Return-Path: Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org via listexpand id S1758014Ab0GBJI2 (ORCPT ); Fri, 2 Jul 2010 05:08:28 -0400 Received: from lo.gmane.org ([80.91.229.12]:41109 "EHLO lo.gmane.org" rhost-flags-OK-OK-OK-OK) by vger.kernel.org with ESMTP id S1756878Ab0GBJIZ (ORCPT ); Fri, 2 Jul 2010 05:08:25 -0400 X-Injected-Via-Gmane: http://gmane.org/ To: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org From: Alexander Clouter Subject: Re: [PATCH] VMware balloon: force compiling as a module Date: Fri, 2 Jul 2010 09:09:37 +0100 Message-ID: <1fj0g7-ljk.ln1@chipmunk.wormnet.eu> References: <20100628230035.GA18971@dtor-ws.eng.vmware.com> <201007011531.52291.dtor@vmware.com> <20100701154347.e3c1094b.akpm@linux-foundation.org> <201007011600.00462.dtor@vmware.com> X-Complaints-To: usenet@dough.gmane.org X-Gmane-NNTP-Posting-Host: chipmunk.wormnet.eu User-Agent: tin/1.9.3-20080506 ("Dalintober") (UNIX) (Linux/2.6.26-2-sparc64-smp (sparc64)) Sender: linux-kernel-owner@vger.kernel.org List-ID: X-Mailing-List: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org Content-Length: 1800 Lines: 37 Dmitry Torokhov wrote: > >> > Now we have 2 drivers fighting. There is no backing device and so driver >> > core will not save us by refusing to bind to already claimed device. >> >> If vmware_balloon is present in /sys/modules or is loaded, don't load >> vmmemctl. And vice versa. >> >> I dunno - it's silly for me to sit here proposing solutions. it's >> better that you do it! > > Unfortunately I do not have a good solution at the moment. I guess we'll > have to work with distributions to make sure they keep it as a module > (it also makes most sense for them since not everyone runs on our > platform). > I cannot seriously believe you are considering a viable solution is "everyone[1] must abide by these rules otherwise our installer might barf". The only benefactor of this patch is your installer and the effect is an undocumented and peculiar constraint on a kernel module. Seriously, add sometime so that you get something in /sys/modules (maybe it's time for something in /sys/class?) or maybe do something so that you have: VMWARE_BALLOON_CMD(STATUS, ...) where the guest can say if there is already something ballooning for it. Surely the guest should be aware if there is more than one balloon driver at play? I think a friend of mine summed it up rather well: "Fixing the kernel instead of fixing the VMWare installer is an inspired move". Cheers [1] the dropdown menu on distrowatch lists 319 distrubutions -- Alexander Clouter .sigmonster says: May the bluebird of happiness twiddle your bits. -- 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/