Return-Path: Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org via listexpand id S1763154AbZD3V6V (ORCPT ); Thu, 30 Apr 2009 17:58:21 -0400 Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org id S1757959AbZD3V6H (ORCPT ); Thu, 30 Apr 2009 17:58:07 -0400 Received: from smtp1.linux-foundation.org ([140.211.169.13]:36348 "EHLO smtp1.linux-foundation.org" rhost-flags-OK-OK-OK-OK) by vger.kernel.org with ESMTP id S1755003AbZD3V6F (ORCPT ); Thu, 30 Apr 2009 17:58:05 -0400 Date: Thu, 30 Apr 2009 14:54:12 -0700 From: Andrew Morton To: Alan Stern Cc: dvomlehn@cisco.com, linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org, linux-usb@vger.kernel.org, linux-scsi@cuplxvomd02.corp.sa.net, netdev@cuplxvomd02.corp.sa.net Subject: Re: [PATCH 1/5] KERNEL: Support asynchronously-discovered boot devices, v4 (resend) Message-Id: <20090430145412.c1386cb2.akpm@linux-foundation.org> In-Reply-To: References: <20090430140559.a2343f7c.akpm@linux-foundation.org> X-Mailer: Sylpheed version 2.2.4 (GTK+ 2.8.20; i486-pc-linux-gnu) Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Sender: linux-kernel-owner@vger.kernel.org List-ID: X-Mailing-List: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org Content-Length: 1729 Lines: 42 On Thu, 30 Apr 2009 17:19:34 -0400 (EDT) Alan Stern wrote: > > I wonder if we can think of something more new ad unique. startupdev? yuk. > > Initdev? Or does that mean something else also? y:/usr/src/linux-2.6.30-rc4> grep -ril initdev . ./drivers/scsi/mpt2sas/mpi/mpi2_ioc.h ./drivers/net/mac8390.c ./drivers/video/kyro/Makefile ./drivers/video/kyro/STG4000InitDevice.c ./drivers/message/fusion/lsi/mpi_ioc.h ./drivers/watchdog/i6300esb.c ./drivers/media/video/cx88/cx88-alsa.c ./drivers/media/video/cx88/cx88-video.c ./drivers/media/video/saa7134/saa7134-core.c ./drivers/media/video/cx23885/cx23885-core.c initdev sounds good to me. Given that we're adding a new and distinct concept which will remain with us for a long time, we should name it with care. > Really, these are devices that we want to have working before starting > up any userspace processes. These would be the console device(s) (so > that the first process has open files for its stdin, stdout, and > stderr) and the block device containing the root filesystem (if the > initramfs image doesn't make its own arrangements). OK, so "initdev" could be viewed as meaning "a device which /sbin/init needs"? Even I can understand that. But /sbin/init isn't the first userspace we run, is it? There's initramfs stuff, firmware loaders, etc. What's the story here? Do we intend that all initdevs be up and running before _any_ userspace runs? Or is /sbin/init the red line? -- 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/