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

[users@linuxforums.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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