Messages in this thread | | | From | Keith Owens <> | Subject | Re: [linux-usb] Re: [patch] drivers/usb/usb.c: auto loading of USB bus driver | Date | Thu, 23 Dec 1999 12:10:54 +1100 |
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On Wed, 22 Dec 1999 08:46:53 -0300, Horst von Brand <vonbrand@pincoya.inf.utfsm.cl> wrote: >Keith Owens <kaos@ocs.com.au> said: >> [1] One problem with modules.conf is keeping it up to date with the >> kernel. What about /proc/sys/modules.conf where kernel code can >> register its own special requirements? > >No more /proc cruft, please! > >What if modules export/import symbols that just serve for dependencies?
Normally I would agree with you, /proc cruft is bad. Also pre/post install or above/below in modules.conf is a hack and should be avoided. However there is one special case which requires manual intervention :- the bus/SCSI hostadaptor problem. You can have multiple bus/SCSI in a machine and all need to be loaded, or at least probed. Referencing a dummy symbol just to satisfy dependencies will stop when the first module is found that exports that symbol but we want multiple modules to be tried.
Symbol dependency only works in one direction, downwards. So post install or above cannot be replaced by symbol dependencies. If (and we should try to avoid it) the kernel *has* to use above/below then it would be better to automatically export those from the kernel. It does not have to be in /proc, it can be in a special dependency file which modprobe reads. But as long as the kernel relies on above/below, it would be better to automate the definitions somehow. I'm open to suggestions.
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