* Q: What will happen if I insmod a new version driver when it has already been statically in kernel?
@ 2012-08-27 10:06 Yang Bai
2012-08-27 23:38 ` Randy Dunlap
0 siblings, 1 reply; 2+ messages in thread
From: Yang Bai @ 2012-08-27 10:06 UTC (permalink / raw)
To: linux-kernel
Hi all,
We have one driver which has been statically compiled into kernel, and
now we want to upgrade it. But we only have a new version module for
this driver. Could I just insmod this module and make the new driver
work?
If so, what happens to the static old one?
If not, Can we upgrade this driver without re-compile the kernel to
make the in-kernel driver out or module?
Thanks,
Yang
^ permalink raw reply [flat|nested] 2+ messages in thread
* Re: Q: What will happen if I insmod a new version driver when it has already been statically in kernel?
2012-08-27 10:06 Q: What will happen if I insmod a new version driver when it has already been statically in kernel? Yang Bai
@ 2012-08-27 23:38 ` Randy Dunlap
0 siblings, 0 replies; 2+ messages in thread
From: Randy Dunlap @ 2012-08-27 23:38 UTC (permalink / raw)
To: Yang Bai; +Cc: linux-kernel
On 08/27/2012 03:06 AM, Yang Bai wrote:
> Hi all,
>
> We have one driver which has been statically compiled into kernel, and
> now we want to upgrade it. But we only have a new version module for
> this driver. Could I just insmod this module and make the new driver
> work?
No, that should not work -- unless the in-kernel driver has a
close/release method that you can somehow trigger.
> If so, what happens to the static old one?
It stays.
> If not, Can we upgrade this driver without re-compile the kernel to
> make the in-kernel driver out or module?
If the current driver is not a loadable module, you cannot
replace it. Assuming that they use mostly the same resources,
like I/O devices or memory BARs or however the device presents
its control & data interfaces, the new module would not be
able to access the device interfaces since they would still
be used/owned by the in-kernel driver.
--
~Randy
^ permalink raw reply [flat|nested] 2+ messages in thread
end of thread, other threads:[~2012-08-27 23:38 UTC | newest]
Thread overview: 2+ messages (download: mbox.gz follow: Atom feed
-- links below jump to the message on this page --
2012-08-27 10:06 Q: What will happen if I insmod a new version driver when it has already been statically in kernel? Yang Bai
2012-08-27 23:38 ` Randy Dunlap
This is an external index of several public inboxes,
see mirroring instructions on how to clone and mirror
all data and code used by this external index.