[TriLUG] Change in device driver development

[Scott G. Hall]

I need some help from the group:

There is some significant if not radical changes in creating a device driver as 
a module from the 2.6.16 kernel to the 2.6.22 kernel (similar changes have been 
made to the 2.4 kernel series).  What do you know of as changes, and do you have 
any information on how to port a driver written for the older build to the later 
build?  When I compile, I'm seeing header changes, warnings as a result of 
function argument type changes, even depreciated function calls.

Specifically I am working on a USB scanner driver.  I've noticed abandonment of 
other module scanner drivers in favor of libsane.  If libsane is the right route 
to go, how do I go about adding the command set and operation of a new scanner 
to the libsane driver?  I've already read the SANE documentation on creating a 
"backend" driver, but all it says is to model a new backend driver from one of 
the others.  Do you know of a specific pointer to either creating a proper SANE 
backend driver, or to more properly modify an older driver to work with the 
newer Linux kernel?

-- 
Scott G. Hall
Raleigh, NC, USA
ScottGHall at BellSouth.Net