From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Return-Path: Received: from mail143.messagelabs.com (mail143.messagelabs.com [216.82.254.35]) by kanga.kvack.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 504386B0047 for ; Fri, 2 Dec 2011 04:14:19 -0500 (EST) MIME-Version: 1.0 In-Reply-To: <1322664737.2755.17.camel@menhir> Subject: Re: [Linux-decnet-user] Proposed removal of DECnet support (was:Re: [BUG] 3.2-rc2:BUG kmalloc-8: Redzone overwritten) Message-ID: From: mike.gair@tatasteel.com Date: Fri, 2 Dec 2011 09:14:34 +0000 Content-type: text/html; charset=US-ASCII Content-Disposition: inline Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Sender: owner-linux-mm@kvack.org List-ID: To: Steven Whitehouse Cc: Chrissie Caulfield , Christoph Lameter , David Miller , Eric Dumazet , Sasha Levin , Linux-DECnet user , linux-kernel , linux-mm , Philipp Schafft , Matt Mackall , netdev , Pekka Enberg , RoarAudio

Thanks,

I suspect I'm not up to the job,

- definitely not got an in-depth knowledge of the core Linux network= ing stack
or the DECnet specs, Have limited, but growing experience of C, (mai= nly work in coral66) But I'll have = a look at code/documentation & see = if I understand any of it. Mike Steven Whitehouse <swhiteh= o@redhat.com> wrote on 30/11/2011 14:52:17: > Hi, > = > On Wed, 2011-11-30 at 13:52 +0000, mike.gair@tatasteel.com wrote: &= gt; > We're using decnet on linux, > > as a way of expanding a = control system, > > using DEC PDP11s (actually charon11 emulations= ). > > > > So woud be very interested in keeping decnet = supported. > > > > In theory i'd be interested in mainta= ining it, > > but i'm not sure what amount of work is involved,> > have no experience of kernel, or where to start. > > > > Any ideas? > > > > > So the issue is = basically that due to there being nobody currently > maintaining the = DECnet stack, it puts a burden on the core network > maintainers when= they make cross-protocol changes, as they have to > figure out what = impact the changes are likely to have on the DECnet > stack. So its a= n extra barrier to making cross-protocol code changes. > > If = there was an active maintainer who could be a source of knowledge > (= and the odd patch to help out making those changes) then this issue >= would largely go away. > > The most important duty of the mai= ntainer is just to watch whats going > on in the core networking deve= lopment and to contribute the DECnet part > of that. So it would be m= ost likely be more a reviewing of patches and > providing advice role= , than one of writing patches (though it could be > that too) and ens= uring that the code continues to function correctly by > testing it f= rom time to time. > > The ideal maintainer would have an in-de= pth knowledge of the core Linux > networking stack (socket layer, dst= and neigh code), the DECnet specs > and have a good knowledge of C. = > > Bearing in mind the low patch volume (almost zero, except= for core > stuff), it would probably be one of the subsystems with t= he least amount > of work to do in maintaining it. So in some ways, a= good intro for a new > maintainer. > > I do try and kee= p an eye on what get submitted to the DECnet code and > I'll continue= to do that while it is still in the kernel. However, it is > now qui= te a long time since I last did any substantial work in the > network= ing area and things have moved on a fair bit in the mean time. I > do= n't have a lot of time to review DECnet patches these days and no way &g= t; to actually test any contributions against a real DECnet implementation.= > > So I'll provide what help I can to anybody who wants to t= ake the role > on, within those limitations. I'm also happy to answer= questions about > why things were done in a particular way, for exam= ple. > > It is good to know that people are still using the Li= nux DECnet code > too. It has lived far beyond the time when I'd envi= sioned it still being > useful :-) > > Steve. > > > > > > > > > Philipp Schafft <l= ion@lion.leolix.org> wrote on 29/11/2011 14:47:19: > > >= > > reflum, > > > > > > On Tue, 2011-11-29 = at 15:34 +0100, Steven Whitehouse wrote: > > > > > &g= t; > Has anybody actually tested it > > > > > >>= lately against "real" DEC implementations? > > > >= ; > > I doubt it :-) > > > > > DECnet is in use aga= inst real DEC implementations - I have > > checked it > >= ; > > > quite recently against a VAX running OpenVMS. How many peo= ple > > are > > > > > actually using it for rea= l work is a different question though. > > > > > >= > > > Ok, thats useful info. > > > > > >= I confirmed parts of it with tcpdump and the specs some weeks ago. >= > The > > > parts I worked on passed :) I also considered t= o send the tcpdump > > > upstream a patch for protocol decoding= . > > > > > > > > > > > It's al= so true that it's not really supported by anyone as I > > orphaned= it > > > > > some time ago and nobody else seems to car= e enough to take it > > over. So > > > > > if i= t's becoming a burden on people doing real kernel work then > > I = don't > > > > > think many tears will be wept for its re= moval. > > > > > Chrissie > > > > >= > > > Really the only issue with keeping it around is the mainten= ance > > burden I > > > > think. It doesn't look li= ke anybody wants to take it on, but maybe > > we > > >= > should give it another few days for someone to speak up, just in &= gt; > case > > > > they are on holiday or something at th= e moment. > > > > > > > > Also, I've updated= the subject of the thread, to make it more > > obvious > &g= t; > > what is being discussed, as well as bcc'ing it again to the DE= Cnet > > list, > > > > > > I'm very inter= ested in the module. However my problem is that I had > > > not= hing to do with kernel coding yet. However I'm currently > > searc= hing a > > > new maintainer for it (I got info about this threa= d by today). > > > If somebody is interested in this and only n= eeds some "motivation" > > or > > > maybe so= meone would like to get me into kernel coding, please just > > >= ; reply :) > > > > > > -- > > > Phili= pp. > > > (Rah of PH2) > > > [attachment "sign= ature.asc" deleted by Mike Gair/UK/Corus] > > > > &= gt; > --------------------------------------------------------------= ---------------- > > > All the data continuously generated in y= our IT infrastructure > > > contains a definitive record of cu= stomers, application performance, > > > security threats, frau= dulent activity, and more. Splunk takes this > > > data and ma= kes sense of it. IT sense. And common sense. > > > http://p.sf.net/sfu/splunk-novd2d = > > > =5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F= =5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F= =5F=5F > > > Project Home Page: http://linux-decnet.wiki.sourceforge.net/ >= ; > > > > > Linux-decnet-user mailing list > > = > Linux-decnet-user@lists.sourceforge.net > > > https://list= s.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/linux-decnet-user > > > > > > > > > ***********************************= *********************************** > > This transmission is confi= dential and must not be used or disclosed by > > anyone other than= the intended recipient. Neither Tata Steel Europe > > Limited nor= any of its subsidiaries can accept any responsibility for > > any= use or misuse of the transmission by anyone. > > > > F= or address and company registration details of certain entities > >= ; within the Tata Steel Europe group of companies, please visit > >= ; http://www.tatasteele= urope.com/entities > > ***************************************= ******************************* > > > > <= /tt>

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