exporting kernel headers via the include/uapi directory

[rpjday@crashcourse.ca (Robert P. J. Day)]

On Fri, 27 May 2016, Robert P. J. Day wrote:

>   next question about exporting kernel headers, this one related to
> the content placed under include/uapi/.
>
>   is there any rationale for header files to be living under
> include/uapi/<somedir> if they're not listed in the corresponding
> Kbuild file for export?
>
>   for example, in include/uapi/drm, there are 24 header files, but
> only 21 of them are mentioned in that Kbuild file -- the Kbuild file
> doesn't mention armada_drm.h, etnaviv_drm.h or omap_drm.h, and i've
> verified that running "make headers_install" doesn't install those
> three headers.
>
>   i'm going to assume those are just forgotten remnants or
> something, unless there is some actual reason to do that. is there?

  while i'm here, some pedantry ... what is the point of adding a
header file somewhere under include/uapi/<somedir> without
*immediately* adding it to the Kbuild file so that it's exported?

  for example, i note that include/uapi/drm/amdgpu_drm.h was committed
back in april of 2015, but a "headers-y" line for it wasn't added
until nov of that same year. so what was that header file doing all
that time in between?

  or is there some mechanism that allows export of UAPI header files
even if they're not mentioned in Kbuild?

rday

-- 

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Robert P. J. Day                                 Ottawa, Ontario, CANADA
                        http://crashcourse.ca

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