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Date:      Tue, 06 Jan 2009 16:37:02 -0800
From:      Maxim Sobolev <sobomax@FreeBSD.org>
To:        Luigi Rizzo <rizzo@iet.unipi.it>
Cc:        svn-src-head@FreeBSD.org, Luigi Rizzo <luigi@FreeBSD.org>, src-committers@FreeBSD.org, svn-src-all@FreeBSD.org
Subject:   Re: svn: head/sys/i386/conf
Message-ID:  <4963F92E.1040708@FreeBSD.org>
In-Reply-To: <20090107003033.GA5795@onelab2.iet.unipi.it>
References:  <200901061510.n06FAQ0g034585@svn.freebsd.org> <4963D4E9.707@FreeBSD.org> <20090106224658.GB3130@onelab2.iet.unipi.it> <4963F29B.4070001@FreeBSD.org> <20090107003033.GA5795@onelab2.iet.unipi.it>

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Luigi Rizzo wrote:
> On Tue, Jan 06, 2009 at 04:08:59PM -0800, Maxim Sobolev wrote:
>> Luigi Rizzo wrote:
>>> On Tue, Jan 06, 2009 at 02:02:17PM -0800, Maxim Sobolev wrote:
>>>> Luigi Rizzo wrote:
>>>>> +# through getenv() (or kenv(1) in userland). The format of the file
>>>>> +# is 'variable=value' , same as for hints files.
>>>> What do you think about extending comment with the following:
>>>>
>>>> "hints files" -> "hints or loader.conf(5) files".
>>> i don't know -- in fact, I have a curiosity here:
>>> loader.conf is processed by some code in loader.4th which in turn
>>> is interpreted by loader.conf, and this chain does some magic
>>> on certain variable names (and can also do $variable expansion).
>>>
>>> Instead, I believe that 'hints' (and presumably 'env' values) are
>>> passed directly to the kernel, so there are no special manipulation
>>> of variable names or values. Is that correct ?
>> That's true, however if loader doesn't have any handling logic for a 
>> certain valuable it simply sets kenv (aka kernel tunable). Take a look 
>> at the loader.conf(5) for example.
> 
> ok, but all we need to say is the following:
> 
> 	The file can contain lines of the form
> 
> 		name = "value"	# this is a coment
> 
> 	where whitespace around name and '=' is ignored, and so is
> 	everything after a '#' character.  Almost any printable
> 	character except '=' is acceptable as part of a name.  Quotes
> 	are optional and necessary only if the value contains
> 	whitespace.
> 
> so why don't we just say that in the kenv(1) manpage (and refer to
> that) instead of referring to loader.conf which contains a lot of
> stuff that does not apply in this case ?

My main point is that usually people set those tunables not in "hints 
files" but in loader.conf, so that if you refer to hints you should also 
need to mention loader.conf. In fact I guess that many people may not 
even know about what "hints files" are.

-Maxim



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