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Message-ID: <fb93ca57-55a0-985a-78f5-e6fce65b8e21@riseup.net>
Date: Thu, 23 Apr 2020 16:45:09 +0000
From: Patrick Schleizer <adrelanos@...eup.net>
To: lkrg-users@...ts.openwall.com
Subject: LKRG unfit for installation by default in Whonix / Kicksecure due to
 kernel boot console output - usability issue

I am already using kernel parameter "quiet loglevel=0" and sysctl
"kernel.printk = 3 3 3 3". (These are generally working but not helping
with LKRG.)

Messages seen during boot are similar as these:

sudo dmesg | grep -i lkrg

[    5.382817] [p_lkrg] Loading LKRG...
[    5.864095] [p_lkrg] LKRG initialized successfully!
[    6.118039] [p_lkrg] ALERT !!! FOUND LESS[1] MODULES IN DB IN MODULE
LIST[39] THAN IN CURRENT MODULE LIST[40]
[    6.118231] [p_lkrg] EXTRA MODULE:
[    6.118477] [p_lkrg] ** EXTRA MODULE IS THE SAME AS ON-GOING MODULE
ACTIVITY EVENTS **
[    6.118646] [p_lkrg] ALERT !!! FOUND LESS[1] MODULES IN DB IN
KOBJ[39] THAN IN CURRENT KOBJ[40]
[    6.118739] [p_lkrg] EXTRA MODULE:
[    6.118978] [p_lkrg] ** EXTRA MODULE IS THE SAME AS ON-GOING MODULE
ACTIVITY EVENTS *

Problem is that due to use of all upper case, ALERT, "!!!" and otherwise
language which laymen doesn't understand this would generate a lot
unnecessary fear, uncertainty, doubt, support requests and imo
unjustified badmouthing of the project due to a scary looking kernel
boot console output.

I guess what LKRG is doing is writing to dmesg with level 0
(KERN_EMERG). Therefore, my feature request is...

Could you please make LKRG use a lower dmesg loglevel such as 2
(KERN_CRIT) (probably not) or 4 (KERN_WARNING)? I am not arguing much
about which log level but please not 0 (KERN_EMERG). Or if it's not
dmesg loglevel some other way to hide these messages from kernel boot
console output.

Kind regards,
Patrick

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