diff options
| -rw-r--r-- | Documentation/00-INDEX | 4 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | Documentation/modules.txt | 264 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | init/Kconfig | 44 |
3 files changed, 24 insertions, 288 deletions
diff --git a/Documentation/00-INDEX b/Documentation/00-INDEX index 5935ff8708c5..bd171c1e9f2d 100644 --- a/Documentation/00-INDEX +++ b/Documentation/00-INDEX @@ -116,8 +116,6 @@ kernel-docs.txt - listing of various WWW + books that document kernel internals. kernel-parameters.txt - summary listing of command line / boot prompt args for the kernel. -kmod.txt - - info on the kernel module loader/unloader (kerneld replacement). ldm.txt - a brief description of LDM (Windows Dynamic Disks). locks.txt @@ -144,8 +142,6 @@ mkdev.cciss - script to make /dev entries for SMART controllers (see cciss.txt) mkdev.ida - script to make /dev entries for Intelligent Disk Array Controllers. -modules.txt - - short guide on how to make kernel parts into loadable modules moxa-smartio - info on installing/using Moxa multiport serial driver. mtrr.txt diff --git a/Documentation/modules.txt b/Documentation/modules.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 61f2733d2e56..000000000000 --- a/Documentation/modules.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,264 +0,0 @@ -This file describes the strategy for dynamically loadable modules -in the Linux kernel. This is not a technical description on -the internals of module, but mostly a sample of how to compile -and use modules. - -Note: You should ensure that the module-init-tools-X.Y.Z.tar.gz you -are using is the most up to date one for this kernel. Some older -modules packages aren't aware of some of the newer modular features -that the kernel now supports. The current required version is listed -in the file linux/Documentation/Changes. - -In the beginning... -------------------- - -Anyway, your first step is to compile the kernel, as explained in the -file linux/README. It generally goes like: - - make *config <= usually menuconfig or xconfig - make clean - make zImage or make zlilo - -In "make config", you select what you want to include in the "resident" -kernel and what features you want to have available as loadable modules. -You will generally select the minimal resident set that is needed to boot: - - The filesystem of your root partition - A scsi driver, but see below for a list of SCSI modules! - Normal hard drive support - Net support (CONFIG_NET) - TCP/IP support (CONFIG_INET), but no drivers! - - plus those things that you just can't live without... - -The set of modules is constantly increasing, and you will be able to select -the option "m" in "make menuconfig" for those features that the current kernel -can offer as loadable modules. - -You also have a possibility to create modules that are less dependent on -the kernel version. This option can be selected during "make *config", by -enabling CONFIG_MODVERSIONS, and is most useful on "stable" kernel versions, -such as the kernels from the 2.<even number> series. -If you have modules that are based on sources that are not included in -the official kernel sources, you will certainly like this option... -See below how to compile modules outside the official kernel. - -Here is a sample of the available modules included in the kernel sources: - - Most filesystems: minix, msdos, umsdos, sysv, isofs, hpfs, - smbfs, nfs - - Mid-level SCSI support (required by top and low level scsi drivers). - Most low-level SCSI drivers: (i.e. aha1542, in2000) - All SCSI high-level drivers: disk, tape, cdrom, generic. - - Most Ethernet drivers: (too many to list, please see the file - ./Documentation/networking/net-modules.txt) - - Most CDROM drivers: - aztcd: Aztech,Orchid,Okano,Wearnes - cm206: Philips/LMS CM206 - gscd: Goldstar GCDR-420 - mcd, mcdx: Mitsumi LU005, FX001 - optcd: Optics Storage Dolphin 8000AT - sjcd: Sanyo CDR-H94A - sbpcd: Matsushita/Panasonic CR52x, CR56x, CD200, - Longshine LCS-7260, TEAC CD-55A - sonycd535: Sony CDU-531/535, CDU-510/515 - - And a lot of misc modules, such as: - lp: line printer - binfmt_elf: elf loader - binfmt_java: java loader - isp16: cdrom interface - serial: the serial (tty) interface - -When you have made the kernel, you create the modules by doing: - - make modules - -This will compile all modules. A module is identified by the -extension .ko, for kernel object. -Now, after you have created all your modules, you should also do: - - make modules_install - -This will copy all newly made modules into subdirectories under -"/lib/modules/kernel_release/", where "kernel_release" is something -like 2.5.54, or whatever the current kernel version is. -Note: Installing modules may require root privileges. - -As soon as you have rebooted the newly made kernel, you can install -and remove modules at will with the utilities: "insmod" and "rmmod". -After reading the man-page for insmod, you will also know how easy -it is to configure a module when you do "insmod" (hint: symbol=value). - -Installing modules in a non-standard location ---------------------------------------------- -When the modules needs to be installed under another directory -the INSTALL_MOD_PATH can be used to prefix "/lib/modules" as seen -in the following example: - -make INSTALL_MOD_PATH=/frodo modules_install - -This will install the modules in the directory /frodo/lib/modules. -/frodo can be a NFS mounted filesystem on another machine, allowing -out-of-the-box support for installation on remote machines. - - -Compiling modules outside the official kernel ---------------------------------------------- -Often modules are developed outside the official kernel. -To keep up with changes in the build system the most portable way -to compile a module outside the kernel is to use the following command-line: - -make -C path/to/kernel/src SUBDIRS=$PWD modules - -This requires that a makefile exits made in accordance to -Documentation/kbuild/makefiles.txt. - -Nifty features: ---------------- - -You also have access to two utilities: "modprobe" and "depmod", where -modprobe is a "wrapper" for (or extension to) "insmod". -These utilities use (and maintain) a set of files that describe all the -modules that are available for the current kernel in the /lib/modules -hierarchy as well as their interdependencies. - -Using the modprobe utility, you can load any module like this: - - /sbin/modprobe module - -without paying much attention to which kernel you are running, or what -other modules this module depends on. - -With the help of the modprobe configuration file: "/etc/modules.conf" -you can tune the behaviour of modprobe in many ways, including an -automatic setting of insmod options for each module. -And, yes, there _are_ man-pages for all this... - -To use modprobe successfully, you generally place the following -command in your /etc/rc.d/rc.S script. (Read more about this in the -"rc.hints" file in the module utilities package, -"module-init-tools-x.y.z.tar.gz".) - - /sbin/depmod -a - -This computes the dependencies between the different modules. -Then if you do, for example - - /sbin/modprobe umsdos - -you will automatically load _both_ the msdos and umsdos modules, -since umsdos runs piggyback on msdos. - - -Using modinfo: --------------- - -Sometimes you need to know what parameters are accepted by a -module or you've found a bug and want to contact the maintainer. -Then modinfo comes in very handy. - -Every module (normally) contains the author/maintainer, -a description and a list of parameters. - -For example "modinfo -a eepro100" will return: - - Maintainer: Andrey V. Savochkin <saw@saw.sw.com.sg> - -and "modinfo -d eepro100" will return a description: - - Intel i82557/i82558 PCI EtherExpressPro driver - -and more important "modinfo -p eepro100" will return this list: - - debug int - options int array (min = 1, max = 8) - full_duplex int array (min = 1, max = 8) - congenb int - txfifo int - rxfifo int - txdmacount int - rxdmacount int - rx_copybreak int - max_interrupt_work int - multicast_filter_limit int - - -The "ultimate" utility: ------------------------ - -OK, you have read all of the above, and feel amply impressed... -Now, we tell you to forget all about how to install and remove -loadable modules... -With the kerneld daemon, all of these chores will be taken care of -automatically. Just answer "Y" to CONFIG_KERNELD in "make config", -and make sure that /sbin/kerneld is started as soon as possible -after boot and that "/sbin/depmod -a" has been executed for the -current kernel. (Read more about this in the module utilities package.) - -Whenever a program wants the kernel to use a feature that is only -available as a loadable module, and if the kernel hasn't got the -module installed yet, the kernel will ask the kerneld daemon to take -care of the situation and make the best of it. - -This is what happens: - - - The kernel notices that a feature is requested that is not - resident in the kernel. - - The kernel sends a message to kerneld, with a symbolic - description of the requested feature. - - The kerneld daemon asks e.g. modprobe to load a module that - fits this symbolic description. - - modprobe looks into its internal "alias" translation table - to see if there is a match. This table can be reconfigured - and expanded by having "alias" lines in "/etc/modules.conf". - - insmod is then asked to insert the module(s) that modprobe - has decided that the kernel needs. Every module will be - configured according to the "options" lines in "/etc/modules.conf". - - modprobe exits and kerneld tells the kernel that the request - succeeded (or failed...) - - The kernel uses the freshly installed feature just as if it - had been configured into the kernel as a "resident" part. - -The icing of the cake is that when an automatically installed module -has been unused for a period of time (usually 1 minute), the module -will be automatically removed from the kernel as well. - -This makes the kernel use the minimal amount of memory at any given time, -making it available for more productive use than as just a placeholder for -unused code. - -Actually, this is only a side-effect from the _real_ benefit of kerneld: -You only have to create a minimal kernel, that is more or less independent -of the actual hardware setup. The setup of the "virtual" kernel is -instead controlled by a configuration file as well as the actual usage -pattern of the current machine and its kernel. -This should be good news for maintainers of multiple machines as well as -for maintainers of distributions. - -To use kerneld with the least amount of "hassle", you need modprobe from -a release that can be considered "recent" w.r.t. your kernel, and also -a configuration file for modprobe ("/etc/modules.conf"). -Since modprobe already knows about most modules, the minimal configuration -file could look something like this: - - alias scsi_hostadapter aha1542 # or whatever SCSI adapter you have - alias eth0 3c509 # or whatever net adapter you have - # you might need an "options" line for some net adapters: - options 3c509 io=0x300 irq=10 - # you might also need an "options" line for some other module: - options cdu31a cdu31a_port=0x1f88 sony_pas_init=1 - -You could add these lines as well, but they are only "cosmetic": - - alias net-pf-3 off # no ax25 module available (yet) - alias net-pf-4 off # if you don't use the ipx module - alias net-pf-5 off # if you don't use the appletalk module - - -Written by: - Jacques Gelinas <jacques@solucorp.qc.ca> - Bjorn Ekwall <bj0rn@blox.se> diff --git a/init/Kconfig b/init/Kconfig index 3831775f5a3a..205e0ccbde31 100644 --- a/init/Kconfig +++ b/init/Kconfig @@ -204,15 +204,22 @@ menu "Loadable module support" config MODULES bool "Enable loadable module support" help - Kernel modules are small pieces of compiled code which can be - inserted in or removed from the running kernel, using the programs - insmod and rmmod. This is described in the file - <file:Documentation/modules.txt>, including the fact that you have - to say "make modules" in order to compile the modules that you chose - during kernel configuration. Modules can be device drivers, file - systems, binary executable formats, and so on. If you think that you - may want to make use of modules with this kernel in the future, then - say Y here. If unsure, say Y. + Kernel modules are small pieces of compiled code which can + be inserted in the running kernel, rather than being + permanently built into the kernel. You use the "modprobe" + tool to add (and sometimes remove) them. If you say Y here, + many parts of the kernel can be built as modules (by + answering M instead of Y where indicated): this is most + useful for infrequently used options which are not required + for booting. For more information, see the man pages for + modprobe, lsmod, modinfo, insmod and rmmod. + + If you say Y here, you will need to run "make + modules_install" to put the modules under /lib/modules/ + where modprobe can find them (you may need to be root to do + this). + + If unsure, say Y. config MODULE_UNLOAD bool "Module unloading" @@ -251,21 +258,18 @@ config MODVERSIONS compiled for different kernels, by adding enough information to the modules to (hopefully) spot any changes which would make them incompatible with the kernel you are running. If - you say Y here, you will need a copy of genksyms. If unsure, say N. config KMOD - bool "Kernel module loader" + bool "Automatic kernel module loading" depends on MODULES help - 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 <file:Documentation/kmod.txt>. + Normally when you have selected some parts of the kernel to + be created as kernel modules, you must load them (using the + "modprobe" command) before you can use them. If you say Y + here, some parts of the kernel will be able to load modules + automatically: when a part of the kernel needs a module, it + runs modprobe with the appropriate arguments, thereby + loading the module if it is available. If unsure, say Y. endmenu |