[OE-core] clarifying details about "is not set" lines in kernel config fragment files

[Bruce Ashfield]

On Tue, May 3, 2016 at 2:27 PM, Robert P. J. Day <rpjday at crashcourse.ca>
wrote:

> On Tue, 3 May 2016, Bruce Ashfield wrote:
>
> > On Tue, May 3, 2016 at 1:04 PM, Robert P. J. Day <rpjday at crashcourse.ca>
> wrote:
> >
> >         oddly, in the current YP kernel dev manual, i don't see the
> >       phrase "is not set" explained anywhere in the entire doc,
> >       which is weird since it seems like it would be important.
> >
> > The manuals don't cover the mechanics of how the mainline kernel is
> > configured. Just the same way the don't cover the configuration
> > language for any number of packages in the system.
>
>   assuming i'm understanding your position, that's where i'm going to
> *strongly* disagree. people who work with the mainline kernel in a
> non-OE environment don't use kernel config fragment files. period.
> AFAIK (and correct me if i'm wrong), .cfg kernel config fragment files
> are exclusively an OE/YP thing, so there is no reason for normal
> kernel developers to understand how they work.
>

Nothing about the options is unique configuration fragments.

We contributed the merge_config script to the mainline kernel ages ago, so
the
rudimentary support for fragments is carried along with all recent kernel
trees. At the most basic level, it is a concatenation of a bunch of
configs, the
extra processing around features, the audit, etc, are part of what we do in
Yocto,
but the slamming together of the options and feeding them to the kernel
configuration system .. is not unique.

kernel developers have their workflow, and they stick to it. There's no
attempt
to change that .. the reason I mention that, is that people working with
the
mainline kernel can use fragments if they like .. but also can happily
ignore
them as well :D


>
>   knowing how regular kernel configuration works, and how kernel
> config fragment files are processed to aid in that process, are two
> *entirely* different things, and how those files are processed is,
> IMHO, most assuredly the responsibility of the OE/YP docs to explain.
>

You referenced # is not set ... that has nothing to do with fragments, and
works
the same way if you are manually editing a .config and then re-running make
"old config".

Bruce


>
> rday
>
> --
>
> ========================================================================
> Robert P. J. Day                                 Ottawa, Ontario, CANADA
>                         http://crashcourse.ca
>
> Twitter:                                       http://twitter.com/rpjday
> LinkedIn:                               http://ca.linkedin.com/in/rpjday
> ========================================================================
>



-- 
"Thou shalt not follow the NULL pointer, for chaos and madness await thee
at its end"
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