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modutils question

From M Carling on Sun, 22 Nov 1998

Jim,

The docs for 2.1.129 indicate that modutils-2.1.121 are prerequisite. But the README for modutils-2.1.121 indicates that it must be compiled under a 2.1.X kernel. Do I have a chicken-and-egg situation here?

M

Shouldn't be that bad. You should be able to build a kernel with enough support (compiled in) to access your root fs device. (You already do, unless you were doing something fancy like running an 'initrd' (initial RAM disk)).

Also the claim that it needs to be compiled under a 2.1 kernel seems very odd. I could see where it would need the 2.1.x kernel installed (so that it could find the proper header files --- which are symlinked from /usr/include to somewhere under /usr/src/linux.... (/usr/src/linux in turn is normally a symlink to .../linux-X.Y.ZZZ).

I can't see where the compiler (totally user space) needs to have any special kernel support to do its job. I think you could even cross compile the kernels and modutils --- so I think the README is wrong (or being misinterpreted).

(Note: having the kernel "installed" is not quite the same as running under it. Maybe that's what they mean).

(Again, I didn't have a problem with this -- but I often compile kernels without loadable module support and I routinely compile my SCSI and ether card drivers statically into my kernel. There's often nothing else I really need loaded.).

Copyright © 1998, James T. Dennis
Published in The Linux Gazette Issue 35 December 1998

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