Subject: Re: Changes for proplib to reduce kernel bloat
To: Christos Zoulas <christos@astron.com>
From: Bill Studenmund <wrstuden@netbsd.org>
List: tech-kern
Date: 05/08/2006 19:33:10
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On Sun, May 07, 2006 at 04:40:50PM +0000, Christos Zoulas wrote:
> In article <20060507155425.GA3820@thoreau.thistledown.com.au>,
> Simon Burge  <simonb@wasabisystems.com> wrote:
> >The patch below removes the XML conversion support from proplib when
> >it's built for the kernel, for which I can see no obvious use.  With
> >this patch, we get rid of a good chunk of the kernel bloat that new
> >proplib adds.  For an evbppc/WALNUT kernel the sizes before proplib,
> >with normal proplib, and with proplib with no XML import/export
> >functionality are:
> >
> >	   text    data     bss     dec     hex filename
> >	3837324  452840  232444 4522608  450270 netbsd.devprop
> >	3856516  452968  234288 4543772  45551c netbsd.proplib
> >	3843576  452880  233888 4530344  4520a8 netbsd.no-xml-proplib
> >
> >Anyone have any problems with applying this patch?
>=20
> I think having the choice to compile it in or not is good (for size chall=
enged
> machines), but I can see a use of the XML code in the kernel such as
> passing configuration properties between the kernel and userland via ioct=
l.

The problem with droping the "bloat" is that we then have no way to pass=20
property lists in and out of the kernel. So whatever features come to=20
relie on this won't work for the shrunken kernels.

Also, someone may opt for other parameter passing methods, just so they=20
would continue to work with a "shrunken" kernel. We then would end up=20
with TWO systems doing the same thing, which I think would be worse.

Take care,

Bill

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