[OpenWrt-Devel] [openwrt-realtek] Is it possible to add support for rtl8676?

[Stefan Lippers-Hollmann]

Hi

On 2017-04-21, Pavel Sayekat wrote:
> Dear team,
> My device is a rtl8676 (may be it has become old :( ) and I like to use
> openwrt firmwire on it if its possible :).

[ Disclaimer: I can't speak for the OpenWrt developers ]

RTL8676 is based on Realtek's own lexra architecture, a reduced mips 
ISA, neither the upstream kernel nor OpenWrt have any kind of support 
for this (sub-)architecture (and forward porting arch support from their
last kernel 2.6.30 based code drop won't be particularly easy). Another
rather obvious problem for many devices of this architecture would be 
insufficient hardware ressources (16 MB RAM); OpenWrt has dropped
support for devices with less than 32 MB RAM with Attitude Adjustment 
in 2012 and even 32 MB RAM (the most seen in any known RTL8676 device) 
would be very limiting for OpenWrt trunk and close to the end of its 
life cycle.

Adding support for lexra and RTL8676 to OpenWrt would require 
significant efforts (and arch upstreaming), which -given the age (and 
relative rarity) of these lexra designs and the very limited system 
ressources of most devices- is extremely unlikely to happen[1]. It most
likely would require you personally (as I can't really imagine (m)any
others to share your motivation) to spend massive efforts on upstream 
kernel- and toolchain support, before even thinking about OpenWrt 
specifics.

Regards
	Stefan Lippers-Hollmann

[1]	lexra as an architecture used by Realtek in networking devices 
	exists since ~2004, RTL8676 specifically probably since ~2013, 
	given that nothing has happened for this architecture within 
	the last ~12 years, it's rather safe to assume that nothing 
	will happen in the forseeable future either.
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