reopen 607368 tags 607368 - wontfix reassign 607368 tech-ctte retitle 607368 Please decide how kernel ABI should be managed thanks
Hi, I am hereby asking the tech-ctte to decide how the kernel ABI should be managed. Case in point: the kernel team decided to ignore changes to the smp_ops symbol in 2.6.32-28 which broke external modules (vmware) without any prior warning. I am worried that this is going to happen again during the lifetime of Squeeze, silently breaking working setups upon reboot after a kernel update, even though the new kernel carries the same ABI number as the previous one. I do agree that it is fine to ignore changes to symbols that are only exported and used inside a self-contained group of modules to which no additional modules will ever need to be added. I disagree with the kernel team's take that it is OK for them to ignore symbol changes in all other cases, especially for symbols exported by the core kernel (like smp_ops). This kind of silent breakage is a nightmare from an ops standpoint and it does have a cost for our users. The ABI number should guarantee that upgrading from a revision of linux-image to another carrying the same ABI number will not cause any breakage with external modules built for this ABI. As the kernel team made it clear that they make their decision partly based on symbol usage, I'd like to highlight once again, for the specific case of smp_ops, that VMware modules aren't exactly pet modules that only a few of our users care about. There is ample proof of this on several web forums and mailing-lists dedicated to either VMware or Debian. I am seeking a generic ruling by the tech-ctte to ensure that the kernel ABI number remains meaningful and dependable. I think it would be best if this matter would be decided upon before the release of Squeeze, or not too long after it, so as to avoid further breakages in early kernel updates for Squeeze. Thanks, JB. -- Julien BLACHE <jbla...@debian.org> | Debian, because code matters more Debian & GNU/Linux Developer | <http://www.debian.org> Public key available on <http://www.jblache.org> - KeyID: F5D6 5169 GPG Fingerprint : 935A 79F1 C8B3 3521 FD62 7CC7 CD61 4FD7 F5D6 5169 -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-kernel-requ...@lists.debian.org with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact listmas...@lists.debian.org Archive: http://lists.debian.org/87zks1ty1p....@sonic.technologeek.org
