linux-kernel - Re: [Xen-devel] [PATCH] xen: remove unused Kconfig parameter

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Message-ID: <20130709200150.GB27579@pd.tnic>
Date:	Tue, 9 Jul 2013 22:01:50 +0200
From:	Borislav Petkov <bp@...en8.de>
To:	Konrad Rzeszutek Wilk <konrad.wilk@...cle.com>
Cc:	Jan Beulich <JBeulich@...e.com>, Matt Wilson <msw@...zon.com>,
	Michael Opdenacker <michael.opdenacker@...e-electrons.com>,
	jeremy@...p.org, x86@...nel.org, tglx@...utronix.de,
	virtualization@...ts.linux-foundation.org,
	xen-devel@...ts.xensource.com, mingo@...hat.com,
	Paul Bolle <pebolle@...cali.nl>, linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org,
	"H. Peter Anvin" <hpa@...or.com>
Subject: Re: [Xen-devel] [PATCH] xen: remove unused Kconfig parameter

On Tue, Jul 09, 2013 at 01:19:09PM -0400, Konrad Rzeszutek Wilk wrote:
> My thinking is that what should be done to have some sense of history
> is that the patch in GRUB to not rely on kernel internals should be
> done. Then that git commit of that tree should be mentioned in this
> kernel patch.

That's absolutely backwards and you know it. The two things - the kernel
and grub2 - have a defined interface and it is the only way they should
interact. Everything else is a bug.

> I wouldn't want GRUB2 to have regressions and stop generating the
> proper menu options. That smells of userspace regressions and I am not
> too keen to have Linus point this out to me.

You keep repeating that...

Dear Konrad, we need to talk about what a userspace regression is. And
in that case, grepping through the kernel .config and suddenly not
finding a certain symbol is not. That's like objdump-ing vmlinux and
relying on something there.

The patch removing this symbol is not violating a defined interface to
userspace. So you can't claim we're breaking anything here.

> Once that is done we can follow up on this patch and perhaps also
> nicely convience the initial author of this patch to look at removing
> the CONFIG_XEN_DOM0 and replacing them with the two other CONFIG
> options that Jan and me have been discussing.

Yes, but please make sure there's a bug opened against grub2 which lets
them know that grepping kernel configs is doomed to break sooner or
later.

Thanks.

-- 
Regards/Gruss,
    Boris.

Sent from a fat crate under my desk. Formatting is fine.
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