[mm] Better help needed for UEVENT_HELPER_PATH

[mm] Better help needed for UEVENT_HELPER_PATH

[Frans Pop]

Current help for CONFIG_UEVENT_HELPER_PATH is:
   Path to uevent helper program forked by the kernel for
   every uevent.
With default value of /sbin/hotplug.

Help! I don't have /sbin/hotplug (Debian unstable, using udev).
What do I do now? Will my hardware be unsupported because I don't have
/sbin/hotplug?
Should I leave it at the default? Make it empty? Or do I need to replace 
hotplug by some other magic command?

Please extend the help text to give some context and indication of how to 
use this option.

This issue was raised before in:
http://lkml.org/lkml/2007/9/18/160

Thanks,
FJP

Re: [mm] Better help needed for UEVENT_HELPER_PATH

[Kay Sievers]

On 9/28/07, Frans Pop <elendil@planet.nl> wrote:
> Current help for CONFIG_UEVENT_HELPER_PATH is:
>    Path to uevent helper program forked by the kernel for
>    every uevent.
> With default value of /sbin/hotplug.
>
> Help! I don't have /sbin/hotplug (Debian unstable, using udev).
> What do I do now? Will my hardware be unsupported because I don't have
> /sbin/hotplug?

Nothing has changed, it's just configurable now for setups which don't
use the "fork-bomb" anymore.

> Should I leave it at the default? Make it empty? Or do I need to replace
> hotplug by some other magic command?

Do nothing, leave it at the default value, if you are unsure about
your setup. If your system works without it, you save a few cycles at
bootup.

> Please extend the help text to give some context and indication of how to
> use this option.

We can't really tell, it entirely depends on the distro, setup, udev
integration, initramfs. Old initramfs setups might need it, even on a
udev system without any /sbin/hotplug like stuff installed. You would
need to look in your initramfs image if it contains a /sbin/hotplug.

Thanks,
Kay