[lug] logging missing 2.6 kernel modules

[D. Stimits]

Lee Woodworth wrote:
> D. Stimits wrote:
> 
>>Lee Woodworth wrote:
>>
>>
>>>I think 2.6 has switched to using /etc/modules.conf for
>>>the init time module load. If you manually modprobe the modules
>>>and don't get a complaint, the modules loaded ok and should show
>>>up using lsmod. The standard place the kernel searches for modules
>>>is /lib/modules/2.6.xxxx/ where xxxx is the remainder of your
>>>version string from uname -r. Look in there for modules to
>>>try loading by hand. Use modinfo to get param info for a module.
>>>
>>
>>The problem isn't finding the module, the problem is that it won't
>>autoload on 2.6. I have to manually modprobe every reboot. On 2.4 I
> 
> The module handling utilities changed from 2.4 to 2.6. Make sure to
> use the module-init-tools package instead of modutils.

I have this package. No man page comes with it.

> My modprobe.conf is empty, the driver alias stuff is in /etc/modules.conf.
...
I wish it were still modules.conf, but the 2.6 docs say this is no 
longer used. This is why I'm trying to use modprobe.conf.

> 
> Gentoo has the file
>     /etc/modules.autoload/kernel-2.6
> that lists the kernel modules loaded at boot time. This is probably
> gentoo specific. Search your init scripts for modprobe commands
> to see where they pull information from.

This does appear to be non-fedora...no reference to it anywhere.

> NOTE: The 2.6.11 kernel config option
>     Prompt: Automatic kernel module loading
>      Defined at init/Kconfig:434
>      Depends on: MODULES
>      Location:
>        -> Loadable module support
>          -> Enable loadable module support (MODULES [=y])
> loaded modules at boot that weren't even asked for, but
> existed in /lib/modules/..../kernel/...
> This caused problems so I have it turned off.

I'm not familiar with that syntax above, looks like a distro-specific 
format of config. In my kernel config I do have CONFIG_KMOD=y, which is 
the automatic module loading. Unfortunately, it does not autoload 
anything. So this kernel has the ability to load, but to quote the help 
on this topic in the kernel docs, this part stands out:

.... If you say Y
here, some parts of the kernel will be able to load modules 
                                          automatically:...

That "some parts" stands out. Apparently joystick code on the sblive 
game port is not one of those parts. In the 2.4 series I used to see a 
message every time I tried to use a /dev/ file that had no driver, here 
I see nothing at all...so I assume there is some sort of trigger glue to 
tell the kernel that a /dev/ file was read with no driver to support 
it...and that the 2.6 kernels do not have this glue anymore relative to 
the /dev/input/js* files. Somehow I'd like to trigger module 
autoloading, the lack of a log message makes me think it is a kernel or 
module bug (since 2.4 supported it). If there is some sysctl setting to 
enable autload behavior, I've been unable to find it. I'm getting really 
frustrated, I think I am going to be relegated to the bad hack of 
putting it in rc.local.

D. Stimits, stimits AT comcast DOT net