Re: [RFC 0/2] Add Virtual Box vboxguest and vboxsf guest drivers to the mainline kernel

[Greg Kroah-Hartman <gregkh@linuxfoundation.org>]

On Fri, Aug 11, 2017 at 03:23:22PM +0200, Hans de Goede wrote:
> Hello Greg, Arnd, Alexander, et al.,
> 
> Here is a first RFC version of my cleaned up version of the
> VirtualBox vboxguest and vboxsf guest drivers.
> 
> This is an RFC because there are still some checkpatch and other small
> style issues which I need to fix.
> 
> I'm posting this now because the majority of the major cleanup these 2
> drivers needed before being suitable for mainlining has been done now
> and I believe the code is ready for a quick look by others (but not
> ready yet for a full review). 
> 
> I've removed all depenencies on vbox's OO-independent runtime and
> the runtime itself, reducing the vboxguest driver from 100000+ lines
> of code to aprox. 6500 and the vboxsf driver from 60000 lines to 5000.
> This reduces the non debug vboxguest.ko size from 450kB to less then 100 kB. 
> I've also cleaned up various other warts such as doing hardware init in
> module_init rather then in a pci_probe callback.
> 
> The vboxguest driver introduces a new userspace API + ABI in the form
> of ioctls on a character device. VirtualBox upstream not willing to
> commit to keeping this ABI stable was one of the things which has
> kept this driver driver out of mainline sofar. I've been talking to
> VirtualBox upstream about mainlining the guest drivers and VirtualBox
> upstream has agreed to consider the userspace ABI stable and only
> extend it in a backwards compatible manner.
> 
> As said this is a RFC, the main comments I'm looking for is an answer
> to these 2 questions:
> 
> Greg, Arnd would you be willing to merge the vboxguest driver under
> drivers/misc (in principle), assuming I do the remaining cleanup
> and the driver gets a favorable review of course ?

I have no objection to taking it there at all.

thanks,

greg k-h