custom kernels and heterogeneous hardware

[Ben Scott]

On 6/22/06, Emon <emon at nerdshack.com> wrote:
> I am newbie running Slackware10.2 with a custom compiled 2.6.13
> kernel.  I was also hoping to make modular kernel, my root file
> system is reiserfs, I was wondering if I I compile the reiserfs driver
> as module & add the following lines to "/etc/rc.d/rc.modules" will it
> work??
>
> /sbin/modprobe ide-disk
> /sbin/modprobe reiserfs

  Well, I haven't used Slackware in close to a decade, but I don't
think that will work.  Reason being, /etc/rc.d/rc.modules is on the
root filesystem.  To read your root filesystem, the kernel will need
the reiserfs  filesystem module loaded.  Chicken-and-egg problem.

  There are two ways to solve the problem.  One is to use an initial
RAM disk (initrd), as I explained in my previous message.  The other
would be to just build the reiserfs filesystem driver into the kernel
statically (not as a dynamically loadable module).  Given that this is
just for you, I'd say that would be the way to go.  It would be a lot
easier.  :)

-- Ben