Re: Proposal, again: Disable autoload of compat_xyz modules

[John Nemeth <jnemeth%cue.bc.ca@localhost>]

On Sep 30,  7:10am, Michael van Elst wrote:
} christos%astron.com@localhost (Christos Zoulas) writes:
} >In article <20190929090053.GA98%homeworld.netbsd.org@localhost>,
} > <maya%NetBSD.org@localhost> wrote:
} >>On Sat, Sep 28, 2019 at 01:29:39AM -0000, Christos Zoulas wrote:
} >>> +		"compat_linux",
} >>> +		"compat_linux32",
} >>
} >>As for the actual change, I'd like to see it integrated through
} >>modules.conf, not via settings of default sysctl values. I think it's
} >>bad user experience.
} 
} >modules.conf contains module names and their arguments. It is a configuration
} >file for each module. There are already sysctls in the kern.module. tree all
} >related to autoloading.
} 
} Everything currently in modules.conf is loaded permanently. One argument
} for adding autoload support would be that it allows to configure module
} parameters in a common place, as autoloaded modules cannot get parameters
} yet. It could also be used to configure policies (e.g. blacklists).

     Uh, that's not true.  If you store <module>.plist in the same
directory with the module, it will be loaded and passed to the
module to provide parameters.  You can use "modload -p" to create
the file (see module(7)).  Also, if you put a special flag in the
.plist the module won't be autoloaded, see this from module(9):

           The directory from which the module is loaded will be searched for
           a file with the same name as the module file, but with the suffix
           ``.plist''.  If this file is found, the prop_dictionary it contains
           will be loaded and passed to the module's modcmd() routine.  If
           this prop_dictionary contains a ``noautoload'' property which is
           set to ``true'' then the system will refuse to load the module.

BTW, modules.conf isn't read by the kernel, it's read by
/etc/rc.d/modules.  Putting anything in there that would have a
lasting effect (i.e. parameters for autoloaded modules) would
require quite a bit of work.  Although it could be made to specify
modules not to autoload by having it use christos' kern.module.noautoload
sysctl.

}-- End of excerpt from Michael van Elst