Re: module-init-tools/udev and module auto-loading

[Rusty Russell <rusty@rustcorp.com.au>]

In message <1075748550.6931.10.camel@nosferatu.lan> you write:
> > This does not cover the class of things which are entirely created by
> > the driver (eg. dummy devices, socket families), so cannot be
> > "detected".  Many of these (eg. socket families) can be handled by
> > explicit request_module() in the core and MODULE_ALIAS in the driver.
> > Some of them cannot at the moment: the first the kernel knows of them
> > is an attempt to open the device.  Some variant of devfs would solve
> > this.
> > 
> 
> I guess there will be cries of murder if 'somebody' suggested that if
> a node in /dev is opened, but not there, the kernel can call
> 'modprobe -q /dev/foo' to load whatever alias there might have been?

I think it's an excellent idea, although ideally we would have this
mechanism in userspace as much as possible.  Anything from some
special hack to block -ENOENT on directory lookups and notify an fd,
to some exotic overlay filesystem.

I'm sure Al Viro has an opinion on this...

Cheers,
Rusty.
--
  Anyone who quotes me in their sig is an idiot. -- Rusty Russell.