Re: [Xen-devel] [PATCH net-next] xen-netback: get rid of old udev related code

[Jason Andryuk]

On Thu, Dec 12, 2019 at 8:56 AM Paul Durrant <pdurrant@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
> In the past it used to be the case that the Xen toolstack relied upon
> udev to execute backend hotplug scripts. However this has not been the
> case for many releases now and removal of the associated code in
> xen-netback shortens the source by more than 100 lines, and removes much
> complexity in the interaction with the xenstore backend state.
>
> NOTE: xen-netback is the only xenbus driver to have a functional uevent()
>       method. The only other driver to have a method at all is
>       pvcalls-back, and currently pvcalls_back_uevent() simply returns 0.
>       Hence this patch also facilitates further cleanup.
>
> Signed-off-by: Paul Durrant <pdurrant@xxxxxxxxxx>
> ---
> Cc: Wei Liu <wei.liu@xxxxxxxxxx>
> Cc: "David S. Miller" <davem@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> ---
>  drivers/net/xen-netback/common.h |  11 ---
>  drivers/net/xen-netback/xenbus.c | 125 ++++---------------------------
>  2 files changed, 14 insertions(+), 122 deletions(-)
>
> diff --git a/drivers/net/xen-netback/common.h b/drivers/net/xen-netback/common.h
> index 05847eb91a1b..e48da004c1a3 100644

<snip>

> -static inline void backend_switch_state(struct backend_info *be,
> -                                       enum xenbus_state state)
> -{
> -       struct xenbus_device *dev = be->dev;
> -
> -       pr_debug("%s -> %s\n", dev->nodename, xenbus_strstate(state));
> -       be->state = state;
> -
> -       /* If we are waiting for a hotplug script then defer the
> -        * actual xenbus state change.
> -        */
> -       if (!be->have_hotplug_status_watch)
> -               xenbus_switch_state(dev, state);

have_hotplug_status_watch prevents xen-netback from switching to
connected state unless the the backend scripts have written
"hotplug-status" "success".  I had always thought that was intentional
so the frontend doesn't connect when the backend is unconnected.  i.e.
if the backend scripts fails, it writes "hotplug-status" "error" and
the frontend doesn't connect.

That behavior is independent of using udev to run the scripts.  I'm
not opposed to removing it, but I think it at least warrants
mentioning in the commit message.

Regards,
Jason