linux-kernel - Re: [PATCH 1/3] thunderbolt: Make the driver less verbose

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Message-ID: <20180905090510.fvryu6ivxagdzoyx@wunner.de>
Date:   Wed, 5 Sep 2018 11:05:10 +0200
From:   Lukas Wunner <lukas@...ner.de>
To:     Mika Westerberg <mika.westerberg@...ux.intel.com>
Cc:     linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org,
        Andreas Noever <andreas.noever@...il.com>,
        Michael Jamet <michael.jamet@...el.com>,
        Yehezkel Bernat <YehezkelShB@...il.com>
Subject: Re: [PATCH 1/3] thunderbolt: Make the driver less verbose

On Mon, Sep 03, 2018 at 04:33:02PM +0300, Mika Westerberg wrote:
> Currently the driver logs quite a lot to the system message buffer even
> when doing normal operations. This information is not useful for
> ordinary users and might even annoy some.

No, the verbose logging is done on purpose to aid us in reverse-engineering
the protocol.  For example ...

> -	tb_port_info(port, "  Unknown1: %#x Unknown2: %#x Unknown3: %#x\n",
> -		     hop->unknown1, hop->unknown2, hop->unknown3);

... why do you think we're logging these seemingly stupid unknown
bitfields?  Because whenever someone posts dmesg output they
inadvertantly post the contents of those unknown fields and we can
then google the value of those fields on various controllers and
machines and deduce their possible meaning.

By muting those messages, you're taking away our reverse enginering aids
without having released the spec, which would indeed obviate the need
for them.  Please don't do that.  Release the spec, *then* you can
mute the messages.  Not the other way round.

Thanks,

Lukas