Re: [PATCH 0/6] module: enable force unloading of modules that have crashed during init

[Petr Pavlu]

On 9/18/25 10:11 PM, julian-lagattuta wrote:
> Running a module that encounters a fatal error during the initcall leaves
> the module in a state where it cannot be forcefully unloaded since it is 
> "being used" despite there being no reason it couldn't be unloaded. 
> This means that unloading the crashed module requires rebooting.
> 
> This patch allows modules that have crashed during initialization to be
> forcefully unloaded with CONFIG_MODULE_FORCE_UNLOAD enabled.

Could you please explain the motivation for doing this in more detail?

I think we shouldn't attempt to do anything clever with modules that
crashed during initialization. Such a module can already leave the
system in an unstable state and trying to recover can cause even more
problems. For instance, I don't see how it is safe to call the module's
exit function.

-- 
Thanks,
Petr