o Call module as module. Until now, everything is called as attribute. Separate module from it: - Module is a collection of code (*.[cSo]), and provides a function. Module can depend on other modules. - Attribute provides metadata for modules. One module can have multiple attributes. Attribute doesn't generate a module (*.o, *.ko). o Emit everything (ioconf.*, Makefile, ...) per-attribute. config(9) related metadata (cfdriver, cfattach, cfdata, ...) should be collected using linker. Create ELF sections like .{rodata,data}.config.{cfdriver,cfattach,cfdata}. Provide reference symbols (e.g. cfdriverinit[]) using linker script. Sort entries by name to lookup entries by binary search in kernel. o Generate modular(9) related information. Especially module dependency. At this moment modular(9) modules hardcode dependency in *.c using the MODULE() macro: MODULE(MODULE_CLASS_DRIVER, hdaudio, "pci"); This information already exists in config(5) definitions (files.*). Extend config(5) to be able to specify module's class. Ideally these module metadata are kept somewhere in ELF headers, so that loaders (e.g. boot(8)) can easily read. One idea is to abuse DYNAMIC sections to record dependency, as shared library does. (Feasibility unknown.) o Rename "interface attribute" to "bus". Instead of define audiobus {} attach audio at audiobus Do like this defbus audiobus {} attach audio at audiobus o Retire "attach foo at bar with foo_bar.c" Most of these should be rewritten by defining a common interface attribute "foobus", instead of writing multiple attachments. com(4), ld(4), ehci(4) are typical examples. For ehci(4), EHCI-capable controller drivers implement "ehcibus" interface, like: defne ehcibus {} device imxehci: ehcibus These drivers' attach functions call config_found() to attach ehci(4) via the "ehcibus" interface attribute, instead of calling ehci_init() directly. Same for com(4) (com_attach_subr()) and ld(4) (ldattach()). o Sort objects in more reasonable order. Put machdep.ko in the lowest address. uvm.ko and kern.ko follow. Kill alphabetical sort (${OBJS:O} in sys/conf/Makefile.inc.kern. Use ldscript. Do like this .text : AT (ADDR(.text) & 0x0fffffff) { *(.text.machdep.locore.entry) *(.text.machdep.locore) *(.text.machdep) *(.text) *(.text.*) : Kill linker definitions in sys/conf/Makefile.inc.kern. o Differentiate "options" and "flags"/"params". "options" enables features by adding *.c files (via attributes). "flags" and "params" are to change contents of *.c files. These don't add *.c files to the result kernel, or don't build attributes (modules). o Make flags/params per attributes (modules). Basically flags and params are cpp(1) #define's generated in opt_*.h. Make them local to one attributes (modules). Flags/params which affects files across attributes (modules) are possible, but should be discouraged. o Generate things only by definitions. In the ideal dynamically modular world, "selection" will be done not at compile time but at runtime. Users select their wanted modules, by dynamically loading them. This means that the system provides all choices; that is, build all modules in the source tree. Necessary information is defined in the "definition" part. o Split cfdata. cfdata is a set of pattern matching rules to enable devices at runtime device auto-configuration. It is pure data and can (should) be generated separately from the code. o Allow easier adding and removing of options. It should be possible to add or remove options, flags, etc., without regard to whether or not they are already defined. For example, a configuration like this: include GENERIC options FOO no options BAR should work regardless of whether or not options FOO and/or options BAR were defined in GENERIC. It should not give errors like "options BAR was already defined" or "options FOO was not defined". o Introduce "class". Every module should be classified as at least one class, as modular(9) modules already do. For example, file systems are marked as "vfs", network protocols are "netproto". Consider to merge "devclass" into "class". For syntax clarity, class names could be used as a keyword to select the class's instance module: # Define net80211 module as netproto class class netproto define net80211: netproto # Select net80211 to be builtin netproto net80211 Accordingly device/attach selection syntax should be revisited. o Support kernel constructor/destructor (.kctors/.kdtors) Initialization and finalization should be called via constructors and destructors. Don't hardcode those sequences as sys/kern/init_main.c:main() does. The order of .kctors/.kdtors is resolved by dependency. The difference from userland is that in kernel depended ones are located in lower addresses; "machdep" module is the lowest. Thus the lowest entry in .ctors must be executed the first. The .kctors/.kdtors entries are executed by kernel's main() function, unlike userland where start code executes .ctors/.dtors before main(). The hardcoded sequence of various subsystem initializations in init_main.c:main() will be replaced by an array of .kctors invocations, and #ifdef's there will be gone. o Hide link-set in the final kernel. Link-set is used to collect references (pointers) at link time. It relys on the ld(1) behavior that it automatically generates `__start_X' and `__stop_X' symbols for the section `X' to reduce coding. Don't allow kernel subsystems create random ELF sections. Pre-define all the available link-set names and pre-generate a linker script to merge them into .rodata. (For modular(9) modules, `link_set_modules' is looked up by kernel loader. Provide only it.) Provide a way for 3rd party modules to declare extra link-set. o Shared kernel objects. Since NetBSD has not established a clear kernel ABI, every single kernel has to build all the objects by their own. As a result, similar kernels (e.g. evbarm kernels) repeatedly compile similar objects, that is waste of energy & space. Share them if possible. For evb* ports, ideally everything except machdep.ko should be shared. While leaving optimizations as options (CPU specific optimizations, inlined bus_space(9) operations, etc.) for users, the official binaries build provided by TNF should be as portable as possible. o Control ELF sections using linker script. Now kernel is linked and built directly from object files (*.o). Each port has an MD linker script, which does everything needed to be done at link time. As a result, they do from MI alignment restriction (read_mostly, cacheline_aligned) to load address specification for external boot loaders. Make this into multiple stages to make linkage more structural. Especially, reserve the final link for purely MD purpose. Note that in modular build, *.ko are shared between build of kernel and modular(9) modules (*.kmod). Monolithic build: *.o ---> netbsd.ko Generic MI linkage netbsd.ko ---> netbsd.ro Kernel MI linkage netbsd.ro ---> netbsd Kernel MD linkage Modular build (kernel): *.o ---> *.ko Generic + Per-module MI linkage *.ko ---> netbsd.ro Kernel MI linkage netbsd.ro ---> netbsd Kernel MD linkage Modular build (module): *.o ---> *.ko Generic + Per-module MI linkage *.ko ---> *.ro Modular MI linkage *.ro ---> *.kmod Modular MD linkage Genric MI linkage is for processing MI linkage that can be applied generally. Data section alignment (.data.read_mostly and .data.cacheline_aligned) is processed here. Per-module MI linkage is for modules that want some ordering. For example, machdep.ko wants to put entry code at the top of .text and .data. Kernel MI linkage is for collecting kernel global section data, that is what link-set is used for now. Once they are collected and symbols to the ranges are assigned, those sections are merged into the pre-existing sections (.rodata) because link-set sections in "netbsd" will never be interpreted by external loaders. Kernel MD linkage is used purely for MD purposes, that is, how kernels are loaded by external loaders. It might be possible that one kernel relocatable (netbsd.ro) is linked into multiple final kernel image (netbsd) for diferent load addresses. Modular MI linkage is to prepare a module to be loadable as modular(9). This may add some extra sections and/or symbols. Modular MD linkage is again for pure MD purposes like kernel MD linkage. Adjustment and/or optimization may be done. Kernel and modular MI linkages may change behavior depending on existence of debug information. In the future .symtab will be copied using linker during this stage.