Return-Path: Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org via listexpand id S1758315AbYFJICe (ORCPT ); Tue, 10 Jun 2008 04:02:34 -0400 Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org id S1753284AbYFJICM (ORCPT ); Tue, 10 Jun 2008 04:02:12 -0400 Received: from xc.sipsolutions.net ([83.246.72.84]:54002 "EHLO sipsolutions.net" rhost-flags-OK-OK-OK-OK) by vger.kernel.org with ESMTP id S1752761AbYFJICK (ORCPT ); Tue, 10 Jun 2008 04:02:10 -0400 Subject: Re: Is configfs the right solution for configuration based fs? From: Johannes Berg To: Ben Nizette Cc: "Luis R. Rodriguez" , linux-wireless , linux kernel , Greg KH , Joel Becker , Satyam Sharma , Felix Fietkau , Al Viro , "H. Peter Anvin" In-Reply-To: <1213056772.4089.42.camel@moss.renham> References: <43e72e890806081425h4e785800nc618fc1985f9809f@mail.gmail.com> (sfid-20080608_232543_873639_74C0A387) <1213002187.698.62.camel@johannes.berg> <1213056772.4089.42.camel@moss.renham> Content-Type: multipart/signed; micalg=pgp-sha1; protocol="application/pgp-signature"; boundary="=-Ke1UpQp2EOGtYEjtUp6b" Date: Tue, 10 Jun 2008 10:01:20 +0200 Message-Id: <1213084880.22220.29.camel@johannes.berg> Mime-Version: 1.0 X-Mailer: Evolution 2.22.2 Sender: linux-kernel-owner@vger.kernel.org List-ID: X-Mailing-List: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org Content-Length: 3521 Lines: 86 --=-Ke1UpQp2EOGtYEjtUp6b Content-Type: text/plain Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable On Tue, 2008-06-10 at 10:12 +1000, Ben Nizette wrote: > On Mon, 2008-06-09 at 11:03 +0200, Johannes Berg wrote: >=20 > > Personally, I have a few issues with this: > > 1) why bother with a second configuration interface that we have to > > maintain, adjust, ...? if we need scriptable access, then make a > > good userspace tool that is scriptable. >=20 > What's the first one, sysfs..? ioctl (eww..)? =20 netlink. > > 2) string-based stuff is often messy, especially the varying attribute= s > > like MAC addresses etc. Unless we just use binary files again, whic= h > > is not very useful again. Take, for example, the monitor flags. If > > we use the same flags then nobody really knows what's up=20 > > (echo 0x3 > mntr_flags?) and if we use strings then we cannot easil= y > > ever rename the flag while keeping ABI/API compatibility. >=20 > Not sure I see the argument here, why would you want to change the flag > name? If you decide the old name is stupid then can't you just alias > the old name to the new one? Sure can do, but it just adds a lot of complexity to the kernel. I don't see the point, it's not like you need a lot of code to build netlink messages. Heck, I've done it by _hand_ and used just netlink sockets. It's not a lot of code. > String handling is always a bit iffy, though it has to be done > somewhere, either in kernel or in your "good userspace tool which is > scriptable". I'd prefer to have it done once, well, in the kernel and > not have to ship more software than necessary. I personally prefer to put it into userspace. > > 3) afaik configfs doesn't actually support the mkdir, ... stuff yet > > that you want for virtual interfaces. >=20 > It has all the mkdir stuff I can think of, can you elaborate? It > doesn't have the commitable object support but I just have an 'enabled' > attribute in there to switch the thing on and off. I don't remember the specifics, it's been a while, I guess I could be thinking of the commitable object support; mostly we'd want to configure many things in one go, even on a live object. Without disabling that object first, obviously. johannes --=-Ke1UpQp2EOGtYEjtUp6b Content-Type: application/pgp-signature; name=signature.asc Content-Description: This is a digitally signed message part -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Comment: Johannes Berg (powerbook) iQIcBAABAgAGBQJITjTMAAoJEKVg1VMiehFYvZoQAKcH5KQWV0TrvGmqQc1IXBcs iAhp87sIECgk7/hj34dt5SrlpTl7TcxiKXrJerhGQT3pw6O0JDuFDsX1OvmyI5/j dlAuKgA/4YQ7UcM9sS5L2MrC/EkxUZMBMIDBICZ6E9z9/Ee1F/SerAA/BsapU/T1 oek9gndO4d8fAtP+FoGXEMwn+9ZAomcD+JpL1azSKAhq2D++kjgpep1aEYQjgZqw MR4ytNmUgT6dkhj1ohrSQRxUD8dj+qiZvXvdD+kSjbRJpyblZx/nDV623Eqs9iFV SRy6xUw3RI9K6s3bygveBbQX+Wd+ym6cpFJsz0pZGSdpt2Q/z4BggsdBECG0ZVUG eoxEXXjk+ryVO49ZrCt2pweQUXzI12L0QTp9yOqIM1elPHyjIR/sEO2kx91jVOXb bHDhTnU2yAKR2pqWTXbBR/SaWbQvf2a1Oq6SORh8NfiiCfXCRSC4x6VepWZTw/xV WyG2s4bw1SEamdzVdTtoupCeeCeCkFoC+QLqq9miYmQtTy/Gy/1EhE8A7XQWLlCJ 95Ppzx/ZePMmfH2UeK/mMw093vdAZqD1bVJGKrsNbB+7f5FkpkvEQAXFZ9HORGuk unpGhqhVh+NWz/BOOIaSytZXu+Aya6TJoYRi6Ol83b5cR12NC8s7yIy+df5aMYax 6HBeUuzNeEZXVhkg4Fss =iKtc -----END PGP SIGNATURE----- --=-Ke1UpQp2EOGtYEjtUp6b-- -- To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe linux-kernel" in the body of a message to majordomo@vger.kernel.org More majordomo info at http://vger.kernel.org/majordomo-info.html Please read the FAQ at http://www.tux.org/lkml/