Re: [PATCH net-next] devlink: Delete not-used devlink APIs

[Jakub Kicinski]

On Thu, 16 Sep 2021 13:38:33 +0300 Leon Romanovsky wrote:
> From: Leon Romanovsky <leonro@xxxxxxxxxx>
> 
> Devlink core exported generously the functions calls that were used
> by netdevsim tests or not used at all.
> 
> Delete such APIs with one exception - devlink_alloc_ns(). That function
> should be spared from deleting because it is a special form of devlink_alloc()
> needed for the netdevsim.

Do you have a reason to do this or are you just cleaning up?

The fmsg functions are not actually removed, just unexported.
Are there out of tree drivers abusing them?

The port_param functions are "symmetric" with the global param 
ones. Removing them makes the API look somewhat incomplete.

Obviously the general guidance is that we shouldn't export 
functions which have no upstream users but that applies to 
meaningful APIs. For all practical purposes this is just a 
sliver of an API, completeness gives nice warm feelings.

Anyway, just curious what made you do this. I wouldn't do it 
myself but neither am I substantially opposed.