Package: src:linux
Version: 6.0.8-1
Severity: wishlist

It has been 6 years (since Linux kernel v4.10) that upstream introduced
a rather useful feature for protocols implementing binary message based
protocols on top of TCP called KCM.  Unfortunately during all those
years and even until Debian unstable today, it is not possible to use
this feature as the kernels are compiled with CONFIG_AF_KCM disabled.

This creates a rather unfortunate chicken-and-egg situation where there
are userspace programs/libraries that would benefit from its related
performance, but cannot use it with unmodified Debian kernels and hence
are less motivated to enable it.  So lack of distribution support
hinders adoption by more applications.

Background on KCM can be found at https://lwn.net/Articles/657999/ and
in the kernel source at Documentation/networking/kcm.rst

I would hence like to request enabling CONFIG_AF_KCM in the Debian
kernel packages.  Since STREAM_PARSER and BPF_SYSCALL are both already
enabled, there are no additional dependencies.

AF_KCM can be built as module, so it should not affect any systems where
no applications use it.  It would only be auto-loaded once an AF_KCM
socket is being used for the first time.

Thanks for your consideration.

-- Package-specific info:
** Kernel log: boot messages should be attached


-- System Information:
Debian Release: bookworm/sid
  APT prefers unstable-debug
  APT policy: (500, 'unstable-debug'), (500, 'unstable')
Architecture: amd64 (x86_64)
Foreign Architectures: i386

Kernel: Linux 5.19.0-2-amd64 (SMP w/4 CPU threads; PREEMPT)
Kernel taint flags: TAINT_OOT_MODULE, TAINT_UNSIGNED_MODULE
Locale: LANG=en_US.UTF-8, LC_CTYPE=de_DE.UTF-8 (charmap=UTF-8), LANGUAGE not set
Shell: /bin/sh linked to /usr/bin/dash
Init: systemd (via /run/systemd/system)
LSM: AppArmor: enabled

Versions of packages linux-image-6.0.0-4-amd64 depends on:
it  initramfs-tools [linux-initramfs-tool]  0.142
ii  kmod                                    30+20220905-1
ii  linux-base                              4.9

Versions of packages linux-image-6.0.0-4-amd64 recommends:
iu  apparmor             3.0.7-1+b2
ii  firmware-linux-free  20200122-1

Versions of packages linux-image-6.0.0-4-amd64 suggests:
pn  debian-kernel-handbook  <none>
ii  extlinux                3:6.04~git20190206.bf6db5b4+dfsg1-3+b1
ii  grub-pc                 2.06-4
pn  linux-doc-6.0           <none>

Versions of packages linux-image-6.0.0-4-amd64 is related to:
pn  firmware-amd-graphics     <none>
pn  firmware-atheros          <none>
pn  firmware-bnx2             <none>
pn  firmware-bnx2x            <none>
pn  firmware-brcm80211        <none>
pn  firmware-cavium           <none>
pn  firmware-intel-sound      <none>
pn  firmware-intelwimax       <none>
pn  firmware-ipw2x00          <none>
pn  firmware-ivtv             <none>
ii  firmware-iwlwifi          20221012-1
pn  firmware-libertas         <none>
pn  firmware-linux-nonfree    <none>
ii  firmware-misc-nonfree     20221012-1
pn  firmware-myricom          <none>
pn  firmware-netxen           <none>
pn  firmware-qlogic           <none>
pn  firmware-realtek          <none>
pn  firmware-samsung          <none>
pn  firmware-siano            <none>
pn  firmware-ti-connectivity  <none>
pn  xen-hypervisor            <none>

-- no debconf information

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