Re: Compiling modules

Glynn Clements (glynn@sensei.co.uk)
Sat, 10 Oct 1998 03:59:25 +0100 (BST)


Neil Moore-Smith wrote:

> Ah hah! I need to compile the modules! I look in /usr/src/linux/modules and
> there isn't much there, so I assume I need to install them.

Nope. /usr/src/linux/modules just contains symlinks to any (compiled)
modules which you requested (by selecting `m' in `make config'). The
actual code lives in the same directories as all of the other kernel
source code.

> So I go and get the modules source from the same place as the kernel
> (its called modules-2.0.0.tar.gz but I assume that must be the
> latest as its the only one there) and install them, then do make
> modules, followed by make modules_install.

modules-2.0.0.tar.gz contains the code for the user-space applications
to manage modules, i.e. insmod, modprobe, kerneld etc. The actual
modules are part of the kernel source.

> I reboot, but still no modules are loaded, and when I look in
> /usr/src/linux/modules, there's not much there again, but there was before
> I compiled the modules.
>
> What am I doing wrong? Is the compile meant to delete all the modules
> source? I gather that only the needed modules are compiled, so I'm probably
> compiling too much into the kernel, but how can I recompile the modules now
> the source has gone, unless I re-install it? I can't be expected to do that
> every time, surely?

If compilation results in an empty modules directory, then you either
haven't selected any part of the kernel to be built as a module, or
you haven't run `make modules'.

-- 
Glynn Clements <glynn@sensei.co.uk>
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