netdev - Re: [Intel-wired-lan] [PATCH iwl-next v1] iavf: fix proper type for error code in iavf

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Message-ID: <679b3ad8-91fd-4570-9e63-c6c5e22a8820@intel.com>
Date: Mon, 15 Sep 2025 11:58:32 +0200
From: Przemek Kitszel <przemyslaw.kitszel@...el.com>
To: Paul Menzel <pmenzel@...gen.mpg.de>, Aleksandr Loktionov
	<aleksandr.loktionov@...el.com>
CC: <intel-wired-lan@...ts.osuosl.org>, <anthony.l.nguyen@...el.com>,
	<netdev@...r.kernel.org>
Subject: Re: [Intel-wired-lan] [PATCH iwl-next v1] iavf: fix proper type for
 error code in iavf_resume()

On 9/15/25 11:12, Paul Menzel wrote:
> Dear Aleksandr,
> 
> 
> Thank you for your patch.
> 
> Am 12.09.25 um 10:02 schrieb Aleksandr Loktionov:
>> The variable 'err' in iavf_resume() is used to store the return value
>> of different functions, which return an int. Currently, 'err' is
>> declared as u32, which is semantically incorrect and misleading.
>>
>> In the Linux kernel, u32 is typically reserved for fixed-width data
>> used in hardware interfaces or protocol structures. Using it for a
>> generic error code may confuse reviewers or developers into thinking
>> the value is hardware-related or size-constrained.
>>
>> Replace u32 with int to reflect the actual usage and improve code
>> clarity and semantic correctness.
> 
> Why not use `unsigned int`?

I don't think we need to provide rationale for "kernel has adopted
a long standing practice of encoding errors as negative integer codes"
each time we change a type, IOW it's too basic thing to mention.

> 
>>
>> No functional change.
>>
>> Signed-off-by: Aleksandr Loktionov <aleksandr.loktionov@...el.com>
>> Reviewed-by: Przemek Kitszel <przemyslaw.kitszel@...el.com>
>> ---
>>   drivers/net/ethernet/intel/iavf/iavf_main.c | 2 +-
>>   1 file changed, 1 insertion(+), 1 deletion(-)
>>
>> diff --git a/drivers/net/ethernet/intel/iavf/iavf_main.c b/drivers/ 
>> net/ethernet/intel/iavf/iavf_main.c
>> index 69054af..c2fbe44 100644
>> --- a/drivers/net/ethernet/intel/iavf/iavf_main.c
>> +++ b/drivers/net/ethernet/intel/iavf/iavf_main.c
>> @@ -5491,7 +5491,7 @@ static int iavf_resume(struct device *dev_d)
>>   {
>>       struct pci_dev *pdev = to_pci_dev(dev_d);
>>       struct iavf_adapter *adapter;
>> -    u32 err;
>> +    int err;
>>       adapter = iavf_pdev_to_adapter(pdev);
> 
> Reviewed-by: Paul Menzel <pmenzel@...gen.mpg.de>

Thank you

> 
> 
> Kind regards,
> 
> Paul