Date: Tue, 05 Sep 2006 08:38:12 -0400 From: Lowell Gilbert <freebsd-questions-local@be-well.ilk.org> To: "David Wassman" <opensrc.root@gmail.com> Cc: FreeBSD-Questions Mailing List <freebsd-questions@freebsd.org> Subject: Re: Device Drivers and Kernel Modules Message-ID: <441wqqlc97.fsf@be-well.ilk.org> In-Reply-To: <b96c39670609021308o766fe72frd9833164630a930a@mail.gmail.com> (David Wassman's message of "Sat, 2 Sep 2006 16:08:10 -0400") References: <b96c39670609021308o766fe72frd9833164630a930a@mail.gmail.com>
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"David Wassman" <opensrc.root@gmail.com> writes: > I am trying to figure out which would be best, to load all the device > drivers through compiling them into the kernel or to load them at boot > through loader.conf. > > I would think that loader.conf would be more convenient as changing hardware > wuld not require a rebuild of the kernel. Is there a draw back to loading > devices this way other than a longer boot up time (which should not be an > issue as the system is 24-7)? There is little difference for your purposes. > I have also heard that loading modules through the loader.conf saves on RAM > performance as the module in question is not loaded into memory until it is > used as opposed to being loaded with the kernel. If this makes no sense, i > appologize. I remember reading it somewhere on a mailing list several years > ago and can't find the reference anymore. From memory it stated modules such > as cd9660 could be loaded through entering CD9660_load="YES" in > loader.confand that it would not be used in memory until a cd was > mounted. I am > assuming this is true (if it is) for other modules as well. It isn't true at all. Loading a module really does load it into memory. -- Lowell Gilbert, embedded/networking software engineer, Boston area http://be-well.ilk.org/~lowell/
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