RHEL5 Driver Update Program Add On drivers for SLC5

Goal

To rationalize additional kernel module management / building / deployment for Scientific Linux (CERN) 5.

Idea

• Red Hat Driver Update Program
• kerneldrivers.org

Benefits

T.B.D.

Implementation

Testing compatibility

In order to use weak-modules mechanism, given module must use only functions exported by kernel on a 'whitelist' (RH provides a tool - abi_check doing such check) Here are results of compatibility verification of modules we currently ship on SLC5:

• kernel-module-madwifi: OK
• kernel-module-ipw3945: OK
• kernel-module-ati-fglrx_8288: do_mm_track_pte,mtrr_del,mm_tracking_struct,mtrr_add
• kernel-module-nvidia_96xx: mtrr_add,mtrr_del,agp_bridges
• kernel-module-nvidia: mtrr_del,agp_bridges,acpi_get_handle,acpi_os_wait_events_complete,acpi_bus_unregister_driver,acpi_evaluate_object,mtrr_add,acpi_install_notify_handler,acpi_evaluate_integer,acpi_remove_notify_handler,acpi_bus_register_driver
• kernel-module-fuse: OK
• kernel-module-ndiswrapper: add_taint
• kernel-module-netlog2: cpufreq_get,relay_open,_read_trylock,relay_buf_full,unregister_kretprobe,relay_close,cpufreq_unregister_notifier,relay_switch_subbuf,relay_flush,cpufreq_register_notifier,register_kprobe,register_kretprobe,unregister_kprobe,relay_file_operations
• kernel-module-xfs: sync_page_range
• kernel-module-sstat: register_jprobe,jprobe_return
• kernel-module-st: OK
• kernel-module-openafs: sys_close,key_alloc,unregister_key_type,key_instantiate_and_link,register_key_type,sys_open,key_put,sys_wait4,sys_call_table,sys_ioctl,key_validate,sys_exit,do_settimeofday,ia32_sys_call_table,request_key
• aacraid: OK
• e1000: OK
• e1000e: OK
• 3w-9xxx: OK
• ioatdma/dca: OK
• ixgbe: OK

(Re)packaging

In first step we (re)package all drivers listed as 'OK' in the above list into new kmod format: to allow smooth transition from previous kernel-module packages a small modification is necessary to the default kmodtool script: We need to make sure that freshly provided kmod-XXX package upgrades kernel-module-XXX one. (still a manual action may be required ...) T.B.D.

-- JaroslawPolok - 05 Nov 2008