Re: [patch] make sysctl_overcommit_memory enumeration sensible

[Coywolf Qi Hunt <qiyong@fc-cn.com>]

On Wed, Feb 15, 2006 at 12:32:38PM +0200, Avi Kivity wrote:
> Coywolf Qi Hunt wrote:
> 
> >On Wed, Feb 15, 2006 at 01:05:59AM -0800, Andrew Morton wrote:
> > 
> >
> >>Coywolf Qi Hunt <qiyong@fc-cn.com> wrote:
> >>   
> >>
> >>>I see system admins often confused when they sysctl 
> >>>vm.overcommit_memory.
> >>>This patch makes overcommit_memory enumeration sensible.
> >>>
> >>>0 - no overcommit
> >>>1 - always overcommit
> >>>2 - heuristic overcommit (default)
> >>>
> >>>I don't feel this would break any userspace scripts.
> >>>     
> >>>
> >>eh?   If any such scripts exist, they'll break.
> >>
> >>Confused.
> >>   
> >>
> >
> >That's a corner case. Let'em break and fix.  Otherwise, users will
> >be confused. Even they get it right, after some weeks they'll have
> >to re-read the doc. A logical user interface is important to human.
> > 
> >
> 
> If I have
> 
>  vm.overcommit_memory = 2
> 
> in my /etc/sysctl.conf, its meaning silently changes. I'll know about 
> it during the next oomkiller pass.

Indeed. See, the breakage doesn't hurt.
-- 
Coywolf Qi Hunt
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