2.6.18-rc4-mm1 + hotfix -- Many processes use the sysctl system call

2.6.18-rc4-mm1 + hotfix -- Many processes use the sysctl system call

[Miles Lane]

My installation of Ubuntu is having trouble with my kernel build
because I disabled support for sysctl:

warning: process `ls' used the removed sysctl system call
warning: process `touch' used the removed sysctl system call
warning: process `touch' used the removed sysctl system call
warning: process `evms_activate' used the removed sysctl system call
warning: process `alsactl' used the removed sysctl system call

I am curious whether the use of sysctl indicates a problem in these
processes.  What is the benefit of offering disabling sysctl support?

Thanks,
        Miles

Re: 2.6.18-rc4-mm1 + hotfix -- Many processes use the sysctl system call

[Lee Revell]

On Thu, 2006-08-17 at 15:41 -0700, Miles Lane wrote:
> My installation of Ubuntu is having trouble with my kernel build
> because I disabled support for sysctl:
> 
> warning: process `ls' used the removed sysctl system call
> warning: process `touch' used the removed sysctl system call
> warning: process `touch' used the removed sysctl system call
> warning: process `evms_activate' used the removed sysctl system call
> warning: process `alsactl' used the removed sysctl system call
> 
> I am curious whether the use of sysctl indicates a problem in these
> processes.  What is the benefit of offering disabling sysctl support?

To make the kernel smaller for people who don't need sysctl.
Apparently, you need it.

Lee

Re: 2.6.18-rc4-mm1 + hotfix -- Many processes use the sysctl system call

[Frederik Deweerdt]

On Thu, Aug 17, 2006 at 03:41:27PM -0700, Miles Lane wrote:
> My installation of Ubuntu is having trouble with my kernel build
> because I disabled support for sysctl:
> 
> warning: process `ls' used the removed sysctl system call
> warning: process `touch' used the removed sysctl system call
> warning: process `touch' used the removed sysctl system call
> warning: process `evms_activate' used the removed sysctl system call
> warning: process `alsactl' used the removed sysctl system call
> 
> I am curious whether the use of sysctl indicates a problem in these
> processes.  What is the benefit of offering disabling sysctl support?
> 
You may want to have a look at the '2.6.18-rc1-mm2: process `showconsole'
used the removed sysctl system call' thread in the archives.

Regards,
Frederik
> Thanks,
>        Miles
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Re: 2.6.18-rc4-mm1 + hotfix -- Many processes use the sysctl system call

[Mattia Dongili]

On Thu, Aug 17, 2006 at 06:45:01PM -0400, Lee Revell wrote:
> On Thu, 2006-08-17 at 15:41 -0700, Miles Lane wrote:
> > My installation of Ubuntu is having trouble with my kernel build
> > because I disabled support for sysctl:
> > 
> > warning: process `ls' used the removed sysctl system call
> > warning: process `touch' used the removed sysctl system call
> > warning: process `touch' used the removed sysctl system call
> > warning: process `evms_activate' used the removed sysctl system call
> > warning: process `alsactl' used the removed sysctl system call
> > 
> > I am curious whether the use of sysctl indicates a problem in these
> > processes.  What is the benefit of offering disabling sysctl support?
> 
> To make the kernel smaller for people who don't need sysctl.
> Apparently, you need it.

afaik, they are being fixed (in debian at least):
http://lists.debian.org/debian-glibc/2006/08/msg00163.html

-- 
mattia
:wq!

Re: 2.6.18-rc4-mm1 + hotfix -- Many processes use the sysctl system call

[Lee Revell]

On Fri, 2006-08-18 at 16:46 +0200, Mattia Dongili wrote:
> On Thu, Aug 17, 2006 at 06:45:01PM -0400, Lee Revell wrote:
> > On Thu, 2006-08-17 at 15:41 -0700, Miles Lane wrote:
> > > My installation of Ubuntu is having trouble with my kernel build
> > > because I disabled support for sysctl:
> > > 
> > > warning: process `ls' used the removed sysctl system call
> > > warning: process `touch' used the removed sysctl system call
> > > warning: process `touch' used the removed sysctl system call
> > > warning: process `evms_activate' used the removed sysctl system call
> > > warning: process `alsactl' used the removed sysctl system call
> > > 
> > > I am curious whether the use of sysctl indicates a problem in these
> > > processes.  What is the benefit of offering disabling sysctl support?
> > 
> > To make the kernel smaller for people who don't need sysctl.
> > Apparently, you need it.
> 
> afaik, they are being fixed (in debian at least):
> http://lists.debian.org/debian-glibc/2006/08/msg00163.html
> 

"fixed"?  Why is sysctl being removed in the middle of a stable kernel
series?!?  I thought the new golden rule was "don't break userspace"?

Lee

Re: 2.6.18-rc4-mm1 + hotfix -- Many processes use the sysctl system call

[Alan Cox]

Ar Gwe, 2006-08-18 am 12:23 -0400, ysgrifennodd Lee Revell:
> "fixed"?  Why is sysctl being removed in the middle of a stable kernel
> series?!?  I thought the new golden rule was "don't break userspace"?

Its being made optional like a lot of other things. It does probably
belong under CONFIG_EMBEDDED to turn it off tho


Alan

Re: 2.6.18-rc4-mm1 + hotfix -- Many processes use the sysctl system call

[Gabor Gombas]

On Fri, Aug 18, 2006 at 12:23:54PM -0400, Lee Revell wrote:

> "fixed"?  Why is sysctl being removed in the middle of a stable kernel
> series?!?

IMHO the stable series is 2.6.x.y nowadays. 2.6.z (without a fourth
number) is more or less what used to be 2.<odd> previously.

> I thought the new golden rule was "don't break userspace"?

AFAIK nothing is broken, but the messages are annoying. Especially since
99.9% of the time they're caused not by the applications but by glibc.
So the message should be heavily rate limited at least, if that's not
already done.

Gabor

-- 
     ---------------------------------------------------------
     MTA SZTAKI Computer and Automation Research Institute
                Hungarian Academy of Sciences
     ---------------------------------------------------------

Re: 2.6.18-rc4-mm1 + hotfix -- Many processes use the sysctl system call

[Lee Revell]

On Sat, 2006-08-19 at 02:40 +0000, Frederik Deweerdt wrote:
> On Sat, Aug 19, 2006 at 02:30:37AM +0200, Gabor Gombas wrote:
> > On Fri, Aug 18, 2006 at 12:23:54PM -0400, Lee Revell wrote:
> > 
> > > "fixed"?  Why is sysctl being removed in the middle of a stable kernel
> > > series?!?
> > 
> > IMHO the stable series is 2.6.x.y nowadays. 2.6.z (without a fourth
> > number) is more or less what used to be 2.<odd> previously.
> Not to mention we're dealing with a -mm kernel...
> 

Ah, OK - the debian-glibc thread the OP referred to began:

"Starting with 2.6.18, the official kernels do not have the sysctl 
syscall anymore (http://lkml.org/lkml/2006/7/15/54) or rather it has 
been replaced by a dummy syscall that always fail and print a message 
in the log, and thus the sysctl() function will not work anymore."

However the referenced link is about an -mm kernel.

Sorry for the noise.

Lee

Re: 2.6.18-rc4-mm1 + hotfix -- Many processes use the sysctl system call

[Frederik Deweerdt]

On Sat, Aug 19, 2006 at 02:30:37AM +0200, Gabor Gombas wrote:
> On Fri, Aug 18, 2006 at 12:23:54PM -0400, Lee Revell wrote:
> 
> > "fixed"?  Why is sysctl being removed in the middle of a stable kernel
> > series?!?
> 
> IMHO the stable series is 2.6.x.y nowadays. 2.6.z (without a fourth
> number) is more or less what used to be 2.<odd> previously.
Not to mention we're dealing with a -mm kernel...

Regards,
Frederik
> 
> > I thought the new golden rule was "don't break userspace"?
> 
> AFAIK nothing is broken, but the messages are annoying. Especially since
> 99.9% of the time they're caused not by the applications but by glibc.
> So the message should be heavily rate limited at least, if that's not
> already done.
> 
> Gabor
> 
> -- 
>      ---------------------------------------------------------
>      MTA SZTAKI Computer and Automation Research Institute
>                 Hungarian Academy of Sciences
>      ---------------------------------------------------------
> -
> To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe linux-kernel" in
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