linux-kernel - Re: [PATCH] mm/hotplug, x86: Disable ARCH_MEMORY

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Date:	Wed, 17 Jul 2013 20:24:52 -0400
From:	KOSAKI Motohiro <kosaki.motohiro@...il.com>
To:	Toshi Kani <toshi.kani@...com>
Cc:	Andrew Morton <akpm@...ux-foundation.org>,
	"linux-mm@...ck.org" <linux-mm@...ck.org>,
	LKML <linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org>, x86@...nel.org,
	Yasuaki Ishimatsu <isimatu.yasuaki@...fujitsu.com>,
	Tang Chen <tangchen@...fujitsu.com>,
	"vasilis.liaskovitis" <vasilis.liaskovitis@...fitbricks.com>
Subject: Re: [PATCH] mm/hotplug, x86: Disable ARCH_MEMORY_PROBE by default

On Wed, Jul 17, 2013 at 7:51 PM, Toshi Kani <toshi.kani@...com> wrote:
> On Wed, 2013-07-17 at 19:33 -0400, KOSAKI Motohiro wrote:
>> On Wed, Jul 17, 2013 at 7:29 PM, Toshi Kani <toshi.kani@...com> wrote:
>> > On Wed, 2013-07-17 at 19:22 -0400, KOSAKI Motohiro wrote:
>> >> On Wed, Jul 17, 2013 at 5:45 PM, Toshi Kani <toshi.kani@...com> wrote:
>> >> > CONFIG_ARCH_MEMORY_PROBE enables /sys/devices/system/memory/probe
>> >> > interface, which allows a given memory address to be hot-added as
>> >> > follows. (See Documentation/memory-hotplug.txt for more detail.)
>> >> >
>> >> > # echo start_address_of_new_memory > /sys/devices/system/memory/probe
>> >> >
>> >> > This probe interface is required on powerpc. On x86, however, ACPI
>> >> > notifies a memory hotplug event to the kernel, which performs its
>> >> > hotplug operation as the result. Therefore, users should not be
>> >> > required to use this interface on x86. This probe interface is also
>> >> > error-prone that the kernel blindly adds a given memory address
>> >> > without checking if the memory is present on the system; no probing
>> >> > is done despite of its name. The kernel crashes when a user requests
>> >> > to online a memory block that is not present on the system.
>> >> >
>> >> > This patch disables CONFIG_ARCH_MEMORY_PROBE by default on x86,
>> >> > and clarifies it in Documentation/memory-hotplug.txt.
>> >>
>> >> Why don't you completely remove it? Who should use this strange interface?
>> >
>> > According to the comment below, this probe interface is used on powerpc.
>> > So, we cannot remove it, but to disable it on x86.
>>
>> I meant x86. Why can't we completely remove ARCH_MEMORY_PROBE section
>> from x86 Kconfig?
>
> Oh, I see what you meant.  I do not expect any need for end-users, but I
> was not sure if someone working on the memory hotplug development might
> use it for fake hot-add testing.  Yes, if you folks do not see any need,
> I will remove it from x86 Kconfig.

Then it's ok to submit your patch now.

Acked-by: KOSAKI Motohiro <kosaki.motohiro@...fujitsu.com>
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