From owner-freebsd-current@FreeBSD.ORG  Mon Jul 12 21:01:10 2004
Return-Path: <owner-freebsd-current@FreeBSD.ORG>
Delivered-To: freebsd-current@freebsd.org
Received: from mx1.FreeBSD.org (mx1.freebsd.org [216.136.204.125])
	by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id D0E9C16A4CE
	for <freebsd-current@freebsd.org>;
	Mon, 12 Jul 2004 21:01:10 +0000 (GMT)
Received: from fledge.watson.org (fledge.watson.org [204.156.12.50])
	by mx1.FreeBSD.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 887EA43D45
	for <freebsd-current@freebsd.org>;
	Mon, 12 Jul 2004 21:01:10 +0000 (GMT)
	(envelope-from robert@fledge.watson.org)
Received: from fledge.watson.org (localhost [127.0.0.1])
	by fledge.watson.org (8.12.11/8.12.11) with ESMTP id i6CL0wE1055343;
	Mon, 12 Jul 2004 17:00:58 -0400 (EDT)
	(envelope-from robert@fledge.watson.org)
Received: from localhost (robert@localhost)i6CL0wI3055340;
	Mon, 12 Jul 2004 17:00:58 -0400 (EDT)
	(envelope-from robert@fledge.watson.org)
Date: Mon, 12 Jul 2004 17:00:58 -0400 (EDT)
From: Robert Watson <rwatson@freebsd.org>
X-Sender: robert@fledge.watson.org
To: John Polstra <jdp@polstra.com>
In-Reply-To: <XFMail.20040712135543.jdp@polstra.com>
Message-ID: <Pine.NEB.3.96L.1040712170028.52015F-100000@fledge.watson.org>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII
cc: freebsd-current@freebsd.org
Subject: Re: kldload won't load
X-BeenThere: freebsd-current@freebsd.org
X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.1
Precedence: list
List-Id: Discussions about the use of FreeBSD-current
	<freebsd-current.freebsd.org>
List-Unsubscribe: <http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-current>,
	<mailto:freebsd-current-request@freebsd.org?subject=unsubscribe>
List-Archive: <http://lists.freebsd.org/pipermail/freebsd-current>
List-Post: <mailto:freebsd-current@freebsd.org>
List-Help: <mailto:freebsd-current-request@freebsd.org?subject=help>
List-Subscribe: <http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-current>,
	<mailto:freebsd-current-request@freebsd.org?subject=subscribe>
X-List-Received-Date: Mon, 12 Jul 2004 21:01:10 -0000

On Mon, 12 Jul 2004, John Polstra wrote:

> > Well, the problem here is that the errno error-reporting mechanism can
> > report but not describe errors.  We could add a new EKLDLINKER to point at
> > a linker error (or the like), or a whole set of new errnos, but the
> > mechanism even then couldn't report which symbols are missing, etc.  One
> > or more linker-specific error values would probably be a useful start.
> 
> I fully understand the implementation difficulties, but we have to be
> careful to observe the distinction between correct behavior and
> easy-to-implement behavior.  The kldload(2) API doesn't support correct
> behavior, so that's where the focus needs to be -- not on making users
> feel stupid for failing to look in the dmesg output. 

I don't disagree, but you have to admit that the kitten dying thing is a
interesting (if unusual) side effect.

Robert N M Watson             FreeBSD Core Team, TrustedBSD Projects
robert@fledge.watson.org      Principal Research Scientist, McAfee Research