kernel-support.xml

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE topic
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    %entities;
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<topic xml:id="kernel-support-overview"
 role="concept" xml:lang="en"
 xmlns="http://docbook.org/ns/docbook" version="5.2"
 xmlns:its="http://www.w3.org/2005/11/its"
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 xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"
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  <info>
    <title>Support of kernel modules</title><!-- can be changed via merge in the assembly -->
    <!--add author's email address-->
    <meta name="maintainer" content="jsindelarova@suse.com" its:translate="no"/>
    <abstract><!-- can be changed via merge in the assembly -->
      <para>
       The topic describes how to determine if a kernel is supported or not. 
      </para>
    </abstract>
  </info>
  <para>
      An important requirement for every enterprise operating system is the
      level of support you receive for your environment. Kernel modules are the
      most relevant connector between hardware (<quote>controllers</quote>) and
      the operating system. Every kernel module in &productnameshort; has a
      <literal>supported</literal> flag that can take three possible values:
    </para>
    <itemizedlist mark="bullet" spacing="normal">
      <listitem>
        <para>
          <quote>yes,</quote> thus <literal>supported</literal>
        </para>
      </listitem>
      <listitem>
        <para>
          <quote>external,</quote> thus <literal>supported</literal>
        </para>
      </listitem>
      <listitem>
        <para>
          (empty, not set), thus <literal>unsupported</literal>
        </para>
      </listitem>
    </itemizedlist>
    <para>
      The following rules apply:
    </para>
    <itemizedlist mark="bullet" spacing="normal">
      <listitem>
        <para>
          All modules of a self-recompiled kernel are by default marked as
          unsupported.
        </para>
      </listitem>
      <listitem>
        <para>
          Kernel modules supported by &suse; partners and delivered using
          <literal>&suse; SolidDriver Program</literal> are marked
          <quote>external.</quote>
        </para>
      </listitem>
      <listitem>
        <para>
          If the <literal>supported</literal> flag is not set, loading this
          module will taint the kernel. Tainted kernels are not supported.
        </para>
      </listitem>
      <listitem>
        <para>
          Kernel modules not provided under a license compatible to the license
          of the Linux kernel will also taint the kernel. For details, refer to <xref linkend="kernel-support-determine-tainted"/>.
        </para>
      </listitem>
    </itemizedlist>
    <para>
      The kernel module that does not have the supported flag is not loaded by <command>modprobe</command> by default. To load such kernel modules, follow the steps described in <xref linkend="kernel-support-loading-unsupported"/>.
    </para>
</topic>