On running user mode helpers

I see we have a new "call_usermodehelper" routine now. It looks like the end result is similer to exec_usermodehelper, except that you no longer need to mess with creating kernel threads yourself.

Is call_usermodehelper now the officially blessed way for kernel code to run something in user space? Perhaps exec_usermodehelper should become private to kmod.c?

I also see that call_usermodehelper will call do_exit() if the exec fails, while the path taken in request_module does not do that. Can both be right?

Thanks,

jon

Jonathan Corbet
Executive editor, LWN.net
[email protected]
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