Re: [RFC PATCH 1/2] Makefile: export-symbol usage report generator.

[Adrian Bunk <bunk@stusta.de>]

On Thu, Apr 13, 2006 at 05:38:26AM -0700, Ram Pai wrote:

> I ran a report to extract export-symbol usage by kernel modules.  The results
> are at http://www.sudhaa.com/~ram/misc/export_report.txt
> 
> The report lists:
> 1. All the exported symbols and their usage counts by in-kernel modules.
> 2. for each in-kernel module, lists the modules and the exported symbols
> 	from those modules, that it depends on.
> 
> Highlights: 
> 	On x86 architecture
>  	(1) 880 exported symbols not used by any in-kernel modules.
>         (2) 1792 exported symbols used only once.
> 
> I hope this report/tool shall help all inkernel modules to revisit their usage
> of kernel interfaces.
> 
> This patch integrates the report-generator into the kernel build process. After
> applying this patch, invoke 'make export_report'  and it creates the report in
> Documentation/export_report.txt
>...

I like your patch, but I have observed two issues:
- please don't force an allmodconfig, simply use the currently compiled
  kernel 
- please output to stdout instead of a fixed file

This way, it would also be consistent with other Makefile targets like 
namespacecheck.

cu
Adrian

-- 

       "Is there not promise of rain?" Ling Tan asked suddenly out
        of the darkness. There had been need of rain for many days.
       "Only a promise," Lao Er said.
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