Re: The magical mystical changing ethernet interface order

[Randy.Dunlap]

On Thu, 08 May 2003 12:26:53 -0400 Jeff Garzik <[e-mail]> wrote:

| David S. Miller wrote:
| >    From: Alan Cox <[e-mail]>
| >    Date: 08 May 2003 15:55:31 +0100
| > 
| >    Unfortunately for the ISA driver code we *have* to rely on link
| >    order or rip out the __init stuff and use Space.c type hacks.
| >    
| > I do no argue that needing an invocation order is bogus.
| > I merely disagree with the way we're trying to achieve it.
| > 
| > You don't need Space.c magic, the linker in binutils has mechanisms by
| > which this can be accomplished and we already use this in 2.5.x
| > 
| > Have a peek at __define_initcall($NUM,fn), imagine it with one more
| > argument $PRIO.  It might look like this:
| > 
| > #define __define_initcall(level,prio,fn) \
| >         static initcall_t __initcall_##fn __attribute__
| >         ((unused,__section__ ("\.initcall" level "." prio ".init"))) = fn
| > 
| > Use the 'prio' number to define the ordering.  The default for
| > modules that don't care about relative ordering within a class
| > use a value like "9999" or something like that.
| 
| 
| Linus has traditionally resisted this, and pushed for the 
| link-order-defines-init-order bit.
| 
| However, that was years ago.  Patrick Mochel added the current 
| seven-levels-of-initcall, which is where the referenced 
| __define_initcall originated.
| 
| I agree with you, and would prefer to move away from any dependence on 
| link order...

I don't care what the exact implementation is, but anything except
depending on link (tools) order is better than now IMO.

--
~Randy