Re: [PATCH v1] INSTALL: remove unsupported XEN_CONFIG_EXPERT from documentation

[Jan Beulich <jbeulich@xxxxxxxx>]

(re-adding xen-devel@)

On 09.01.2026 13:17, dmukhin@xxxxxxx wrote:
> On Thu, Jan 08, 2026 at 03:27:39PM +0100, Jan Beulich wrote:
>> On 08.01.2026 15:24, Jan Beulich wrote:
>>> On 08.01.2026 15:16, dmukhin@xxxxxxx wrote:
>>>> From: Denis Mukhin <dmukhin@xxxxxxxx> 
>>>>
>>>> Amends: 37339ba9ef46 ("automation: Remove XEN_CONFIG_EXPERT leftovers")
>>>> Signed-off-by: Denis Mukhin <dmukhin@xxxxxxxx>
>>>
>>> Acked-by: Jan Beulich <jbeulich@xxxxxxxx>
>>
>> Actually no, I withdraw this. It makes little sense to update ...
>>
>>> However, ...
>>>
>>>> --- a/INSTALL
>>>> +++ b/INSTALL
>>>> @@ -33,8 +33,8 @@ small subset of the options.  Attempts to change other 
>>>> options will be
>>>>  silently overridden.  The only way to find which configuration options
>>>>  are available is to run `make menuconfig' or the like.
>>>
>>> ... I don't think what is said up from here is quite right. As a result, ...
>>>
>>>> -You can counter-override this behaviour by setting XEN_CONFIG_EXPERT=y
>>>> -in your environment.  However, doing this is not supported and the
>>>> +You can counter-override this behaviour by setting CONFIG_EXPERT=y
>>
>> ... just this reference, when things also work differently now (?). (IOW
>> the original description ...
>>
>>>> +in your Kconfig file.  However, doing this is not supported and the
>>>>  resulting configurations do not receive security support.  If you set
>>>>  this variable there is nothing stopping you setting dangerously
>>>>  experimental combinations of features - not even any warnings.
>>>
>>> ... some of this is also in need of updating / correcting.
>>
>> ... may or may not have been correct when it was still an env var.)
> 
> Thanks for taking time to review this.
> 
> Perhaps it will be better to remove the entire paragraph w/ original
> XEN_CONFIG_EXPERT then?
> 
> E.g. there's a brief note on EXPERT in SUPPORT.md wrt security support
> and it feels that there's no need to explain that EXPERT mode may lead
> to some bad config in general...

I wouldn't mind if this and the earlier paragraphs were dropped, but
others may disagree and prefer them to be brought up-to-date. Give
them a few days to voice opinions.

> I just wanted to resolve dangling reference to XEN_CONFIG_EXPERT which
> I hit after reading through upstream xen yocto recipe.

I understand this, but leaving incorrect information isn't the way to
address this.

Jan