The xHCI (USB 3.0) host controller driver and initial support for
USB 3.0 devices is now publicly available on my kernel.org git
tree. Greg K-H has queued the patches for 2.6.31, so Linux users should
have official USB 3.0 support around September 2009. This is impeccable timing,
since NEC recently announced they'll be producing
1 million xHCI PCI express add-in cards in September.
This means that Linux will be the first operating system with official USB 3.0 support. I'm working with Keve Gabbert (the OSV person in my group at Intel) to make sure that Linux distributions like Ubuntu and Red Hat pick up the xHCI driver. Advanced users can always compile their own kernel on a standard distro install.
I hope that some USB 3.0 vendors who have prototypes will test with my driver. Instructions on how to compile a kernel using my git tree will follow.
This is a giant project that I've been working on for the past year and a half. It's gratifying to see the code finally released, and exciting to know that hardware is on its way.
| link | 65 comment(s)
Posted by x-alina at Mon Jun 8 09:32:43 2009
Nice to see other women kernel hacking in the news. I had worked on mac80211 for properly IBSS support, but get layer 8 conflicts with the maintainers, so must suspend my engagement. :(
Posted by Benjamin at Tue Jun 9 11:11:05 2009
Congratulations, that's some impressive work. Hopefully there will be some USB3.0 devices soon.
Posted by Gael at Tue Jun 9 16:12:08 2009
Congratulations for the work and hope you'll see tested your driver soon!
Posted by Luis Manuel Ruiz Bengoa at Wed Jun 10 00:07:09 2009
Many thanks from Spain.
I m a ubuntu user.
Many thanks again.
Posted by Kevin Mark at Wed Jun 10 23:39:46 2009
Cool, linux get support before there is even hardware, you rock. havinging support for all those future desktop linux users will be great. Have you considered adding your blog to linuxchix blogroll?
Posted by axx at Thu Jun 11 03:17:50 2009
Hey, congrats on your great work! This piece of news draws great positive light on linux, so thanks for that too! Enjoy your new found glory ;)
Cheers :)
Posted by Sense Hofstede at Thu Jun 11 12:34:37 2009
Thank you! The news that Linux is the first made my day!
It's a good thing that Linux can show it's capable of deliver the support of a New Big Thing before/around the launch of it.
Posted by elliott lau at Thu Jun 11 15:26:09 2009
I think this is awesome!
nice work!
I feel happy hahaha!
this suppot is really important to the GNU/linux comunity
Posted by FireWave at Thu Jun 11 17:43:33 2009
Hope the hardware will come asap !
Warning : Slashdot effect in the way !
Posted by Davros at Thu Jun 11 18:25:16 2009
Thanks for all your hard work, this is a pretty cool braging point for free software. I saw a news item hyperlinked to this blog entry and I had to come not only because of this great news, but because you have such a cool name. Sarah Sharp sounds like a Marvel superhero and it is so ripe for puns. :-)
Posted by MikeTheC at Thu Jun 11 23:09:16 2009
Sarah:
Thank you for not being a "male stereotypical image" of women. You're great! As a user of several platforms, Linux amongst them, thank you so very much for your USB3 work. It is appreciated!
Posted by Henry at Thu Jun 11 23:21:27 2009
Awesome! I write linux drivers for PCI-Express cards, but my company are looking at doing USB 3.0 devices. This will help get things started! Thanks.
Posted by Kagou at Thu Jun 11 23:40:46 2009
Hi, what a great news !
I'v translated your announce in French here :
http://www.ubuntulinux.fr/index.php?post/2009/06/12/Linux-premier-syst%C3%A8me-d-exploitation-%C3%A0-supporter-l-USB-3.0
Posted by Fyodor at Fri Jun 12 00:24:42 2009
I have nothing to say except to congratulate you on the excellent work! USB 3.0 on Linux first is really exciting news!
Posted by raghava at Fri Jun 12 02:24:56 2009
Whoa! The news is really exciting!
Software to drive the device already in place even before the devices find their way in! =)
Way to go Sarah!
Keep up the good work!
Posted by César Mata Moya at Fri Jun 12 04:42:57 2009
Congratulations for your work!
--------------------------------
Felicitaciones por tu trabajo!
Posted by Oskar (Sweden) at Fri Jun 12 07:20:54 2009
Just amazing! KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK. And girls programming open source, that IS COOL.
Posted by Antonio at Fri Jun 12 09:46:20 2009
Congratulations for your work and thanks.
Lets all wait for the hardware now. :D
Posted by carlos andres at Fri Jun 12 12:22:58 2009
muy buena noticia linux sera pionero en esta tecnologia tu foto me resulta familiar si no estoy mal te he visto en videos por la red explicando el uso de compiz
saludos
carlos andres
Posted by Cuetz at Fri Jun 12 12:28:51 2009
Congratulations and thanks for the effort Sarah, let us know more about your progress ;-)
Have fun
Posted by annie walker at Mon Jun 15 06:49:45 2009
Congratulations on an impressive piece of work. Would there be a possiblity of this being incorporated into OpenSolaris?
Posted by Maisondouf at Mon Jun 15 13:36:51 2009
I send you all the thanks I can. Very fine kick against other OS...
I put immediatly a link on my site for french peoples. A great Work...
Posted by Amse at Mon Jun 15 21:37:45 2009
wooooaaahhh;
This is the awesomest kernel new i've read for weeks!!
I will write about this on my blog.
I think your work will be recognized beyond the 35 comments on this post...
Thanks a lot. :D
Posted by André Andrade at Wed Jun 24 16:20:14 2009
Hi Sarah. I'm André Andrade. I'm from Brazil.
Publiquei sobre seu trabalho em meu blog, ok?
Congratulations!!!!!
Very good!!!
Posted by antonio at Sat Jul 4 10:18:12 2009
Congratulations Sarah, you are great, linux and open source is better.
Posted by BelizeLUG at Tue Jul 21 07:18:17 2009
cooool... Congratulations Sarah, Linux rocks..
greetings
Posted by James at Mon Jul 27 02:10:18 2009
Congratulations, that's some impressive work. Great Job Sarah, Congratulations again.....
Posted by Yulleg at Sat Aug 8 06:56:51 2009
hi sarah; I love when finally this OS shall be the first to experienced USB3.0 but can this patch used on fedora "leonidas" and backtract 4.0. As beginner and newbie how to install this patches on my OS kernel; due to lack of experienced I'm afraid that I might erase my OS or destroy my kernel
Posted by Sarah Sharp at Sun Aug 9 18:19:00 2009
Yulleg: I'm not very familiar with Fedora, so you should ask on the Fedora forums about installing a custom kernel. If it's anything like Debian, you can always boot into the old kernel if you mess up the new kernel install. If you're not comfortable with installing a custom kernel, you can always wait and upgrade Fedora when it has USB 3.0 support (and it will eventually).
Posted by Bob Leren at Mon Aug 24 00:47:44 2009
hi there, how long is the development cycle for you in total. You say the preparation took you 1,5 years, I would assume there will also be an aftercare process for a least 3 years? This would imply a project you wont forget soon within carreer. Nice work!
Posted by Gosip at Mon Aug 24 07:27:34 2009
Good job Sarah on your kernel hack! Keep up the good work.
Posted by Rapid4me at Sun Oct 11 00:45:16 2009
My congratulations with this achievement. I hope it wil be implemented in the nearest future. You know, I admire you as a woman. Because very few women are good at it. And it seems to me that you are the best. I'd like to learn from you. Keep on going!
Posted by cordless phones at Sun Oct 11 13:18:07 2009
Thanks for posting this. Can you confirm the Sept 2009 date came to fruition pls?
Posted by S.Breaks at Wed Oct 14 09:34:32 2009
Congratulations Sarah, please let us know more on your progress... Thanks from UK
Posted by freelance web designer at Wed Nov 11 08:08:06 2009
USB 3.0 on Linux, exciting news. Nice work Sarah, my fingers are also crossed!
Posted by Michael at Sun Dec 13 00:42:11 2009
Hey,Sarah!
How a great job it is!USB 3.0 on Linux first is really exciting news!
I'm from china,a student of an university of china.I have great interest in design of USB 3.0.
I'd like to learn from you.Nice work!
There is a problem I would like to ask you.
Could you tell me which specifications should be need about USB3.0,and which web site can give me a help?
thanks a lot!
Posted by Sarah Sharp at Sat Dec 19 21:15:07 2009
Michael: The USB 3.0 bus specification is available at http://www.usb.org/developers/docs/. Unfortunately, the xHCI host controller specification is not available for general download. Your employer would have to execute the xHCI contributor agreement to get access to the xHCI specification. See http://www.intel.com/technology/usb/xhcispec.htm. Sorry!
Posted by Anna Mari at Wed Jan 13 05:27:56 2010
I'm already tired of praising Linux. I switched to Linux 2 years ago. Linux is very convenient. In Linux you can find everything. I'm using Linux Fedora. If you want all the codecs and other non-free closed the program, it's all there is the additional functions. News about that Linux will have official support for USB 3.0 is for me a pleasant surprise. It really is very good !!!!!!!!!!
