Re: xenstore_lib.h and libxenstore API/ABI problems

[Jürgen Groß <jgross@xxxxxxxx>]

On 02.03.21 16:23, Andrew Cooper wrote:
> Hello,
>
> This is a total mess.
>
> libxenstored does not have a stable ABI.  xenstore_lib.h contains:
>
> * struct xs_permissions, which contains an enum - one of the very common
> ABI traps.
>
> * the prototypes for expanding_buffer_ensure(), sanitise_value() and
> unsanitise_value(), which are inappropriately-namespaced symbols in
> libxenstore
>
> * struct expanding_buffer with a classic string-handling trap (int len).
>
> * Various xenstored-internal details such as struct xs_tdb_record_hdr,
> the internal permission bits, as well as stuff like
> xs_daemon_{root,run}dir(), and worse xs_daemon_tdb(),  which have
> absolutely no business being external to xenstored.
>
>
> Its clear that most of this shouldn't be part of libxenstore, but that
> ship has sailed.  3.0.3 is broken and cannot be fixed.
>
> My best suggestion is that we freeze 3.0.3 where it is, and create a 4.0
> which has all of the xenstore_lib.h content deleted.  That, AFAICT, gets
> us something which is 99% compatible, and stands a chance of being able
> to kept properly stable.
>
> Thoughts?
How would that work in practice?

Would we ship both libraries, or only 4.0?


Juergen

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