> Why not have a kernel thread and use standard RPC techniques like
> sockets? Then you'd not have to invent anything unimportant like
> Yet Another IPC Technique.
You can, of course, transfer the exact same RPC messages over a file
descriptor on your metadata fs. It doesn't *have* to be ASCII, especially
not for purely internal-use interfaces.
And for ioctl() fans, you could transfer the exact same data via read()/
write() again. That's not significantly harder. Especially if you write a
wrapper around the calls. If you want to be perverse, you can probably
even transmit user space pointers.
But I suspect there are really only two generally useful interfaces:
1. A text based interface for generally-useful stuff you might want to
manipulate from the shell, or random user programs. (From the shell _is_
random user programs.)
2. A RPC based interface for tightly-coupled fs utilities. (I don't know
off the top of my head what the kernel already has - ISTR networking has
_something_.)
Don't forget a version marker of some kind. Sooner or later, you'll be
glad you have it.
MfG Kai
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