[CentOS-devel] Loading pre-built for Red Hat kernel modules

[Jeff Johnson]

On Aug 20, 2010, at 11:44 AM, Ross McKerchar wrote:

> Hi Guys,
> 
> I have a product which requires it's own kernel module. The vendor
> provides pre-built kernel modules that are compiled against the stock
> Red Hat kernels but the product does not successfully identify and
> load these binary modules on my Cent OS machines. I'm in a discussion
> with the vendor about fixing this so that the product successfully
> identifies the Red Hat modules as compatible. However we're not sure
> if these binary modules will indeed be 100% compatible with the
> corresponding Cent OS kernel for any given version. The concern was
> that tiny differences between the kernels, say, the name of the build
> host, could change the address of a data structure in the kernel which
> the pre-built module attempts to use.
> 
> Does this sound like a valid concern? Where does the attempt to
> provide 100% binary compatibility end? The source for these kernel
> modules is actually available but I am trying to avoid having to build
> custom modules.
> 

Here's one suggestion ...

Look for DKMS (Dell Kernel Module System iirc) which will
undertake module rebuilds and more. There's a similar/equivalent system
in SuSE iirc but I've forgot the name.

hth

73 de Jeff