Re: does streamlining kernel config really not help performance?

[Ben Goren <ben_(_at_)_trumpetpower_(_dot_)_com>]

On Mon, Apr 22, 2002 at 09:10:27PM +0000, Miod Vallat wrote:

> > This reminds  me of something I've  wondered about. This whole
> > config -e thing just feels  awkward and clumsy compared to the
> > rest of OpenBSD configuration. Is there any fundamental reason
> > there can't be  a file, such as  /<kernel-name>.conf, that has
> > these options in them?
>
> And where on earth would you put such a file if you're trying to
> boot  from the  installation  media and,  for  some reason,  you
> encounter a  problem that only boot  -c can help you  prevent in
> order to at least install the system?

I'm  not  suggesting  this  replace the  current  mechanism;  only
that  it  augument it. There's  no  need  to throw  out  something
which does  work and  which is, in  some cases,  very practical. I
_am_  suggesting that,  for the  majority of  cases, it's  awkward
and   potentially   confusing,   unlike,  say,   /etc/rc.conf   or
/etc/sysctl.conf.

By  all means,  keep config  -e. I'd  just like  to see  something
additional that is a bit less complex.

For properly-functioning systems, if the file is in the same place
as the kernel  itself, I can't think of any  reason why the kernel
couldn't  consult it  early  enough in  the boot  process--perhaps
right after the  options controlled by config are  read? As I say,
I'm no kernel hacker; if there  are reasons why this couldn't work
or is a Bad Idea, that's fine.

With something  like this  a great  many people  who run  a custom
kernel  could instead  run GENERIC. Those  who are  most prone  to
compiling  a kernel  and screwing  it up  would have  no remaining
excuse to  do so. The  problems they  would create  for themselves
(``I set  BUFCACHEPERCENT to  90 because  I have  so much  RAM and
now  strange  things  happen!'')  would  tend  to  be  immediately
self-evident and should be relatively easy to diagnose.

The  ability to  modify a  kernel without  having to  recompile is
a  wonderful  thing. I just  think  that  an additional  level  of
abstraction is called for.

> Miod

b&

--
Ben Goren
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 http://www.trumpetpower.com/
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