Managing and Developing Dynamically Loadable Kernel Modules

Managing Dynamically Loadable Kernel Modules

Chapter 12 495

Traditional

Module

A Traditional Module is a kernel module whose

conﬁguration data has not been modularized and

which can only be statically linked to the kernel.

In the kernel conﬁguration context, conﬁguration

information about traditional modules is maintained

in the shared master and system ﬁles, and the

module can only be accessed upon booting a kernel in

which it has been statically conﬁgured.

Modularly

Packaged

Module

A Modularly Packaged Module is a kernel module

whose conﬁguration data has been modularized (not

shared with other kernel modules), which is a pre-

requisite for a kernel module to be considered DLKM-

enabled.

In order to be classiﬁed as a modularly packaged

module, the module must contain its own master and

system ﬁles as well as an individual object ﬁle,mod.o,

which implements the module. However, the DLKM

infrastructure provides for the addition of module

wrapper code and additional data structures, which

are both optional.

A modularly packaged module can be dynamically

loaded into the HP-UX kernel only if that module

includes the module wrapper code and additional

data structures.

For this reason, we place modularly packaged

modules in two categories:

• Static Modularly Packaged Modules

• Loadable Modules (or DLKM Modules)

The terms Loadable Module and DLKM Module are

interchangeable.

Table 12-1 Important Terms and Concepts

Term /

Concept

Deﬁnition