kern/52474: Enhancement: Improved "association" of a kernel with its modules

[paul%whooppee.com@localhost]

>Number:         52474
>Category:       kern
>Synopsis:       Enhancement: improved association of a kernel with its modules
>Confidential:   no
>Severity:       serious
>Priority:       high
>Responsible:    kern-bug-people
>State:          open
>Class:          change-request
>Submitter-Id:   net
>Arrival-Date:   Tue Aug 08 02:45:00 +0000 2017
>Originator:     Paul Goyette
>Release:        NetBSD 8.99.1
>Organization:
+------------------+--------------------------+----------------------------+
| Paul Goyette     | PGP Key fingerprint:     | E-mail addresses:          |
| (Retired)        | FA29 0E3B 35AF E8AE 6651 | paul at whooppee dot com   |
| Kernel Developer | 0786 F758 55DE 53BA 7731 | pgoyette at netbsd dot org |
+------------------+--------------------------+----------------------------+
>Environment:
	
	
System: NetBSD speedy.whooppee.com 8.99.1 NetBSD 8.99.1 (SPEEDY 2017-07-20 01:01:55 UTC) #0: Thu Jul 20 02:03:10 UTC 2017 paul%speedy.whooppee.com@localhost:/build/netbsd-local/obj/amd64/sys/arch/amd64/compile/SPEEDY amd64
Architecture: x86_64
Machine: amd64
>Description:
Some years ago, there was a discussion on tech-kern of having a better
way to gather together a kernel and its modules.  Some possibilities
identified were:

	* A top level directory, /netbsd, which would contain a kernel
	  and modules

	* An archive (tar/gzip?) containing the kernel and modules

With the number of modules we have today (more than 240 for amd64) the
current mechanism of /stand/${ARCH}/${VERSION}/modules/${MOD}/${MOD}.kmod
doesn't scale.  Additionally it does not readily lend itself to having
"test" modules to go along with a "test" kernel, without requiring some
manual save/restore of the production modules.

I can't find the original discussion (I think lukem@ started it), but
I wanted to get the issue logged in gnats so it doesn't get forgotten.
	
>How-To-Repeat:
	
>Fix:
	

>Unformatted: