[OpenAFS-devel] [PATCH] change OpenAFS-1.2.10 SRPM to work better with RedHat

[David Howells]

> On Fri, 15 Aug 2003, David Howells wrote:
> 
> >   (1) The only kernel modules built are all appropriate to the currently
> >       running kernel version and the target CPU specified on the command line.
> 
> What's the impetus behind this change? Our binary releases for RedHat
> Linux versions are done on a single machine at one time with all kernel
> source versions installed.

There are several reasons:

 (1) I've had trouble with the script that is supposed to pick the name of the
     module. It doesn't always cope with changes in the format of the name. It
     can then pick the wrong module, muck around with it and force load it:-(

 (2) Modules should be installed in the correct place (under /lib/modules) and
     only there.

 (3) Modules from one version of the kernel shouldn't be changed on the fly to
     fit another build of the kernel or a different configuration thereof.

 (4) One of the options to insmod that the current start script uses causes
     insmod to crash - the option is deprecated.

 (5) This way is much simpler... You can also a lot more certain about which
     module you are going to end up with.

 (6) You don't have to rebuild everything for all kernels upon the advent of a
     new kernel. You can just build a new set of modules for that kernel, and
     nothing else... not even a new userspace.

     This is probably the most important reason for the OpenAFS community. You
     can build module RPMs "incrementally".

 (7) Last, and not least from my perspective, our build farm can't cope with
     it, and I have to adapt OpenAFS to build with it.

David