[SYSFS - 2.6.23-rc5-git1 ] device_rename: sysfs_create_symlink failed (-17)

[SYSFS - 2.6.23-rc5-git1 ] device_rename: sysfs_create_symlink failed (-17)

[Daniel Lezcano]

Hi,

when using the 2.6.23-rc5-git1 kernel and trying to change a network 
device name, I have the following error:

device_rename: sysfs_create_symlink failed (-17)

That comes from drivers/base/core.c : 1261

I know anything about sysfs, so no much help to give... :(

I don't know if this is a bug, but my code use device_rename, check the 
return value and fails. I will ignore it, but it seems not to be a 
correct behavior to have such error.

Easy to reproduce:
	load a dummy network driver => dummy0
	change its name with : ip link set name foo0 dev dummy0

Thanks.
  --Daniel

Re: [SYSFS - 2.6.23-rc5-git1 ] device_rename: sysfs_create_symlink failed (-17)

[Cornelia Huck]

On Fri, 07 Sep 2007 16:14:12 +0200,
Daniel Lezcano <dlezcano@fr.ibm.com> wrote:

> Hi,
> 
> when using the 2.6.23-rc5-git1 kernel and trying to change a network 
> device name, I have the following error:
> 
> device_rename: sysfs_create_symlink failed (-17)

-EEXIST, maybe a double rename?

> 
> That comes from drivers/base/core.c : 1261

This is the link under the class directory to the renamed device.

> 
> I know anything about sysfs, so no much help to give... :(
> 
> I don't know if this is a bug, but my code use device_rename, check the 
> return value and fails. I will ignore it, but it seems not to be a 
> correct behavior to have such error.

Why does your code need to call device_rename() itself, I'd have
thought the networking code took care of it? (BTW: Which driver?)

> 
> Easy to reproduce:
> 	load a dummy network driver => dummy0
> 	change its name with : ip link set name foo0 dev dummy0

[Don't know if ip is sensitive to order, but shouldn't that be
ip link set dev dummy0 name foo0 ?]

You could try to switch on DEBUG_DRIVER and DEBUG_KOBJECT, this may
point to where the double name pops up.