Re: [02/07] [SCSI] qla2xxx: Pull-down scsi-host-addition to follow board initialization.

[Andrew Morton <akpm@osdl.org>]

Jean Delvare <khali@linux-fr.org> wrote:
>
> Hi Chris, all,
> 
> > -stable review patch.  If anyone has any objections, please let us
> > know.
> 
> I have. This one patch is rather big and parts of it don't seem to
> belong to -stable. Can't it be simplified? More below.

The threshold for "what belongs in -stable" is a) set too high and b)
over-zealously enforced.

> > Return to previous held-logic of calling scsi_add_host() only
> > after the board has been completely initialized.
> 
> What real bug is it supposed to fix? (I guess some, but this leading
> comment should give the datails.)

If that's what was in the patch which went into 2.6.13 then we should be OK
with a full backport.  If the person who originally raised that patch put
unrelated things into a single patch then that's where the problem started.

Bear in mind that there is also risk in only part-applying a patch.

> > Also return pci_*() error-codes during probe failure paths.
> 
> How does this belong to stable please? I don't see this fixing any
> critical bug.

But it's obviously safe.

> > -	if (ret != 0) {
> > +	if (ret) {
> 
> This aint -stable material.

But it's obviously safe.  Let's use our brains on these patches and not
become beholden to doctrine, OK?