Subject: Re: LKM's for some file systems
To: None <explorer@flame.org>
From: Mike Long <mike.long@analog.com>
List: port-i386
Date: 12/27/1995 17:45:07
>Date: Wed, 27 Dec 1995 16:03:37 -0600
>From: "Michael Graff" <explorer@flame.org>
>
>
>>I think /lkm would be better, for two reasons:
>>
>>1) An LKM may be required to mount /usr (e.g., NFS).
>
>I considered this, but I was tryuing to avoid bloating the root
>partition more.  And doesn't modload call ld to do the work?  And
>isn't ld a dynamically linked program?

ld may or may not be dynamically linked, but it definitely lives in
/usr/bin.  Since you need /usr to get access to /usr/bin/ld, /usr/lkm
makes more sense.

The only exception would be if there was a way to tell modload to use
a pre-linked executable.  I don't have sources handy, so I can't check
if that's possible right now.

(Has anyone come up with a sure-fire way to make sure that the kernel
image used by modload matches the running kernel?)

>>2) LKMs must be installed in single-user mode, unless the INSECURE
>>   kernel option is used.
>
>They can be installed anytime before the startup scripts complete,
>right?

I still consider that single-user mode, but you're right.  I load
the XFree86 aperture driver in my rc.local, and I don't use INSECURE.
-- 
Mike Long <mike.long@analog.com>           http://www.shore.net/~mikel
VLSI Design Engineer         finger mikel@shore.net for PGP public key
Analog Devices, CPD Division          CCBF225E7D3F7ECB2C8F7ABB15D9BE7B
Norwood, MA 02062 USA       (eq (opinion 'ADI) (opinion 'mike)) -> nil