Re: Unused modules in 2.6.x

[lsorense@csclub.uwaterloo.ca (Lennart Sorensen)]

On Thu, Feb 26, 2009 at 10:29:39AM +0000, Alex Buell wrote:
> I'd have thought that hotplugging i.e. plug in an USB device in this
> case would load the modules as and when required. 
> 
> If the interface is up, then it shouldn't have to be unloaded, I think.
> I know I could just hack my initrds to remove any modules that I don't
> want loaded at bootup but surely... :-D

So how about if you plug in a usb drive, and the module is loaded to
provide disk access, but you aren't using it right now.  The next module
clean would remove the now unused module, and then when you do want to
use it, there is no longer any way to reach teh device, and since there
is no fixed device node to refer to that would cause the module to be
loaded again, now the device doesn't work.  That would be very annoying.

I think the big problem is that the kernel and the module utils can not
know if a module is actually being used or not since it is more a matter
of 'will it be needed' not 'is it in use right now'.

-- 
Len Sorensen