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6.4: Inserting the ftape modules into the kernel

NOTE: You have to be `root' to insert a kernel module into the kernel or to edit the file /etc/conf.modules. Either you login as `root' or do a `su' at the shell prompt.

NOTE ALSO: You need a kernel without support for ftape compiled into the kernel image. Please check the file /proc/devices for a line like `27 ft'. If /proc/devices contains such a line(1), then you need to reconfigure your kernel without support for ftape enabled, i.e. answer `no' to the

Ftape (QIC-80/Travan) support 

question. Recompile and install the new kernel in the normal way.

You now have to decide whether you prefer loading ftape explicitly (e.g. from the startup scripts during system boot) or by using the kerneld auto-loading mechanism.

In either case, you should first edit the file /etc/conf.modules. The following should be added /etc/conf.modules:

# # load ftape/zftape automatically # alias char-major-27 zftape pre-install ftape /sbin/swapout 5

The meaning of each of these lines is as follows (lines starting with a `#' introduce a comment line):

`alias char-major-27 zftape'
is important for auto-loading of modules with the kerneld program. This line instructs the kerneld module-auto-loading program to load zftape when the kernel requires a driver for a character device with major number 27.

`pre-install ftape /sbin/swapout 5'
tells the modprobe program to run `/sbin/swapout 5' automatically before trying to install ftape. This might be necessary to decrease memory fragmentation of your computer system because ftape needs at least 3 contiguous dma buffers of size 32kb. You may need to increase the amount of memory swapout allocates (5 megabytes in this example). My computer system has 20 Megs of RAM (and lots of swap space) and I go with `swapout 15'. There is more information in a separate section. See Swapout.

If you want to use the kerneld auto-loading mechanism, then you are ready now. The `alias char-major-27 zftape' statement is enough to instruct the kerneld program to automatically load the right modules when the kernel requests a driver for the floppy tape drive. But note: in order to make auto-loading of kernel modules possible the kerneld program must be running. Normally kerneld is started from the system startup scripts such as `/etc/rc.d/rc.local'. The names of the system startup scripts vary a lot between different Linux distributions; `/etc/rc.d/rc.local' need not even exist on your system).

Use the following command to determine whether kerneld is running:

ps -ax|grep kerneld

If this doesn't produce any output or shows only the `grep kerneld' line and you need to start kerneld yourself and change your system setup.

zftape uses the kerneld daemon to load the zft-compressor module for compression support on demand as required such that there is no need to load this modules manually when kerneld is running and your kernel supports auto-loading of kernel modules. There is a separate section with further remarks about ftape and kerneld. See Kerneld.

What follows are examples on how to insert the driver manually into the kernel using the modprobe utility. Note that you have to be `root' to do that.


(1) Of course, the ftape device in /proc/devices will also show up if any version of the ftape module is loaded.


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