Re: Q: What will happen if I insmod a new version driver when ithas already been statically in kernel?

[Randy Dunlap]

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
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