Re: [PATCH 1/2] net: Remove net/ipx.h and uapi/linux/ipx.h header files

On Thu, Sep 02, 2021 at 09:35:29PM +0800, Cai Huoqing wrote:

On 01 Sep 21 13:36:54, Steve Grubb wrote:

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Hello,

Thanks for the heads up.

On Wednesday, September 1, 2021 12:52:02 PM EDT Eugene Syromiatnikov wrote:

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Adding linux-audit, strace-devel, and linux-api to CC:.

On Wed, Sep 01, 2021 at 06:02:44PM +0200, Eugene Syromiatnikov wrote:

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On Fri, Aug 13, 2021 at 08:08:02PM +0800, Cai Huoqing wrote:

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commit <47595e32869f> ("<MAINTAINERS: Mark some staging directories>")
indicated the ipx network layer as obsolete in Jan 2018,
updated in the MAINTAINERS file

now, after being exposed for 3 years to refactoring, so to
delete uapi/linux/ipx.h and net/ipx.h header files for good.
additionally, there is no module that depends on ipx.h except
a broken staging driver(r8188eu)

Signed-off-by: Cai Huoqing <redacted>

This removal breaks audit[1] and potentially breaks strace[2][3], at
least.

I wouldn't say breaks so much as needs coordination with. :-)   If ipx is 
being dropped in its entirety, I can just make that part of the code 
conditional to the header existing.

-Steve

IPX is marked obsolete for serveral years. so remove it and the
dependency in linux tree.
I'm sorry to not thinking about linux-audit and strace.
Might you remove the dependency or make the part of the code.
Many thanks.

Unfortunately, that is not how UAPI works.  That change breaks building
of the existing code;  one cannot change already released versions
of either audit, strace, or any other userspace program that happens
to unconditionally include <linux/ipx.h> without any fallback (like
<netipx/ipx.h> provided by glibc).

-Cai

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[1]
https://github.com/linux-audit/audit-userspace/blob/ce58837d44b7d9fcb4e1
40c23f68e0c94d95ab6e/auparse/interpret.c#L48 [2]
https://gitlab.com/strace/strace/-/blob/9fe63f42df8badd22fb7eef9c12fc07e
d7106d6b/src/net.c#L34 [3]
https://gitlab.com/strace/strace/-/blob/9fe63f42df8badd22fb7eef9c12fc07e
d7106d6b/src/sockaddr.c#L30