Welcome mo (was Re: [Wolves] tv card)

[David Goodwin]

On Fri, 2003-12-12 at 13:24, Jono Bacon wrote:
> Heya,
> 
> > Yeah, you missed a fight between me and Jono where
> > he has all these
> > naive ideas and I tried to explain that they
> > wouldn't work, but he
> > wouldn't listen. :)
> > 
> > He might see this differently :)
> 
> I bet when you saw that I had replied to this thread
> you groaned Aq. :) OK here is the truth...
> 
> We were basically discussing the problem that you
> cannot whack a driver disk into a Linux box to install
> a  driver for some hardware. I had an idea that the
> kernel should have a mechanism where source code can
> be stored on the driver disk which will check what
> features are enabled in the kernel, and it will first
> enable those features automatically and then compile
> the code and enable it. This suggestion got around
> some issue with binary drivers. Aq did not like this
> as it causes problems with some devices such as PDA's
> that Linux runs on. I then had an idea that you could
> have stock cross platform linux code and then extras
> that bolt on to support this kind of feature (similar
> to the current system but some more platform specific
> extras - even though this feature would basically work
> on any platform that can compile the source code on
> the system).
> 
> Aq did not see it this way as he was basically wrong
> and had an invisible beard. Nevermind. :)

But kernels can be compiled with an option allowing any module to be
inserted (I thought!?)

i.e.
CONFIG_MODVERSIONS:  
Usually, modules have to be recompiled whenever you switch to a new 
kernel.  Saying Y here makes it possible, and safe, to use the same
modules even after compiling a new kernel; this requires the program
modprobe. All the software needed for module support is in the modutils
package (check the file Documentation/Changes for location and latest
version). 

NOTE: if you say Y here but don't have the program genksyms (which is
also contained in the above mentioned modutils package), then the
building of your kernel will fail.  

If you are going to use modules that are generated from non-kernel
sources, you would benefit from this option.  Otherwise it's not that
important.  So, N ought to be a safe bet. 


Or am I barking up the wrong tree?

David.
    
-- 
Technical Consultant
Open Minds High Availability Solutions
w : http://openminds.co.uk
e : david.goodwin at openminds.co.uk
t : +44 (0)121 313 3947 f : +44 (0)121 313 3944