Re: [Qemu-devel] [PATCH 4/4] cpu model corrections/updates: add verbose config file handling

[john cooper <john.cooper@redhat.com>]

Blue Swirl wrote:
> On Tue, Sep 7, 2010 at 12:31 PM, john cooper <john.cooper@redhat.com> wrote:
>> Failure by qemu to open a default config file isn't cause to
>> error exit -- it just quietly continues on.   After puzzling
>> issues with otherwise opaque config file locations and
>> startup handling numerous times, some help from qemu seemed
>> justified.
> 
> Maybe there should be an error exit if the user specifies a config
> file but there are problems with it?

That's one possibility.  However given the preexisting
behavior where open of at least one of the config files
routinely fails and is quietly dismissed, issuing warnings
would seem distracting to the user.

I think one config file is all which is needed, and the
config syntax can be extended to allow including other
vendor/install specific files as needed.  I particularly
feel so as we've locally had to add yet a third config file
to push system quasi-static config data out of the way of
possible user modification for libvirt concerns.  That was
a last-minute bandaid solution which just makes the problem
worse.  Anyway such vendor specific config structure should
be handled within the config mechanism itself vs. hard coding
it into qemu startup.

>> In the case of a "?" pseudo filename arg to -readconfig,
>> verbose open of all config files will be enabled.  Normal
>> handling of config files is otherwise unaffected by this
>> option.
> 
> I think '?' is not very good name.

I agree, a shell meta char wasn't my first choice.  However
it follows the precedent of '?' used in similar query operations
and was chosen only for CLI consistency.
 
> Could we add flags to -readconfig,
> like -readconfig verbose,nodefaultconfig,file='', to match other
> options' syntax?

That seems most natural for options specific to the associated
config file.  However the verbose flag was intended as a
global action rather than local to a given config file.  The
preexisting "nodefconfig" is also a global option. 
 
Thanks,

-john

-- 
john.cooper@redhat.com