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On Mon, Jul 01, 2013 at 04:41:49PM +0200, Tom Wijsman wrote: |
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> This problem is not only visible for patches, but also in the config. |
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> |
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> Meet CONFIG_DEVTMPFS; forget to enable it, greet a failing boot. We're |
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> telling users to enable it in some places, in the handbook it's a single |
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> line you must read, on the Wiki it's kind of missing unless you are |
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> luckily on the right page, on the Quick Install book it is missing too. |
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This is not the only build option that users must enable to get a |
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booting system by far. So why single this one out? |
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> Q: I don't want feature X? Please don't add the patch! |
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> |
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> A: It's optional, don't enable it in your menu config. |
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> |
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> Q: What about my stable server? I really don't want to run this stuff! |
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> |
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> A: These options would depend on !CONFIG_VANILLA or CONFIG_EXPERIMENTAL |
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What is CONFIG_VANILLA? I don't see that in the upstream kernel tree at |
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all. |
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CONFIG_EXPERIMENTAL is now gone from upstream, so you are going to have |
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a problem with this. |
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> which would be disabled by default, therefore if you keep this option |
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> the way it is on your stable server; it won't affect you. |
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Not always true. Look at aufs as an example. It patches the core |
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kernel code in ways that are _not_ accepted upstream yet. Now you all |
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are running that modified code, even if you don't want aufs. |
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Note, I'm just using aufs as an example here, I'm not commenting on the |
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quality of the code, or why it is modifying the core kernel at all, I |
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happen to run it on some of my own servers, but your feelings might |
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differ. |
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> In other words, genpatches stay as stable as before; unless you |
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> explicitly toggle options that intentionally make it unstable. |
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As pointed out above, this is not always true. |
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Also, as others stated, the "hardened" patches also don't always only |
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touch areas covered by non-config-selected portions of the kernel. |
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Mix and match your external kernel patches at your own risk, what you |
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are suggesting does make it "easy" for users, but I bet it will be a |
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huge support issue for the already-overworked gentoo kernel developers, |
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the combinations just are too big to test and guarantee working. |
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good luck, |
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greg "stick to the vanilla-sources" k-h |
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