Re: kernel dev patches
On Wed, Jul 19, 2000 at 04:44:11PM +1000, bug1 wrote:
> Daniel Jacobowitz wrote:
> >
> > On Wed, Jul 19, 2000 at 12:02:30AM -0400, Ben Collins wrote:
> > > > The reason for not just using the normal /proc is that it enlarges the
> > > > kernel by about 67KB in 2.[34].x which is about 5% of our space on the
> > > > initial boot floppy. By using a few dev modules we could (if we choose)
> > > > avoid having to use a kernel with /proc support compiled in.
> > >
> > > I Don't think we will ever be able to reasonably support using a kernel
> > > without /proc on boot-floppies, or any other system. There are quite a few
> > > things that are needed in /proc besides partitions and filesystems (among
> > > them are cpuinfo). Replacing all of them with some sort of device or ioctl
> > > type thing, isn't feasible I think.
> >
> > Not to mention that it makes it nearly impossible to use the installer
> > to rescue a system - I always begin by chrooting and mounting proc
> > inside the chroot!
> >
> > Dan
>
> Fair enough, still its unfortunate that proc wasts a lot of space, i
> guess its just unavoidable then.
>
> I might continue with it anyway just for personal interest and to help
> me in understanding how the kernel works.
If you are really interesed in writing some code, I'de like to see a
smallish library that interprets things in /dev of a devfs mounted
filesystem. query things like drives, partitions, devices, etc.. Devfs is
definitely going to be the way to go in woody.
Ben
--
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/ Ben Collins -- ...on that fantastic voyage... -- Debian GNU/Linux \
` bcollins@debian.org -- bcollins@openldap.org -- bcollins@linux.com '
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