Date: Sat, 21 Sep 2002 00:42:07 -0600 (MDT) From: "M. Warner Losh" <imp@bsdimp.com> To: dominic_marks@btinternet.com Cc: jamie@jamiesdomain.org.uk, freebsd-hackers@FreeBSD.ORG Subject: Re: Kernel - Modules and Compiled in Message-ID: <20020921.004207.103236464.imp@bsdimp.com> In-Reply-To: <20020915203835.GA3497@gallium> References: <001001c25d36$a3672be0$83bf83d5@BONG> <20020915203835.GA3497@gallium>
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In message: <20020915203835.GA3497@gallium>
Dominic Marks <dominic_marks@btinternet.com> writes:
: disadvantages:
: some drivers need to be able to allocate a large chunk of contiguous
: memory to operate correctly, this means some drivers cant work when not
: compiled in to the kernel (because they dont get their request for a
: block of memory in early enough).
this is false. If you load the module from the boot loader there is
no difference between that and having it be actually compiled into the
kernel in terms of resource allocation.
However, this is true if you intend to load the drivers at some time
later than boot.
: I was thinking about this recently,
: perhaps if the kernel allocated a chunk of memory early on in the boot
: process (amount configurable via sysctl) then this could be chopped up
: and handed to modules specifically, there is probably a good reason why
: this isnt possible (?) which has not occured to me, because it seems like
: the common sense solution.
Actually, this issues get gross in a hurry, which is why no one has
done it. :-(
I have very few drivers actually compiled into my kernel on my
laptop. I run everything else via loadable drivers. This works
mostly well, although sometimes I hit the driver issue that you
alluded to above when I load them at run time.
Warner
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