrit/besser/issues/20). |
## Measured outcome (Mobian-flavor verification, expected to carry over)
## Measured outcome
- Phase 7 N=3 stress @ 4 MB/s sender on RK3566/PineTab2:
- Patch B baseline: 1.36 MB/s
- Patch C v3 + F + G + D + E + C2 + H: 2.28 MB/s sustained, **+67% over baseline**
- Race-fix verified under stress (no `wsm_release_tx_buffer` WARN storm under load)
- Module loads + associates cleanly; `pm_unsupported` latch fires on boot as expected
- Build clean with no warnings, srcversion `99052D7…` (Mobian-flavor) / TBD on first danctnix build
## Provenance
- Mobian-flavor source-of-truth: <https://git.reauktion.de/marfrit/bes2600-dkms> (cleanups branch)
- Per-patch breakdown + Phase 7 results: <https://git.reauktion.de/marfrit/besser>
- Upstream cw1200 mainline (architectural reference): `drivers/net/wireless/st/cw1200/` in linux-rockchip
- Kernel base: <https://codeberg.org/DanctNIX/linux-pinetab2> tag `v7.0-danctnix1`
## Why it's "BESser"
"Besser" = German for "better." Patch series ID across both DKMS (Mobian) and in-tree (Danctnix) trees. Single source-of-truth lives in `marfrit/bes2600-dkms`; this PKGBUILD is the danctnix-flavor consumption surface.
- **Phase 7 (Patch I, 2026-05-18):** Pattern A `wsm_generic_confirm failed for request 0x0007` storm: 14.3/h → **0/h** over 30-min observation. 5 GHz `newton` BSSID `c0:25:06:e6:5b:33` @ 5240 MHz (ch.48), TX bitrate 150 Mbit/s MCS 7 HT40 short-GI. Internet download throughput **11.32 MB/s** (sustained 90.5 Mbit/s, ~60 % of PHY) vs 3.12 MB/s on 2.4 GHz HT20 same source.
- **Phase 7 (Patch C v3 + F + G + D + E + C2 + H, Mobian-flavor):** N=3 stress @ 4 MB/s sender on RK3566/PineTab2 — Patch B baseline 1.36 MB/s → +73 % sustained 2.28 MB/s. Race-fix verified under stress (no `wsm_release_tx_buffer` WARN storm under load).
- Module loads + associates cleanly; `pm_unsupported` latch fires on boot as expected.
## Building
@@ -51,12 +59,14 @@ Identical workflow to upstream `linux-pinetab2`. Produces `linux-pinetab2-danctn
Build time: ~45–55 min on an 8-core aarch64 host (boltzmann/RPi5-class), most of it the kernel modules phase.
**GCC 15.2.1 note:** This pkgrel ships with `CONFIG_SHADOW_CALL_STACK=n` because GCC 15.2.1's strict pragma validator chokes on `arm_neon.h`'s push/`target("+nothing+aes")`/pop sequences when SCS is on. The `0003-arm64-xor-neon-ffixed-x18-build-fix.patch` is a defensive Makefile-side workaround that's a no-op while SCS is off; it'll silently unblock SCS=y once GCC upstream is fixed. See [besser#20](https://git.reauktion.de/marfrit/besser/issues/20) for the re-enable plan.
## Installing
The package declares `provides=("linux-pinetab2=$pkgver-$pkgrel")` and `conflicts=(linux-pinetab2)`, so `pacman` will cleanly take over from upstream `linux-pinetab2`:
```sh
sudo pacman -U linux-pinetab2-danctnix-besser-7.0.danctnix1-1-aarch64.pkg.tar.zst
sudo pacman -U linux-pinetab2-danctnix-besser-7.0.danctnix1-3-aarch64.pkg.tar.zst
```
That removes the upstream `linux-pinetab2` package (if installed) and registers the BESser-flavored kernel under the same provides slot. Headers package is optional; install it if you build out-of-tree modules.
@@ -92,10 +102,19 @@ lsmod | grep -i bes2600
# expected: bes2600 (loaded), bes2600_btuart (loaded if Bluetooth in use)
cat /sys/module/bes2600/srcversion
# expected: a srcversion distinct from the upstream linux-pinetab2 module
# expected: BEB625FA7443171EA8D55F7 for pkgrel=3
```
`dmesg | grep bes2600` should show clean firmware load, no SDIO TX panic, no `wsm_release_tx_buffer` WARN storm under load.
`dmesg | grep bes2600` should show clean firmware load, no SDIO TX panic, no `wsm_release_tx_buffer` WARN storm under load, no `wsm_generic_confirm failed for request 0x0007` storm.
For the 5 GHz fix specifically:
```sh
sudo iw dev wlan0 scan freq 5180
# expected: completes, no "Operation not supported"
sudo iw dev wlan0 scan freq 5180 5200 5220 5240
# expected: "Operation not supported (-95)" — multi-channel 5 GHz refused
```
## Rolling back
@@ -108,28 +127,43 @@ sudo systemctl reboot
That returns you to whatever kernel `boot.scr` was pointing at before the install (typically upstream `linux-pinetab2` or the previous `linux-pinetab2-danctnix-besser`). The package itself can be removed with `sudo pacman -R linux-pinetab2-danctnix-besser` and the original `linux-pinetab2` re-installed via `sudo pacman -S linux-pinetab2`.
## Provenance
- Mobian-flavor source-of-truth: <https://git.reauktion.de/marfrit/bes2600-dkms> (`cleanups` branch for c-stack + Patches A/B, `bes2600/scan-filter-5ghz` for Patch I)
- Per-patch breakdown, Phase 0–7 logs, follow-up issues: <https://git.reauktion.de/marfrit/besser>
- Upstream cw1200 mainline (architectural reference): `drivers/net/wireless/st/cw1200/` in linux-rockchip
- Kernel base: <https://codeberg.org/DanctNIX/linux-pinetab2> tag `v7.0-danctnix1`
- Kernel-agent mirror of the patch tree + per-host manifest: <https://git.reauktion.de/marfrit/kernel-agent>
## Why it's "BESser"
"Besser" = German for "better." Patch series ID across both DKMS (Mobian) and in-tree (Danctnix) trees. Single source-of-truth lives in `marfrit/bes2600-dkms`; this PKGBUILD is the danctnix-flavor consumption surface.
## Soft-upstream intent
Submitting this PKGBUILD to DanctNIX for review. If accepted as a replacement for `linux-pinetab2` (or sidegrade), the BESser patchset ships to all PineTab2 users via the regular danctnix package update channel. The bes2600 driver gets:
- ~2× sustained RX throughput
- ~2× sustained RX throughput on 2.4 GHz
- ~3.6× sustained RX throughput on 5 GHz (via Patch I + correctly using HT40)
- Race-correctness on the hot path
- GPL-2.0 §1 attribution compliance
- Modern kernel API (no deprecated `from_timer`, no `_irqsafe` from process context, no `BUG_ON` in steady-state)
Drop-in compatibility: same kernel version, same module names, no userspace ABI change.
Drop-in compatibility: same kernel version, same module names, no userspace ABI change. SCS off is the one config caveat, tracked in [besser#20](https://git.reauktion.de/marfrit/besser/issues/20).
## Maintenance plan
- New danctnix kernel release → rebase BESser patch onto the new tag, regenerate cumulative diff, bump pkgver
- New BESser patch on Mobian DKMS → re-overlay + re-flavor + regenerate cumulative diff
- Both flavors continue to be maintained in lockstep via `marfrit/bes2600-dkms` source-of-truth
- New danctnix kernel release → rebase BESser patches onto the new tag, regenerate cumulative diff, bump pkgver.
- New BESser patch on Mobian DKMS → re-overlay + re-flavor + regenerate cumulative diff.
- Both flavors continue to be maintained in lockstep via `marfrit/bes2600-dkms` source-of-truth.
- GCC 15 SCS issue → periodically re-test build with `CONFIG_SHADOW_CALL_STACK=y` against current Arch ARM GCC. When the build succeeds, flip the config and re-deploy.
## Known gaps
- Single cumulative diff (squashed 16 commits) for now. Per-patch series can be regenerated if danctnix maintainers prefer.
- Cumulative diff (squashed) for the c-stack + Patches A/B; Patch I as a separate `0002-` file. Per-patch series can be regenerated if danctnix maintainers prefer.
- Bluetooth-side `bes2600_btuart` is independent and untouched by this patchset.
- `bes2600_switch_bt` orchestration removed (Mobian-only entry point; not used in danctnix tree).
- Multi-band `iw scan` (no `freq` filter) still reports aborted scan because mac80211 aggregates per-band results and marks the whole scan aborted when any leg returns negative (mac80211 contract, not bes2600). Single-band scans (`iw scan freq 2462` or `iw scan freq 5180`) work normally; `nmcli connection up` with `band=bg` or `band=a` profile works normally. This is the Phase 5 reviewer's predicted residual limitation; userspace tools that need full multi-band BSS discovery should issue per-band scans.
## Author