On Wed, 11 Dec 2002, Froberg, David C wrote: > I was reading an article > (http://www.openna.com/documentations/articles/kernel/) that discussed the > differences between modularized and monolithic Linux kernels which got me > wondering what were the pros and cons when it comes to a S/390 or zSeries > box. Anyone have any thoughts?
In theory, if you're building a kernel for lots of disparate hardware, use modules and load what you need. This is what Red Hat does. If you're building a kernel for a specific machine (or lots the same), then you don't need modules. That's what I used to do. The second can have the disadvantage that when you add new (different) hardware you need to build a new kernel. Ditto when there's an upgrade because of a fixed security problem you care about. I also wonder about vendor-supplied initialisation scripts. In some cases they expect you're using the vendor-supplied kernel. These days, when I build a kernel I make it like the vendor kernel in all relevant areas. I use modules where my vendor uses modules, and I include support for all the stuff _I_ might use. -- Cheers John. Join the "Linux Support by Small Businesses" list at http://mail.computerdatasafe.com.au/mailman/listinfo/lssb
