Re: Persistent module storage [was Linux 2.4 Status / TODO page]

James A. Sutherland
2000-11-07T12:17:47Z

On Tue, 07 Nov 2000, Alan Cox wrote:
> > When I plug it in and modprobe is triggered to load the driver, a script then
> > runs to feed the device appropriate configuration info. Since the driver only
> > resets the hardware when it is given the correct configuration, there's no
> > problem.
>
> Thats another 100 lines of race prone network kernel code you dont need

Getting rid of 100 lines of code would certainly be worth doing...

Assuming I want the same configuration for the hardware as I did the last time
I used it is OK - provided that assumption is NOT in the kernel. As a default
behaviour in userspace, it's fine.

In the NIC example, I might well want the DHCP client to run whenever I
activate the card. Bringing the NIC up with the old configuration - which, with
dynamic IP addresses, could now include someone else's IP address! - is worse
than useless.

> > Hmm... define "identical". I take a laptop home, use a USB NIC to talk to my
>
> Same Mac address or same serial number.

So if I take the NIC with me, Linux automagically misconfigures it for me. No
thanks.

James.