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yojimbosteel n00b
Joined: 11 Nov 2006 Posts: 22
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Posted: Thu Jul 02, 2009 12:19 am Post subject: Modulelization |
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Hello
I am manually configuring the linux kernel using:
I was wondering if anyone could point me to an article or discussion about the pros/cons of adding items as modules vs getting compiled in the kernel. I am sure this varies on a case by case basis, so any direction would help.
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Clad in Sky l33t
Joined: 04 May 2007 Posts: 885 Location: Germany
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Posted: Thu Jul 02, 2009 6:01 am Post subject: |
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The Gentoo Kernel Configuration Guide has something to say about that.
I'd recommend to build in all file systems you need. I personally also compile in most drivers except the one for my wireless usb adapter and alsa drivers. I dunno if that is the thing to do but it works very well so far. _________________ Kali Ma
Now it's autumn of the aeons
Dance with your sword
Now it's time for the harvest |
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MaximeG l33t
Joined: 15 Apr 2008 Posts: 722 Location: Belgium
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Posted: Thu Jul 02, 2009 10:48 am Post subject: |
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Hi,
Usually, you want to build as module anything you want to have the opportunity to load and unload.
- It's useful for testing purpose : you load a module, test it, unload it, reload another one, test this one .... without the need of recompiling your kernel and restarting your computer.
- It is also useful when you don't need a module to be loaded all the time, such as a wireless device driver module or an ntfs module.
Otherwise, you can build in kernel.
Regards,
Maxime _________________ Future is wide open. |
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timeBandit Bodhisattva
Joined: 31 Dec 2004 Posts: 2719 Location: here, there or in transit
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Posted: Thu Jul 02, 2009 2:30 pm Post subject: |
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One more category I would include: if any of your hardware has proven even slightly unreliable, or if driver support for it is immature, build those drivers as modules (and don't forget to auto-load them at boot). Similar to the testing purposes noted by MaximeG, if you have trouble with some hardware you can often reload the relevant module(s) and avoid a reboot. _________________ Plants are pithy, brooks tend to babble--I'm content to lie between them.
Super-short f.g.o checklist: Search first, strip comments, mark solved, help others. |
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i92guboj Bodhisattva
Joined: 30 Nov 2004 Posts: 10315 Location: Córdoba (Spain)
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Posted: Thu Jul 02, 2009 2:43 pm Post subject: |
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timeBandit wrote: | One more category I would include: if any of your hardware has proven even slightly unreliable, or if driver support for it is immature, build those drivers as modules. Similar to the testing purposes noted by MaximeG, if you have trouble with some hardware you can often reload the relevant module(s) and avoid a reboot. |
For example if your external usb case turns to have a faulty power input, something which is turning to be more frequent that I'd like lately for me :p
Nowadays the kernel has become that good at loading external modules that you rarely need to modprobe anything by hand at all. So I'd say that the only things you strictly need builtin are those that you can't boot without (chipset, sata driver, fs's...). On servers some times people disable the module support from the kernel to avoid rootkits that come as kernel modules. But my humble opinion is that, given the fact that to load such a rootkit you already need to be root, by that time is already too late to stop the attacker, and you have more important things to worry about that the rootkit itself. |
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