To: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org
From: "H. Peter Anvin" <hpa@zytor.com>
Subject: Re: common name for the kernel DSO
Date: 18 Jun 2003 23:18:02 -0700
Organization: Transmeta Corporation, Santa Clara CA
Message-ID: <bcrkiq$dta$1@cesium.transmeta.com>
References: <16112.47509.643668.116939@napali.hpl.hp.com>
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Copyright: Copyright 2003 H. Peter Anvin - All Rights Reserved
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Followup to:  <16112.47509.643668.116939@napali.hpl.hp.com>
By author:    David Mosberger <davidm@napali.hpl.hp.com>
In newsgroup: linux.dev.kernel
>
> Both x86 and ia64 now provide a dynamically shared object (DSO) for
> system call purposes (e.g., to speed up system calls and for signal
> trampoline/sigreturn purposes).  At the moment, the names of these
> DSOs are different:
> 
> 	x86:	linux-vsyscall.so.1
> 	ia64:	linux-gate.so.1
> 
> I think there is some value in using the same name on all platforms
> that support such a DSO.  vsyscall makes no sense for ia64, since
> there are no virtual syscalls (instead, ia64 linux provides a fast
> system call convention which, when coupled with light-weight system
> call handlers, provide full syscall semantics at more or less the
> speed of virtual system calls).
> 
> Not surprisingly, I like the name "linux-gate", since that is really
> what this DSO is all about: it's a gateway between user and kernel
> space.  However, if this name isn't appropriate for x86, perhaps we
> can find another name which will be acceptable to everybody.
> 

It's a pretty ugly name, quite frankly, since it doesn't explain what
it is a gate from or to.  linux-syscall.so.1 or linux-kernel.so.1
would make a lot more sense.

	-hpa
-- 
<hpa@transmeta.com> at work, <hpa@zytor.com> in private!
"Unix gives you enough rope to shoot yourself in the foot."
Architectures needed: ia64 m68k mips64 ppc ppc64 s390 s390x sh v850 x86-64
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