linux-kernel - Re: [PATCH v2 11/11] test_firmware: test three firmware kernel configs using a proc knob

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Date:   Thu, 1 Mar 2018 17:33:22 +0000
From:   "Luis R. Rodriguez" <mcgrof@...nel.org>
To:     Josh Triplett <josh@...htriplett.org>
Cc:     "Luis R. Rodriguez" <mcgrof@...nel.org>,
        Kees Cook <keescook@...omium.org>,
        Greg KH <gregkh@...uxfoundation.org>,
        Andrew Morton <akpm@...ux-foundation.org>,
        Shuah Khan <shuah@...nel.org>,
        Martin Fuzzey <mfuzzey@...keon.com>,
        Mimi Zohar <zohar@...ux.vnet.ibm.com>,
        David Howells <dhowells@...hat.com>, pali.rohar@...il.com,
        Takashi Iwai <tiwai@...e.de>, arend.vanspriel@...adcom.com,
        Rafał Miłecki <zajec5@...il.com>,
        nbroeking@...com, Vikram Mulukutla <markivx@...eaurora.org>,
        stephen.boyd@...aro.org, Mark Brown <broonie@...nel.org>,
        Dmitry Torokhov <dmitry.torokhov@...il.com>,
        David Woodhouse <dwmw2@...radead.org>,
        Linus Torvalds <torvalds@...ux-foundation.org>,
        Abhay_Salunke@...l.com, bjorn.andersson@...aro.org,
        jewalt@...innovations.com, LKML <linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org>,
        "linux-fsdevel@...r.kernel.org" <linux-fsdevel@...r.kernel.org>
Subject: Re: [PATCH v2 11/11] test_firmware: test three firmware kernel
 configs using a proc knob

On Wed, Feb 28, 2018 at 06:25:16PM -0800, Josh Triplett wrote:
> On Thu, Mar 01, 2018 at 12:38:16AM +0000, Luis R. Rodriguez wrote:
> > On Wed, Feb 28, 2018 at 04:00:58PM -0800, Josh Triplett wrote:
> > > On Wed, Feb 28, 2018 at 06:26:03PM +0000, Luis R. Rodriguez wrote:
> > > > So for folks who enable CONFIG_FW_LOADER=y, they'd now be forced to gain an
> > > > extra 13436 bytes broken down as follows:
> > > 
> > > Ah, I see.
> > > 
> > > If you have CONFIG_FW_LOADER and not CONFIG_FW_LOADER_USER_HELPER, then
> > > you only have the in-kernel firmware loading mechanism?
> > 
> > Right, we don't have the old fallback mechanism (which BTW used to be
> > the default way back in the hayday).
> > 
> > > Given the
> > > *substantial* size difference between the two, it seems useful to have
> > > that option.
> > 
> > That's what I wanted to get to, is 13436 bytes *substantial* enough to
> > merit a kernel configuration option? It seems like that is the case.
> 
> By at least an order of magnitude, yes.

OK, then now we have a worthy reasonable description to amend into the kconfig
option too. And since its now revisited, I guess we can live with it for a good
while.

> > > What would it gain to combine the two?
> > 
> > Well Android enables CONFIG_FW_LOADER_USER_HELPER, and if they do, I was trying
> > to think if there really was any point in having CONFIG_FW_LOADER_USER_HELPER
> > as an option. Who would enable CONFIG_FW_LOADER but not
> > CONFIG_FW_LOADER_USER_HELPER?
> 
> An embedded system with a fixed set of hardware that needs exclusively a
> fixed set of firmware files known at system build time.

Fair enough, this should help also in the description.

> > The less hairball of mess of kconfig options the better to test. Even
> > though this series has reduced being able to consolidating being
> > able to make a kernel now which lets us test all configurations in
> > one build.
> > 
> > Who would save some 13436 bytes in the real world?
> 
> *raises hand*

Thanks for the feedback.

  Luis