Here, we have a heap of server machines, different hardware (start with
wildly differrent SCSI adapters), different software requirements (one
serves Appletalk, the rest quite frankly can't be bothered).
Before modules and initrd, I've had to build a kernel for each of these
beasts. Ugh. Now, I build the kerneld 100% modularized (OK, OK, binfmt_=
elf
and ext2 aren't, but they're used on every system anyway). Initrd then =
just
loads one SCSO adapter after the other until one is found, then kicks t=
he
real boot process which loads the network card and protocol drivers, an=
d
that's it. (I'm not loading the protocol stacks with kerneld because it
doesn't work yet -- every call to ifconfig would load the whole code, o=
nly
to find that there aren't any Appletalk or IPX addresses. The appropria=
te
kernel code should not bother to ask kerneld if SIOCG* calls are made,
IMHO, but I haven't had the time to actually do something about this.)
> Any lurking need to use kerneld is easily cured by getting enough=20
> memory.
>=20
That is not an option for many people out there, and if given the choic=
e to
let heaps of dead code lie around in the kernel, or to spend a little b=
it
of time and one additional page of memory when I do need the code, I'll
happily take the latter route.
--=20
Life, liberty and the happiness of pursuit!
--=20
Matthias Urlichs \ Noris Network GmbH i.Gr/ Xlink-POP N=FCrnberg=
=20
Schleiermacherstra=DFe 12 \ Linux+Internet / EMail: urlichs@nor=
is.de
90491 N=FCrnberg (Germany) \ Consulting+Programming+Networking+etc'i=
ng
PGP: 1B 89 E2 1C 43 EA 80 44 15 D2 29 CF C6 C7 E0 DE=20
Click <A HREF=3D"http://smurf.noris.de/~smurf/finger">here</A>. =
42
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