Return to BSD News archive
Path: euryale.cc.adfa.oz.au!newshost.carno.net.au!harbinger.cc.monash.edu.au!munnari.OZ.AU!news.ecn.uoknor.edu!feed1.news.erols.com!news.webspan.net!usenet
From: gpalmer@SPAM.webspan.net (Gary Palmer)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.bsd.freebsd.misc
Subject: Re: Rebuilding kernels
Date: 2 Jun 1997 03:58:52 EDT
Organization: WebSpan Inc., New Jersey
Lines: 28
Sender: gpalmer@mutara.noc.webspan.net
Message-ID: <5mtufs$413@news.webspan.net>
References: <5mk5rp$788@nnrp4.farm.idt.net>
<5mp5no$59p$2@nntp2.ba.best.com> <3390866A.41C67EA6@FreeBSD.org>
<5mqs7d$20e$1@enyo.uwa.edu.au>
<01bc6e88$857e8440$f3e94dc2@hugo09.ticsoft.de>
<5mtiho$m74$1@enyo.uwa.edu.au>
<rc910tpn0e.fsf_-_@cauchy.skiles.gatech.edu>
NNTP-Posting-Host: mutara.noc.webspan.net
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
X-Report-Abuse-To: abuse@mail.webspan.net
X-Newsreader: knews 0.9.8
Xref: euryale.cc.adfa.oz.au comp.unix.bsd.freebsd.misc:42026
In article <rc910tpn0e.fsf_-_@cauchy.skiles.gatech.edu>,
Richard Coleman <coleman@math.gatech.edu> writes:
> I know that Linux has the ability to load and unload device
> drivers at runtime. Has anyone worked on such support for
> FreeBSD?
It is more than just LKM's that need updating. It is quite a
complicated chain of events to get dynamic drivers working
properly. We'd need a 3 stage boot for starters. There is ongoing work
(AFAIK) towards this goal, and it is definately the plans of the core
team to get a ``dynamic'' kernel.
> Is there any architectural problems that would make
> this more difficult in FreeBSD than Linux?
Couldn't say. Never used linux :-)
> I've heard people talk about working on devfs. Is this related
> to this problem?
Yep.
> I'm hoping that it will (eventually) become unnecessary for an
> average user to rebuild a kernel.
Me to.
Gary