linux-kernel - Re: ABI coupling to hypervisors via CONFIG

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Date:	Fri, 9 Mar 2007 23:12:33 +0100
From:	Ingo Molnar <mingo@...e.hu>
To:	Jeremy Fitzhardinge <jeremy@...p.org>
Cc:	Chris Wright <chrisw@...s-sol.org>,
	Zachary Amsden <zach@...are.com>,
	Thomas Gleixner <tglx@...utronix.de>,
	john stultz <johnstul@...ibm.com>, akpm@...ux-foundation.org,
	LKML <linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org>,
	Rusty Russell <rusty@...tcorp.com.au>, Andi Kleen <ak@...e.de>,
	Alan Cox <alan@...rguk.ukuu.org.uk>
Subject: Re: ABI coupling to hypervisors via CONFIG_PARAVIRT


* Jeremy Fitzhardinge <jeremy@...p.org> wrote:

> Now it may be that you've got a change that's absolutely great for 
> everyone, and the only blocker is that the FoobieVisor can't deal with 
> it.  OK, great, then you'd have a point.

yep. That's precisely my worry. And it doesnt have to be a 'great' thing 
- just any random small change in the kernel that makes sense: what is 
the likelyhood that it cannot be implemented, no matter what amount of 
insight, paravirt_ops + hyper-ABI emulation hackery, for FoobieVisor, 
because FoobieVisor messed up its ABI.

that likelyhood is a pure function of how FoobieVisor's hypercall ABI is 
shaped. Wow! So can you guess where my fixation about not having too 
many ABIs could possibly originate from? ;-)

Until today everyone on the hypervisor side of the argument pretended 
that paravirt_ops solves all problems and acted stupid when i said an 
ABI is an ABI is an ABI, and that "backwards compatibility" does have 
some technological consequences. _Now_ at least i've got this minimal 
admission that FoobieVisor _might_ break. Quite a breakthrough =B-)

	Ingo
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