Re: Modular Kernel:Wat should be modules,wat should be built

users_at_linuxforums.org
Date: 04/18/04

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    Date: Sun, 18 Apr 2004 06:27:37 +0100
To: debian-user@lists.debian.org

    During the customisation of the kernel, under loadable module support,
    I have kernel module loader built in. Kernel Module Loader is
    described under help as :

    CONFIG_KMOD:

    Normally when you have selected some drivers and/or file systems to
    be created as loadable modules, you also have the responsibility to
    load the corresponding modules (using the programs insmod or
    modprobe) before you can use them. If you say Y here however, the
    kernel will be able to load modules for itself: when a part of the
    kernel needs a module, it runs modprobe with the appropriate
    arguments, thereby loading the module if it is available. (This is a
    replacement for kerneld.) Say Y here and read about configuring it
    in Documentation/kmod.txt.

    My network card driver is compiled as a module. However, it is not
    automatically loaded each time linux boot up. Even when I do a ping
    test or tries surfing the web, the kernel module loader doesn't
    automatically load the necessary nic driver. It is only loaded upon
    bootup after I include the module name in /etc/modules file. Likewise
    for my sound card, I have to manually add the module name into
    /etc/modules before it will get loaded 'automatically' at startup.

    Isn't the kernel module loader suppose to load modules as and when the
    kernel requires, automatically? Is the kernel module loader not
    working as intended?

    As such, if I compiled the display card driver as a module, and it
    does not get loaded on bootup, will I get a blank screen (which of
    cos will cause adding the display card module into /etc/modules quite
    difficult :) ) ?

    I would appreciate some elaboration on what kernel module loader does
    exactly, since none of the modules get loaded automatically during
    runtime. Understanding this will perhaps help to decide which
    features will stay as a module and which are the ones that will be
    built in.

    Thanks!

    > dirchawrote:
    users@linuxforums.org wrote:
    > When configuring the kernel (via make xconfig), what is the general
    > guideline as to what should be kept as modules, and what should be
    > built-in?
    >
    It depends upon what you are compiling the kernel for.

    But generally if you are compiling a kernel for a single system, you
    can
    just as well compile only what your system needs to function, but
    possibly compile as a module:
    - modules specific to a removable device (usb, pcmcia, firewire)
    - netfilter modules that may or may not always be needed, depending on

    your iptables configuration

    You might add to this:
    - modules for your display cards
    - modules for your sound cards
    - modules for your network cards

    Anything that you may want to run your system without, or might swap
    for
    another component.

    dircha 

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