# List of kernel modules



## dennylin93 (Jun 10, 2009)

I'm trying to speed up the process of building custom kernels by reducing the number of modules. Where can I find a the list of modules that are compiled by default?

I checked /usr/share/examples/etc/make.conf, but it didn't show any.


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## vermaden (Jun 10, 2009)

dennylin93 said:
			
		

> Where can I find a the list of modules that are compiled by default?



After clean install of RELEASE, this will provide this list:
`% ls /boot/kernel | grep -v kernel`


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## vivek (Jun 10, 2009)

Go to /boot/kernel to see all complied modules.

To see kernel config file:

```
cd /usr/src/sys/`uname -m`/conf
ls
```
GENERIC is default kernel config file, used to build system.


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## Beeblebrox (May 2, 2011)

*module purpose*

Yes, all good, but where is the table which shows the purpose / functionality of each module?
You need this so that you know which to exclude in src.conf right?


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## Anonymous (May 2, 2011)

Beeblebrox, for most of the kernel modules, there is a man page describing what they do. So simply try for example *man ubtbcmfw*. A counterexample is *man 3dfx*, which does not reveal a description.

Best regards

Rolf


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## Beastie (May 2, 2011)

When all else fails, check the source. Modules are in /usr/src/sys/modules and their *Makefile*s usually (depending on the type) point to subdirectories of /usr/src/sys/dev.
Most of them have comments.



			
				rolfheinrich said:
			
		

> A counterexample is *man 3dfx*, which does not reveal a description.


It's tdfx(4).


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## MasterCATZ (Nov 22, 2011)

I just did 9-Current to 9.0 RC2, to find zfs was never built into the kernel (or at least it never went in their when I built it). I looked in the GENERIC file and it never listed zfs anywhere and I tried finding src.conf with no luck. After spending 3 days getting kde installed from ports I do not really want to start from scratch to see if the 9.0 rc2 installer will have zfs in it (I am currently trying to back track from my backups to see if I can find GENERIC kernel options for re building kernel with zfs).

Unless someone has the full list of options? This build certainly had less files built into it; it did not even pick up one of my NIC's that every other install since 8-stable has.


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## SirDice (Nov 22, 2011)

MasterCATZ said:
			
		

> I just did 9-Current to 9.0 RC2
> 
> to find zfs was never built into the kernel


Drivers that aren't built into the kernel will be loaded as modules when needed. As soon as you start using ZFS the module will be automagically loaded.



> unless someone has the full list of options ??


There isn't a 'list' per say. However, a lot of the functions, options and modules are mentioned in the various NOTES files. A lot of it is commented, some bits aren't. On older FreeBSD versions you may see it referred to as LINT.

For example, (all based off /usr/src/), sys/i386/conf/NOTES, sys/amd64/conf/NOTES, /sys/conf/NOTES.


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## MasterCATZ (Nov 23, 2011)

I had tried to load it as a module that also failed and so has my trying to do a fresh FreeBSD 9.0 RC2 install. The HDD keeps giving me 
	
	



```
gptboot: invalid GPT backup header
```

dd zero'd 1 GB start and end of the disk so thinking it's a bug in the installer. Even using sysinstall failed as it can not find any of the files so that stopped me from using its working partitioning tool, now going for a manual partition of another type.  

Any how gone way off topic now.


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## wblock@ (Nov 23, 2011)

MasterCATZ said:
			
		

> I had tried to load it as a module that also failed
> 
> and so has my trying to do a fresh freebsd 9.0 RC2 install
> 
> the HDD keeps giving me gptboot: invalid GPT backup header



That's usually from trying to put GPT partitions inside some other kind of partitions.  The GPT spec says the backup copy of the partition table goes at the end of the drive, the same place where gmirror, gstripe, glabel, and others put their metadata.  So create the GPT partitions first and put the others inside them, not the other way around.  Or use MBR, which doesn't have backup data.


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## MasterCATZ (Nov 24, 2011)

Drive was wiped Completely via both DD and LLF and used Auto option with 9.0 RC2 installer 
3 times now the built in partition tool has caused some kind of boot failour on a completly zero'd HDD 

I performed low level Format on HDD and retied 9.0 RC2 it did it again I then went to 8.2-Release and it refused to write changes to HDD , Re Low level Formatted HDD and 8.2-Release installed onto it 

I am just about to try and install 9.0 RC2 into the created partitions 8.2 did 

9-Current installed and booted ( with the backup header nag as 64k boot )last weekend 

*edit*

8.2-release did them as MBR and BSD Slices

when I tried this manually even in 9.0 RC2 it still would not boot it would just show a - then 2 sec later halt on a | 
( worked out this only happens if I do not zero out the drive after a GPT has been created





also noticed 9-current has MPS enabled but RC2 does not

I can not use any other partitioning tools after 9 has partitioned as GPT
 ( 8.2-releases complains about not being able to find nodes and fdisk has issues as well ) 

the only way to change anything is to dd zero out the start of the drive , the disk is an 500 gig usb GoFlex




I found that if I leave the MBR that 8.2 made and make a BSD partition in 9 RC2 it works 

but if I use 9 RC2 to  make a MBR and then a BSD partition it will not work 
( only if a GPT had been created with out dd zeroing the drive if it is zero'd out 9 RC2 will boot fine after manually creating them )

I am going to do Trial and error on a thumb drive later on when I have time as I have plenty spare I can kill

maybe not being marked as bootable ?




I think its because the 9.0 RC2 is using 64k boot size I recreated it as 256k and it booted 
how ever the gptboot: invalid GPT backup header is still their but at least it kept booting


I have now forgotten what I did but I am pretty sure I used Auto full disk then manually re edited the GPT partition to have 128k boot in GPT style and it booted 
( but can not rermber if it was MBR or not now )
 because  
	
	



```
gptboot: invalid GPT backup header
```
 still displayed and was annoying me I manually made it an MBR with BSD slice's and the install went fine ( how ever I still had to zero out the drive before that would work after the GPT was made what ever it is doing in AUTO mode is preventing something from working 

the other thing would be if using GPT partitions and mount paths in the installer menu  has the option to make labels why does it not use them I had to manually change the fstab file after I enabled MPS so the rootfs could be found after drive positions changed

I was going to pastebin the HDD boot sectors for comparison as HEX code but it only saved as garbled data
if someone knows of a program that will let me copy and paste / export the offset hex and code I am all ears ( I was using WinHEX )


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## wblock@ (Nov 24, 2011)

Please start a new thread for this.


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