Re: kern/53217: -current: dumping to wedges on GPT disks broken

[mlelstv%serpens.de@localhost (Michael van Elst)]

The following reply was made to PR kern/53217; it has been noted by GNATS.

From: mlelstv%serpens.de@localhost (Michael van Elst)
To: gnats-bugs%netbsd.org@localhost
Cc: 
Subject: Re: kern/53217: -current: dumping to wedges on GPT disks broken
Date: Fri, 4 May 2018 10:25:36 -0000 (UTC)

 jnemeth%cue.bc.ca@localhost (John Nemeth) writes:
 
 >     Should we be migrating away from the use of labels as an API
 >and have them as only a low level detail that gets buried and only
 >seen by utility apps?  We already have DIOCGSECTORSIZE and
 >DIOCGMEDIASIZE.  Maybe we need something like DIOCGPARTTYPE as a
 >generic way to get a partition type without needing to know anything
 >about the underlying partition scheme?
 
 That would be methods to move this information to userland. If you only
 want wedges, you already have DIOCGWEDGEINFO that returns the partition
 type.
 
 The kernel has the utility functions getdisksize() and getdiskinfo() that
 hide such details.
 
 This has little to do with the kernel dumps. The dump (and size) vectors
 are ancient calls into the disk driver to allow dumps even when the
 kernel has crashed. Before touching this, I'd first make wedges a first
 class citizen and make them the default for installations, which mostly
 requires DKWEDGE_METHOD_DISKLABEL and some easy transition plan for
 users.
 
 -- 
 -- 
                                 Michael van Elst
 Internet: mlelstv%serpens.de@localhost
                                 "A potential Snark may lurk in every tree."