RE: [Xen-users] 9650SE / 3w-9xxx problem, Xen 3.1.0

["Petersson, Mats" <Mats.Petersson@xxxxxxx>]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: xen-users-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx 
> [mailto:xen-users-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of 
> Peter Fastré
> Sent: 12 June 2007 07:54
> To: xen-users@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: Re: [Xen-users] 9650SE / 3w-9xxx problem, Xen 3.1.0
> 
> Why would you want to compile your 3ware drivers as a module? 
> Doesn't that complicate things during startup?
> I copied the 3w-9xxx.c/h to the Xen 3.0.4-kernel (2.6.16.33), 
> overwriting the existing (older) versions of the same 
> drivers. When compiling the xen0 kernel, I selected the 
> 3ware-9xxx controller to be compiled in my kernel. 
> Maybe it's not 'good practice', but it did work for me.


Choosing between module and "built-in" is pretty much depending on how many 
different drivers you need for your different systems, and how much memory you 
want to sacrifice for carrying kernel drivers for things that you don't use 
anyways. 

If you have a homogenous environment consisting of only one model of machines, 
kernel builtin is fine. If you have two dozen different models of machines, all 
with slightly different sets of hardware, meaning that you need 6 different 
disk controllers, 11 different network controllers, 5 different of something 
else, etc, etc, then building with modules is definitely the better option. 

Using modules means that you need an initrd - but often that's the case ANYWAYS 
(for example the setup may need certain admin tools to run before the root fs 
can be mounted in the first place). 

I must confess that I'm lazy: I just use the standard setup with modules, 
simply because I can't be bothered to figure out which modules I _ACTUALLY_ 
need, and which I can make do without. Just build an initrd each time the 
kernel is changing (much). Since I usually build from "unstable", the kernel is 
replaced every now and again, and keeping track of which modules you want and 
don't want is harder when things are changing often. 

--
Mats
> 
> 
> Peter 
> 



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