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DR GM SEDDON posted <436B56B2.10106@×××××××××××××.uk>, excerpted below, |
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on Fri, 04 Nov 2005 12:40:18 +0000: |
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|
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> Hi, |
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> I was wondering. What modules do I need installed at boot? |
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> My hardware is |
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> dvd/cd rewriter ide |
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> 3.5" floppy |
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> scsi tape drive. initio scsi controller |
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> 125 mb ati radeon graphics |
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> 20" sgi monitor |
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> 3400+ cpu |
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> e2800+ cellular to attatch |
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|
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You don't need to load /any/ modules at boot, if you compile everything |
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you'd normally load at boot and never unload, into the kernel itself, |
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instead of as modules. |
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|
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Here, I do that, but compile stuff I use only occasionally, such as the |
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floppy, loopback device, and parallel port (printer, yes, I still use the |
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parallel port for that) drivers, and the msdos (floppy), iso9660 (CD/DVD), |
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and ext2 (floppy) filesystems (my system is reiserfs, no ext2 unless on a |
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floppy or filesystem image or something), as modules, so I can load them |
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if an when I need them but keep the kernel from using so much unswappable |
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memory when I don't. |
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|
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You might as well compile anything directly into the kernel that you'll be |
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using enough so you'd be loading the modules at boot, anyway. The |
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exception would be the few items of hardware with drivers that need |
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parameters fed to them when loaded to get things right. These often need |
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compiled and loaded as modules, even if you /do/ load them at boot and |
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don't ever unload them, in ordered to feed them the correct parameters |
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when they load. |
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|
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Thus, compiled into your kernel, you'll need the IDE main and your |
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specific chipset drivers (or scsi drivers if you use that instead of IDE), |
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the file system drivers for whatever file systems you normally use, the |
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HID input main and keyboard drivers, virtual terminal and console on |
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virtual terminal, agpgart, and probably your mouse and NIC drivers, plus |
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motherboard or installation specific stuff like the real-time-clock, usb |
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drivers, etc. |
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|
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Depending on how you have video setup, you likely do NOT need any kernel |
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graphics card drivers beyond the normal VT/console drivers for text mode. |
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For use within xorg, you'll load additional xorg or proprietary drivers. |
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|
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Gentoo normally recommends you compile the sound (ALSA) drivers as |
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modules, but I compile them in, here, figuring I use them enough I don't |
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want to mess with loading them separately. Obviously, that works best if |
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you use the kernel's own sound drivers, rather than merging the |
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alsa-drivers package separately, in which case modules are easier. |
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|
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As mentioned above, I don't load iso9660 or msdos filesystems or the |
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floppy or loopback drivers built-in or at boot, because I don't use them |
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enough to warrant it. If I need them, I load them, then unload them if |
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I'm not immediately rebooting. The same here for the parallel port |
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drivers for the printer. |
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|
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Something I HAVE found I have to compile and load as modules, are the USB |
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stuff. However, I don't have to list them in |
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/etc/modules.autoload.d/kernel-2.6, because I have sys-apps/coldplug |
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merged and the initscript set to load as part of the boot level, and that |
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handles loading USB for me. (It also handled loading the alsa/sound |
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modules, back when I had them compiled as modules.) |
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|
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Other than that, I learned what I needed pretty much by going thru |
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the entire kernel config and turning on what I KNEW I needed, then |
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using trial and error on everything else, trying without it to see if |
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everything still worked and didn't complain, going back and turning it |
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back on if I found I needed it. BIND, if you run it, turns out to need |
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something strange, that the kernel says is deprecated. (Don't worry, tho, |
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enough folks run bind that deprecated or not, there WILL be a replacement |
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before the kernel folks can remove it for good.) Other things you might |
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find you need as well. No problem, just reboot to your old/backup if you |
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couldn't even boot the new kernel, turn on what you need and recompile and |
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reinstall the kernel, and try again. It's tough learning it the first |
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time, but eventually you'll figure out what stuff you need and what most |
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stuff does, and be fairly familiar with kernel configuration. |
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|
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-- |
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Duncan - List replies preferred. No HTML msgs. |
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"Every nonfree program has a lord, a master -- |
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and if you use the program, he is your master." Richard Stallman in |
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http://www.linuxdevcenter.com/pub/a/linux/2004/12/22/rms_interview.html |
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|
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|
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-- |
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