linux-kernel - Re: [PATCH v1 1/1] Add kernel parameter for kernel version

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Date:	Thu, 05 Jun 2014 15:56:40 -0700
From:	eric ernst <eric.ernst@...ux.intel.com>
To:	Randy Dunlap <rdunlap@...radead.org>,
	Andrew Morton <akpm@...ux-foundation.org>
CC:	jwboyer@...oraproject.org, linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org
Subject: Re: [PATCH v1 1/1] Add kernel parameter for kernel version


On 14-06-05 03:29 PM, Randy Dunlap wrote:
> On 06/05/2014 03:15 PM, eric ernst wrote:
>> On 14-06-05 03:16 PM, Andrew Morton wrote:
>>> On Thu,  5 Jun 2014 15:09:17 -0700 eric.ernst@...ux.intel.com wrote:
>>>
>>>> Create a kernel cmdline parameter, "version_addendum", which can be
>>>> used to add text to the kernel version that is reported from
>>>> /proc/version.
>>> why?
>> We have a need to keep a single product binary (kernel) across multiple android devices.  A subset of these platforms are looking for extra versioning information appended to it, accessible via /proc/version.  Rather than build multiple otherwise identical kernels with only this extended versioning as differentiation, we are looking to make this a command line parameter.  Understandable if there isn't enough value-add for the community in this patch, but I figured I'd give the patch a shot, as we need this functionality locally.  Thanks.
> Please use a newline character every 70-72 characters instead of assuming
> that all email programs will break that extra long line up into a readable
> format.  (mine does not.)
Ack - sorry Randy - it was a quick cp / paste from earlier in the thread.
>
> What software needs to know the version info?  how early does it run?
> Could it get the version info from 'uname -r' instead of from /proc/version?
>
> thanks,
This'll end up being used by a third party customer for tracking 
particular devices, so I'm sure "much, much later" in user space. While 
I'm sure they could use uname instead, the specific request was for 
/proc/version.

The more I look into this patch, the more I think this is a pretty 
specific use case that probably doesn't have a lot of community 
value-add outside of our scenario.  Thanks for the feedback.
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