linux-kernel - Re: [PATCH] Please get this committed, _NOW

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Message-ID: <871vk87q5o.fsf@basil.nowhere.org>
Date:	Sun, 08 Nov 2009 20:49:39 +0100
From:	Andi Kleen <andi@...stfloor.org>
To:	Linus Torvalds <torvalds@...ux-foundation.org>
Cc:	"Michael A. Griffith" <grif@....org>, linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org
Subject: Re: [PATCH] Please get this committed, _NOW_ (preferrably 5 years ago), thanks.

Andreas Mohr <andi@...as.de> writes:

> boy am I angry about this...

Angry about yourself?

> --- linux-2.6.32-rc6/init/main.c.orig	2009-11-08 11:09:51.000000000 +0100
> +++ linux-2.6.32-rc6/init/main.c	2009-11-08 12:40:11.000000000 +0100
> @@ -846,7 +846,47 @@ static noinline int init_post(void)
>  	run_init_process("/bin/init");
>  	run_init_process("/bin/sh");
>  
> -	panic("No init found.  Try passing init= option to kernel.");
> +	panic("No init found.  Try passing init= option to kernel. "
> +              "See Linux " __FILE__ " for guidance.");

That seems like the wrong approach. The kernel can actually distingush
many of these cases, so it could just tell the user about them directly.

> +/* ok, so you've got this pretty unintuitive message and are wondering
> + * what the H*** went wrong.
> + * Some high-level reasons for failure (listed roughly in order of execution)
> + * to load the init binary are:
> + * A) Unable to mount root FS

This the kernel knows so it could just say. In fact it's already
printed usually, but it could be printed again.

> + * B) init binary doesn't exist on rootfs

This is knows also.

> + * C) other requirements not met

No idea what that should be.

> + * D) binary exists but dependencies not available

I think you're refering to shared libraries here. This is actually not correct,
because if dynamic linking for init fails this will not result in this error message.

> + * E) binary cannot be loaded

This it also knows.

So please just fix the output.

-Andi
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