2006-08-17 22:41:28

by Miles Lane

[permalink] [raw]
Subject: 2.6.18-rc4-mm1 + hotfix -- Many processes use the sysctl system call

My installation of Ubuntu is having trouble with my kernel build
because I disabled support for sysctl:

warning: process `ls' used the removed sysctl system call
warning: process `touch' used the removed sysctl system call
warning: process `touch' used the removed sysctl system call
warning: process `evms_activate' used the removed sysctl system call
warning: process `alsactl' used the removed sysctl system call

I am curious whether the use of sysctl indicates a problem in these
processes. What is the benefit of offering disabling sysctl support?

Thanks,
Miles


2006-08-17 22:44:23

by Lee Revell

[permalink] [raw]
Subject: Re: 2.6.18-rc4-mm1 + hotfix -- Many processes use the sysctl system call

On Thu, 2006-08-17 at 15:41 -0700, Miles Lane wrote:
> My installation of Ubuntu is having trouble with my kernel build
> because I disabled support for sysctl:
>
> warning: process `ls' used the removed sysctl system call
> warning: process `touch' used the removed sysctl system call
> warning: process `touch' used the removed sysctl system call
> warning: process `evms_activate' used the removed sysctl system call
> warning: process `alsactl' used the removed sysctl system call
>
> I am curious whether the use of sysctl indicates a problem in these
> processes. What is the benefit of offering disabling sysctl support?

To make the kernel smaller for people who don't need sysctl.
Apparently, you need it.

Lee

2006-08-18 08:30:51

by Frederik Deweerdt

[permalink] [raw]
Subject: Re: 2.6.18-rc4-mm1 + hotfix -- Many processes use the sysctl system call

On Thu, Aug 17, 2006 at 03:41:27PM -0700, Miles Lane wrote:
> My installation of Ubuntu is having trouble with my kernel build
> because I disabled support for sysctl:
>
> warning: process `ls' used the removed sysctl system call
> warning: process `touch' used the removed sysctl system call
> warning: process `touch' used the removed sysctl system call
> warning: process `evms_activate' used the removed sysctl system call
> warning: process `alsactl' used the removed sysctl system call
>
> I am curious whether the use of sysctl indicates a problem in these
> processes. What is the benefit of offering disabling sysctl support?
>
You may want to have a look at the '2.6.18-rc1-mm2: process `showconsole'
used the removed sysctl system call' thread in the archives.

Regards,
Frederik
> Thanks,
> Miles
> -
> To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe linux-kernel" in
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>

2006-08-18 14:47:14

by Mattia Dongili

[permalink] [raw]
Subject: Re: 2.6.18-rc4-mm1 + hotfix -- Many processes use the sysctl system call

On Thu, Aug 17, 2006 at 06:45:01PM -0400, Lee Revell wrote:
> On Thu, 2006-08-17 at 15:41 -0700, Miles Lane wrote:
> > My installation of Ubuntu is having trouble with my kernel build
> > because I disabled support for sysctl:
> >
> > warning: process `ls' used the removed sysctl system call
> > warning: process `touch' used the removed sysctl system call
> > warning: process `touch' used the removed sysctl system call
> > warning: process `evms_activate' used the removed sysctl system call
> > warning: process `alsactl' used the removed sysctl system call
> >
> > I am curious whether the use of sysctl indicates a problem in these
> > processes. What is the benefit of offering disabling sysctl support?
>
> To make the kernel smaller for people who don't need sysctl.
> Apparently, you need it.

afaik, they are being fixed (in debian at least):
http://lists.debian.org/debian-glibc/2006/08/msg00163.html

--
mattia
:wq!

2006-08-18 16:23:11

by Lee Revell

[permalink] [raw]
Subject: Re: 2.6.18-rc4-mm1 + hotfix -- Many processes use the sysctl system call

On Fri, 2006-08-18 at 16:46 +0200, Mattia Dongili wrote:
> On Thu, Aug 17, 2006 at 06:45:01PM -0400, Lee Revell wrote:
> > On Thu, 2006-08-17 at 15:41 -0700, Miles Lane wrote:
> > > My installation of Ubuntu is having trouble with my kernel build
> > > because I disabled support for sysctl:
> > >
> > > warning: process `ls' used the removed sysctl system call
> > > warning: process `touch' used the removed sysctl system call
> > > warning: process `touch' used the removed sysctl system call
> > > warning: process `evms_activate' used the removed sysctl system call
> > > warning: process `alsactl' used the removed sysctl system call
> > >
> > > I am curious whether the use of sysctl indicates a problem in these
> > > processes. What is the benefit of offering disabling sysctl support?
> >
> > To make the kernel smaller for people who don't need sysctl.
> > Apparently, you need it.
>
> afaik, they are being fixed (in debian at least):
> http://lists.debian.org/debian-glibc/2006/08/msg00163.html
>

"fixed"? Why is sysctl being removed in the middle of a stable kernel
series?!? I thought the new golden rule was "don't break userspace"?

Lee

2006-08-18 16:39:45

by Alan

[permalink] [raw]
Subject: Re: 2.6.18-rc4-mm1 + hotfix -- Many processes use the sysctl system call

Ar Gwe, 2006-08-18 am 12:23 -0400, ysgrifennodd Lee Revell:
> "fixed"? Why is sysctl being removed in the middle of a stable kernel
> series?!? I thought the new golden rule was "don't break userspace"?

Its being made optional like a lot of other things. It does probably
belong under CONFIG_EMBEDDED to turn it off tho


Alan

2006-08-19 00:30:39

by Gabor Gombas

[permalink] [raw]
Subject: Re: 2.6.18-rc4-mm1 + hotfix -- Many processes use the sysctl system call

On Fri, Aug 18, 2006 at 12:23:54PM -0400, Lee Revell wrote:

> "fixed"? Why is sysctl being removed in the middle of a stable kernel
> series?!?

IMHO the stable series is 2.6.x.y nowadays. 2.6.z (without a fourth
number) is more or less what used to be 2.<odd> previously.

> I thought the new golden rule was "don't break userspace"?

AFAIK nothing is broken, but the messages are annoying. Especially since
99.9% of the time they're caused not by the applications but by glibc.
So the message should be heavily rate limited at least, if that's not
already done.

Gabor

--
---------------------------------------------------------
MTA SZTAKI Computer and Automation Research Institute
Hungarian Academy of Sciences
---------------------------------------------------------

2006-08-19 00:40:35

by Frederik Deweerdt

[permalink] [raw]
Subject: Re: 2.6.18-rc4-mm1 + hotfix -- Many processes use the sysctl system call

On Sat, Aug 19, 2006 at 02:30:37AM +0200, Gabor Gombas wrote:
> On Fri, Aug 18, 2006 at 12:23:54PM -0400, Lee Revell wrote:
>
> > "fixed"? Why is sysctl being removed in the middle of a stable kernel
> > series?!?
>
> IMHO the stable series is 2.6.x.y nowadays. 2.6.z (without a fourth
> number) is more or less what used to be 2.<odd> previously.
Not to mention we're dealing with a -mm kernel...

Regards,
Frederik
>
> > I thought the new golden rule was "don't break userspace"?
>
> AFAIK nothing is broken, but the messages are annoying. Especially since
> 99.9% of the time they're caused not by the applications but by glibc.
> So the message should be heavily rate limited at least, if that's not
> already done.
>
> Gabor
>
> --
> ---------------------------------------------------------
> MTA SZTAKI Computer and Automation Research Institute
> Hungarian Academy of Sciences
> ---------------------------------------------------------
> -
> To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe linux-kernel" in
> the body of a message to [email protected]
> More majordomo info at http://vger.kernel.org/majordomo-info.html
> Please read the FAQ at http://www.tux.org/lkml/
>

2006-08-19 00:49:06

by Lee Revell

[permalink] [raw]
Subject: Re: 2.6.18-rc4-mm1 + hotfix -- Many processes use the sysctl system call

On Sat, 2006-08-19 at 02:40 +0000, Frederik Deweerdt wrote:
> On Sat, Aug 19, 2006 at 02:30:37AM +0200, Gabor Gombas wrote:
> > On Fri, Aug 18, 2006 at 12:23:54PM -0400, Lee Revell wrote:
> >
> > > "fixed"? Why is sysctl being removed in the middle of a stable kernel
> > > series?!?
> >
> > IMHO the stable series is 2.6.x.y nowadays. 2.6.z (without a fourth
> > number) is more or less what used to be 2.<odd> previously.
> Not to mention we're dealing with a -mm kernel...
>

Ah, OK - the debian-glibc thread the OP referred to began:

"Starting with 2.6.18, the official kernels do not have the sysctl
syscall anymore (http://lkml.org/lkml/2006/7/15/54) or rather it has
been replaced by a dummy syscall that always fail and print a message
in the log, and thus the sysctl() function will not work anymore."

However the referenced link is about an -mm kernel.

Sorry for the noise.

Lee