Differences between version 5 and predecessor to the previous major change of Module.
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| Newer page: | version 5 | Last edited on Tuesday, October 4, 2005 3:42:37 pm | by JohnMcPherson | Revert |
| Older page: | version 3 | Last edited on Thursday, July 21, 2005 11:13:23 am | by IanMcDonald | Revert |
@@ -1,9 +1,9 @@
In computer software, a [Module] means an optional piece of code that isn't required for a program to run, but can be loaded when needed.
When talking about the [Linux] [Kernel], it means a Driver or other piece of code that the kernel can load and use on request. Examples include [DeviceDriver]s for various pieces of hardware that aren't required for the computer to boot and work (such as sound card or graphics card drivers), and modules for various network protocols and disk formats that might not be used very often, so don't need to be loaded in memory all the time (such as the ISO-9660 disk format used by [CDROM]s, or the [PPP] or [IPv6] network protocols).
-!Working with modules
+!Working with modules under Linux
To load a module into memory the format of the command is:
<pre>
modprobe modulename
@@ -25,7 +25,16 @@
</pre>
!Kernel options for modules.
There are a number of options you can alter for modules you can alter when building the kernel under "Loadable Modules Support" that may be use for you if you are [Kernel] developer.
+
+!Module options
+Many modules take options when they are loaded. You can use
+<pre>
+modinfo ''modulename''
+</pre>
+to see the list of supported options for a particular module.
+
+Normally on a distribution using a 2.6 series linux kernel the options to use are specified in any file in the <tt>/etc/modprobe.d</tt> directory.
----
See also KernelErrorMessages for some errors related to modules, and ModuleInitTools for information about modules with [LinuxKernel2.6].
