Re: [PATCH] framework for building modules externally

[Robert Millan <rmh@aybabtu.com>]

On Tue, Nov 04, 2008 at 09:13:43PM +0200, Vesa Jääskeläinen wrote:
> 
> Did you have some plan how to automate this ABI versioning :) ? If it is
> not automated I can almost guarantee that we get it wrong at one point
> of time :)

It's not a big problem, at least not for my intended use of this feature.
Debian packages can use strong versioned dependencies to prevent
breakage.  Also, I wouldn't mind reviewing the ChangeLog for "missed" ABI
bumps before I upload a package.

And it surely would have been bumped several times between official releases.

> >> Versioning of the modules would be a good idea indeed to make sure
> >> mismatched modules are not tried together.
> > 
> > This should never happen if user always runs grub-install (which he should
> > do anyway unless he's looking for trouble).  My idea for external modules is
> > that a separate package can put them in $pkglibdir and then grub-install will
> > automaticaly include them the next time it's called.
> 
> How do you treat differences in ABI ?
> 
> Dis-allow loading of module with different value of ABI ? Or were you
> planning that module itself adapts to different versions of GRUB 2 ABI's?

The module itself could:

GRUB_MOD_INIT(foo)
{
  if (grub_abi != GRUB_ABI)
    {
      grub_printf ("abi mismatch!\n");
      return;
    }

  /* register our commands/terminals/disks/whatever */
}

-- 
Robert Millan

  The DRM opt-in fallacy: "Your data belongs to us. We will decide when (and
  how) you may access your data; but nobody's threatening your freedom: we
  still allow you to remove your data and not access it at all."