Re: [PATCH v10 0/2] module: Extend module_blacklist parameter to built-in modules

On Sun Sep 6, 2026 at 10:56 AM BST, Arnd Bergmann wrote:

On Sun, Sep 6, 2026, at 02:28, Andrew Morton wrote:

quoted

On Fri, 4 Sep 2026 10:59:38 -0400 Aaron Tomlin [off-list ref] wrote:

quoted

In summary, this patch brings parity between modular and built-in drivers,
removes a pain point in boot-time disaster recovery, and provides users
with a predictable, consistent interface.

Really helpful, thanks.  Please add this to the [0/N] and maintain it.

I don't really know who are the potential audience for this change, nor
how to attract their attention.  Greg might have some insights but he
wasn't cc'ed.

Let's leave it a week to see if there's feedback then resend with these
adjustments?

FWIW, I previously asked the same question on this series
and still don't find the explanation lacking. Obviously,
consistency is good, but the added complexity doesn't feel
worth it here, given that this still has most of the same
problems as the existing "initcall_blacklist=" option [1].

Yeah, I like the better consistency, which is why I propose unifying handling
for both built-in modules and loadable ones in
https://lore.kernel.org/all/DKNWEO3BOUOL.9COZBXZIGS6A@garyguo.net/ (local).

IMO if we can unify them, then we get something that is both consistent and
*less* complexity.

The current solution makes thing more complex with only apparent consistency
(i.e. user observe the consistency from kernel parameter, but the internal
handling are two separate mechanisms), which should require a very strong reason
to pursue.

Best,
Gary

I think patch 2/2 would be fine on its own, but for 1/2
I have yet to see a single example of a real-world problem
that could have been solved by this but not using
initcall_blacklist. In distro kernels, almost everything
is already a loadable module, while users with custom
kernels could easily turn off the drivers they don't want
or disable the initcall by name.

      Arnd

[1] https://lore.kernel.org/all/78ec1da5-11ae-4c35-a08e-cc88a5d083f4@app.fastmail.com/ (local)