Re: [PATCH - mdadm] mdopen: always try create_named_array()

From: Mariusz Tkaczyk
Date: Tue Mar 21 2023 - 04:55:41 EST


On Mon, 20 Mar 2023 13:15:35 -0400
Jes Sorensen <jes@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> On 3/19/23 18:09, NeilBrown wrote:
> > On Mon, 20 Mar 2023, Jes Sorensen wrote:
> >> On 3/13/23 20:06, NeilBrown wrote:
> >>>
> >>> mdopen() will use create_named_array() to ask the kernel to create the
> >>> given md array, but only if it is given a number or name.
> >>> If it is NOT given a name and is required to choose one itself using
> >>> find_free_devnm() it does NOT use create_named_array().
> >>>
> >>> On kernels with CONFIG_BLOCK_LEGACY_AUTOLOAD not set, this can result in
> >>> failure to assemble an array. This can particularly seen when the
> >>> "name" of the array begins with a host name different to the name of the
> >>> host running the command.
> >>>
> >>> So add the missing call to create_named_array().
> >>>
> >>> Link: https://bugzilla.kernel.org/show_bug.cgi?id=217074
> >>> Signed-off-by: NeilBrown <neilb@xxxxxxx>
> >>
> >> Applied!
> >
> > Thanks.
> >
> > Do you have plans for releasing 4.3? I'd like this patch to be in a
> > numbered release for at least a few months before we change the kernel
> > Kconfig to allow md to be built without CONFIG_BLOCK_LEGACY_AUTOLOAD.
>
> No immediate plans, but no reason why we shouldn't do it. I think
> Mariusz has some pending changes he wants to get in as well, like the
> error number stuff.
>
> So lets make this a call for submitting changes for mdadm that are
> needed for the next release.
>

Hi Jes,
My patches around names (where I added those errors) will be too risky to be
merged and released in short period. I'm going to limit the supported
characters for names- it could bring regressions in some non obvious cases and I
would like to give user time to accept it and adopt their solutions to new
naming policy.

Let me see if the patches recently merged doesn't bring any critical
regression, and we are free to go I think :) I will back with a results soon.

Thanks,
Mariusz