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DKMS(8) System Manager's Manual DKMS(8)
NAME
dkms - Dynamic Kernel Module Support
SYNOPSIS
dkms [action] [options] [module/module-version] [/path/to/source-tree]
[/path/to/tarball.tar] [/path/to/driver.rpm]
DESCRIPTION
dkms is a framework which allows kernel modules to be dynamically built for each kernel on
your system in a simplified and organized fashion.
ACTIONS
add [module/module-version] [/path/to/source-tree] [/path/to/tarball.tar]
Adds a module/module-version combination to the tree for builds and installs. If mod-
ule/module-version, -m module/module-version, or -m module -v version are passed as
options, this command requires source in /usr/src/<module>-<module-version>/ as well
as a properly formatted dkms.conf file. If /path/to/source-tree is passed as an op-
tion, and source-tree contains a dkms.conf file, it will copy /path/to/source-tree to
/usr/src/module-module-version. If /path/to/tarball.tar is passed, this command be-
haves like the ldtarball command.
remove [module/module-version] [-k kernel/arch] [--all]
Removes a module/version or module/version/kernel/arch combination from the tree. If
the module is currently installed, it first uninstalls it and if applicable, will re-
place it with its original_module. Use the --all option in order to remove all in-
stances for every kernel at once.
build [module/module-version] [-k kernel/arch]
Builds the specified module/version combo for the specified kernel/arch. If the -k op-
tion is not specified it builds for the currently running kernel and arch.. All
builds occur in the directory /var/lib/dkms/<module>/<module-version>/build/. If the
module/module-version combo has not been added, dkms will try to add it, and in that
case build can take the same arguments that add can.
unbuild [module/module-version] [-k kernel/arch] [--all]
Undoes the build for a module/version or module/version/kernel/arch combination from
the tree. If the module is currently installed, it first uninstalls it and if appli-
cable, will replace it with its original_module. Finally all binary kernel modules are
removed. Use the --all option in order to remove all instances for every kernel at
once.
install [module/module-version] [-k kernel/arch] [/path/to/driver.rpm]
Installs a built module/version combo onto the kernel it was built for. If the kernel
option is not specified it assumes the currently running kernel. If the module has
not been built, dkms will try to build it. If the module has not been added, dkms
will try to add it. In both cases, the install command can then take the same argu-
ments as the build or add commands. If you pass a .rpm file, dkms will try to install
that file with rpm -Uvh , and it will perform an autoinstall action to be sure that
everything is built for your kernel if the RPM installed successfully.
uninstall [module/module-version] [-k kernel/arch] [--all]
Uninstalls an installed module/module-version combo from the kernel/arch passed in the
-k option, or the current kernel if the -k option was not passed. Use the --all option
in order to uninstall all instances for every kernel at once. After uninstall comple-
tion, the driver will be left in the built state. To completely remove a driver, the
remove action should be utilized.
match [--templatekernel kernel/arch] [-k kernel/arch]
Match installs modules onto the specified kernel by looking at the configuration of
the specified templatekernel. Every module that is installed on the templatekernel
within dkms is then installed on that specified kernel.
mkdriverdisk [-d distro] [-r release] [--media mediatype] [-k kernel/arch]
[module/version]
Creates a floppy driver disk image for use when updated drivers are needed to install
an OS. Currently, the supported distributions are redhat, suse and UnitedLinux. For
Red Hat driver disks, necessary driver disk files are looked for in the red-
hat_driver_disk subdirectory of your module source directory. You must specify the
distro while using this action. Driver disks can be made for single kernels or can be
made to support multiple kernels. To create a driver disk image with modules for mul-
tiple kernels, just specify multiple -k parameters on the command line (-k ker-
nel1/arch1 -k kernel2/arch2).
Red Hat introduced DDv3 starting with RHEL6. To create Red Hat DDv3, specify -d red-
hat3 and specify the specfile to use with --spec=specfile. If no specfile is speci-
fied, DKMS will use /etc/dkms/template-dkms-redhat-kmod.spec
For suse/UnitedLinux driver disks, /usr/share/YaST2/modules/Vendor.ycp will also be
copied to the driver disk; no other files are needed. However, for these distros, you
must specify a -r release. For SuSE 9.1, it would be -d suse -r 9.1. For SLES9, it
would be -d suse -r sles9.
By default the disk image it creates is 1440 (k) in size. This can be overridden by
specifying a different --size #### which should should be given as a number in kilo-
bytes divisible by 20.
You may have more content than will fit on a floppy. Therefore, DKMS can now generate
image files of different types. --media floppy (default) to generate a floppy disk
image, or --media iso to generate a CD-ROM ISO file, or --media tar to generate a tar
file.
You may copy the floppy or ISO image file to a USB key to be used with OS installer.
mktarball [module/module-version] [-k kernel/arch] [--archive /path/to/tarball.tar]
[--source-only] [--binaries-only]
Creates a tarball archive for the specified module/version of all files in the DKMS
tree for that module/version combination. This includes the source and any built mod-
ules for kernels in the tree (as specified). Otherwise, you can specify a singular
kernel to archive only, or multiple kernels to archive (-k kernel1/arch1 -k ker-
nel2/arch2). Optionally, you can use --archive to specify the file that you would
like to save this tarball to. You can also specify --binaries-only if you want the
resultant tarball not to include the module source. Likewise, --source-only can be
used to specify that no prebuilt binaries should be included in the tarball. In gen-
eral, mktarball is great for systems management purposes as you can build your driver
on just one system and then use ldtarball on all of your other systems to get the same
built modules loaded without having to wait for anything to compile.
ldtarball [/path/to/tarball.tar] [--force]
This takes a tarball made from the mktarball command and loads it into your DKMS tree.
This will leave any newly added modules in the built state and dkms install should
then be called to install any of them. If files already exist where ldtarball is at-
tempting to place them, it will warn and not copy over them. The --force option
should be used to override this.
mkrpm [module/module-version] [-k kernel/arch] [--source-only] [--binaries-only]
This action allows you to create an RPM package for a specified module / version. It
uses a template .spec file found in /etc/dkms/template-dkms-mkrpm.spec as the basis
for the RPM. Alternatively, if DKMS finds a file called /usr/src/<module>-<mod-
ule-version>/<module>-dkms-mkrpm.spec it will use that .spec file instead. In gen-
eral, a DKMS tarball is placed inside the contents of this RPM, and the RPM itself
calls various DKMS commands to load this tarball, build and install modules on the end
user's system. If you do not want your RPM to contain any prebuilt binaries, be sure
to specify --source-only in the mkrpm command.
mkdeb [module/module-version] [-k kernel/arch]
This action allows you to create a debian binary package for a specified module / ver-
sion. It uses a template debian directory found in /etc/dkms/template-dkms-mkdeb as
the basis for the package. Alternatively, if DKMS finds a file called /usr/src/<mod-
ule>-<module-version>/<module>-dkms-mkdeb it will use that folder instead. In general,
a DKMS tarball is placed inside the contents of this package, and the package itself
calls various DKMS commands to load this tarball, build and install modules on the end
user's system.
mkbmdeb [module/module-version] [-k kernel/arch]
Creates a Debian binary package containing just the binary modules in the /lib/modules
installation path. This package does not depend on dkms and does not require a
toolchain to be installed on the target host. Useful if you want to have a package to
install on hosts identical to the build system without installing the full toolchain
on them. It uses a template debian directory found in /etc/dkms/template-dkms-mkbmdeb
as the basis for the package.
mkdsc [module/module-version] [-k kernel/arch]
This action allows you to create a debian source package for a specified module / ver-
sion. It will create a .tar.gz, and a .dsc. All options supported by mkdeb are sup-
ported by it. The main difference in it's usage is that it will look in
/etc/dkms/template-dkms-mkdsc as the basis for the package. Alternatively, if DKMS
finds a file called /usr/src/<module>-<module-version>/<module>-dkms-mkdsc it will use
that folder instead.
mkkmp [module/module-version] [--spec specfile]
This action allows you to create an Kernel Module Package source RPM for a specified
module / version. It uses the .spec file specified by --spec=specfile else $mod-
ule-kmp.spec as the basis for the RPM. The generated source RPM may then be built us-
ing SuSE's build.rpm or Fedora/RHEL's mock chroot environments. See http://ker-
neldrivers.org/ for more details on KMPs.
status [module/module-version] [-k kernel/arch]
Returns the current status of modules, versions and kernels within the tree as well as
whether they have been added, built or installed. Status can be shown for just a cer-
tain module, a certain kernel, a module/version combination or a module/version/kernel
combination.
autoinstall
Attempt to install the latest revision of all modules that have been installed for
other kernel revisions. dkms_autoinstaller is a stub that uses this action to perform
its work.
OPTIONS
-m <module>/<module-version>
The name of the module and module version you want to operate on. The -m part of
this option is optional, and can be omitted in virtually all circumstances.
-v <module-version>
The version of the module to execute the specified action upon. This option only
has to be specified if you pass a -m option without a <module-version> component of
its own.
-k <kernel-version>/<arch>
The kernel and arch to perform the action upon. You can specify multiple kernel
version/arch pairs on the command line by repeating the -k argument with a differ-
ent kernel version and arch. However, not all actions support multiple kernel ver-
sions (it will error out in this case). The arch part can be omitted, and DKMS
will assume you want it to be the arch of the currently running system.
-a, --arch
The system architecture to perform the action upon. It is optional if you pass it
as part of the -k option. If not specified, it assumes the arch of the currently
running system (`uname -m`). You can specify multiple arch parameters on the same
command line by repeating the -a argument with a different arch name. When multi-
ple architectures are specified, there must be a 1:1 relationship between -k argu-
ments to -a arguments. DKMS will then assume the first -a argument aligns with the
first -k kernel and so on for the second, third, etc.
For example, if you were to specify: -k kernel1 -k kernel2 -a i386 -k kernel3 -a
i686 -a x86_64, DKMS would process this as: kernel1-i386, kernel2-i686, ker-
nel3-x86_64.
-q, --quiet
Quiet.
-V, --version
Prints the currently installed version of dkms and exits.
-c <dkms.conf-location>
The location of the dkms.conf file. This is needed for the add action and if not
specified, it is assumed to be located in /usr/src/<module>-<module-version>/. See
below for more information on the format of dkms.conf.
-d, --distro
The distribution being used. This is only currently needed for mkdriverdisk. The
supported distros are redhat, suse and UnitedLinux. See the sections on mk-
driverdisk and mkkmp for more information.
-r, --release
The release being used. This is only currently used for mkdriverdisk and is only
used for suse or UnitedLinux distros (eg. -r 9.1). It is used in the internal
makeup of the driverdisk.
--size The size of the driver disk image to be created. By default, this value is set at
1440. Any different size should be given as an integer value only, should be di-
visible by 20 and should represent the number of kilobytes of the image size you
desire.
--config <kernel-.config-location>
During a build this option is used to specify an alternate location for the kernel
.config file which was used to compile that kernel. Normally, dkms uses the Red
Hat standard location and config filenames located in /usr/src/linux-<kernel>/con-
figs/. If the config for the kernel that you are building a module for is not lo-
cated here or does not have the expected name in this location, you will need to
tell dkms where the necessary .config can be found so that your kernel can be prop-
erly prepared for the module build.
--archive <tarball-location>
This option is used during a ldtarball action to specify the location of the tar-
ball you wish to load into your DKMS tree. You only have to specify the --archive
part of this option if <tarball-location> does not already exist as a file.
--templatekernel <kernel-version>
This option is required for the action: match. Match will look at the templateker-
nel specified and install all of the same module/version combinations on the other
kernel.
--force
This option can be used in conjunction with ldtarball to force copying over of ex-
tant files.
--binaries-only
This option can be used in conjunction with mktarball in order to create a DKMS
tarball which does not contain the source for the module within it. This can be
helpful in reducing the size of the tarball if you know that the system which this
tarball will be loaded upon already has the source installed. In order to load a
tarball made as binaries-only you must have the module source in that systems DKMS
tree. If you do not, DKMS will refuse to load a binaries-only tarball.
--source-only
This option can be used in conjunction with mktarball or mkrpm or mkdeb in order to
create a DKMS tarball which does not contain any prebuilt kernel module binaries
within it. This is helpful if you simply want to easily tar up your source but
don't want anything prebuilt within it. Likewise, if you are using mkrpm but do
not want the RPM you create to have any prebuilt modules within it, passing this
option will keep its internal DKMS tarball from containing any prebuilt modules.
--all This option can be used to automatically specify all relevant kernels/arches for a
module/module-version. This is useful for things like remove , mktarball , etc.
This saves the trouble of having to actually specify -k kernel1 -a arch1 -k kernel2
-a arch2 for every kernel you have built your module for.
--no-prepare-kernel
This option keeps DKMS from first preparing your kernel before building a module
for it. Generally, this option should not be used so as to ensure that modules are
compiled correctly.
--no-clean-kernel
This option keeps DKMS from cleaning your kernel source tree after a build.
--no-depmod
This option prevents DKMS from running the depmod command during install and unin-
stall which will avoid (re)calculating module dependencies and thereby save time.
--kernelsourcedir <kernel-source-directory-location>
Using this option you can specify the location of your kernel source directory.
Most likely you will not need to set this if your kernel source is accessible via
/lib/modules/$kernel_version/build.
--directive <"cli-directive=cli-value">
Using this option, you can specify additional directives from the command line.
The --directive option can be used multiple times on the same command-line to spec-
ify multiple additional command line directives.
--rpm_safe_upgrade
This flag should be used when packaging DKMS enabled modules in RPMs. It should be
specified during both the add and remove actions in the RPM spec to ensure that
DKMS and RPM behave correctly in all scenarios when upgrading between various ver-
sions of a dkms enabled module RPM package. See the sample.spec file for an exam-
ple or read more in the section below on Creating RPMs Which Utilize DKMS.
--spec specfile
This option is used by the mkkmp action to specify which RPM spec file to use when
generating the KMP. specfile will be sought in the module source directory.
--dkmstree path/to/place
Provides a destination tree for building and installing modules to. Useful in
cases that you don't want to contaminate a system when using solely for building.
--sourcetree path/to/place
Provides a location to build a DKMS package from. Useful for systems that you may
not have root access, but would still like to be able to build DKMS packages.
--installtree path/to/place
Provides a location to place modules when a dkms install command is issued.
--legacy-postinst=[0|1]
Includes a legacy postinstall script so that a DEB or RPM built by DKMS can be used
on versions prior than DKMS 2.1. This option currently defaults to 1.
--dkmsframework path/to/file
A supplemental configuration file to the system-wide dkms framework, typically lo-
cated in /etc/dkms/framework.conf. All option that are normally provided on a com-
mand line can be provided in this file.
-j number
Run no more than number jobs in parallel; see the -j option of make(1). Defaults
to the number of CPUs in the system, detected by nproc(1). Specify 0 to impose no
limit on the number of parallel jobs.
ORIGINAL MODULES
During the first install of a module for a <kernelversion>, dkms will search /lib/mod-
ules/<kernelversion> for a pre-existing module of the same name. If one is found, it will
automatically be saved as an "original_module" so that if the newer module is later re-
moved, dkms will put the original module back in its place. Currently, DKMS searches for
these original modules with first preference going to modules located in /lib/mod-
ules/<kernelversion>/updates/ followed by $DEST_MODULE_LOCATION (as specified in dkms.conf
). If one cannot be found in either location, a find will be used to locate one for that
kernel. If none are found, then during a later uninstall, your kernel will not have that
module replaced.
If more than one is found, then the first one located (by preference indicated above) will
be considered the "original_module". As well, all copies of the same-named module will be
removed from your kernel tree and placed into /var/lib/dkms/<module>/original_module/$ker-
nelver/collisions so that they can be *manually* accessible later. DKMS will never actu-
ally do anything with the modules found underneath the /collisions directory, and they
will be stored there until you manually delete them.
DKMS.CONF
When performing an add , a proper dkms.conf file must be found. A properly formatted conf
file is essential for communicating to dkms how and where the module should be installed.
While not all the directives are required, providing as many as possible helps to limit
any ambiguity. Note that the dkms.conf is really only a shell-script of variable defini-
tions which are then sourced in by the dkms executable (of the format, DIRECTIVE="direc-
tive text goes here"). As well, the directives are case-sensitive and should be given in
ALL CAPS.
It is important to understand that many of the DKMS directives are arrays whose index val-
ues are tied together. These array associations can be considered families, and there are
currently four such families of directive arrays. MAKE[#] and MAKE_MATCH[#] make up one
family. PATCH[#] and PATCH_MATCH[#] make up the second family. The third and largest
family consists of BUILT_MODULE_NAME[#], BUILT_MODULE_LOCATION[#], DEST_MODULE_NAME[#],
DEST_MODULE_LOCATION[#], MODULES_CONF_ALIAS_TYPE[#], MODULES_CONF_OBSOLETES[#], MOD-
ULES_CONF_OBSOLETE_ONLY[#] and STRIP[#]. The fourth family is made up of only MOD-
ULES_CONF[#]. When indexing these arrays when creating your dkms.conf, each family should
start at index value 0.
MAKE[#]=
The MAKE directive array tells DKMS which make command should be used for building
your module. The default make command should be put into MAKE[0]. Other entries in
the MAKE array will only be used if their corresponding entry in MAKE_MATCH[#]
matches, as a regular expression (using egrep), the kernel that the module is being
built for. Note that if no value is placed in MAKE_MATCH[#] for any MAKE[#] where
# > 0, then that MAKE directive is ignored. MAKE_MATCH[0] is optional and if it is
populated, it will be used to determine if MAKE[0] should be used to build the mod-
ule for that kernel. If multiple MAKE_MATCH directives match against the kernel
being built for, the last matching MAKE[#] will be used to build your module. If no
MAKE directive is specified or if no MAKE_MATCH matches the kernel being built for,
DKMS will attempt to use a generic MAKE command to build your module.
KERNELRELEASE will be automatically appended to MAKE[#]. If you want to suppress
this behavior, you can quote the make command: 'make'.
MAKE_MATCH[#]=
See the above entry on MAKE[#] directives. This array should be populated with
regular expressions which, when matched against the kernel being built for, will
tell DKMS to use the corresponding make command in the MAKE[#] directive array to
build your module.
BUILT_MODULE_NAME[#]=
This directive gives the name of the module just after it is built. If your DKMS
module package contains more than one module to install, this is a required direc-
tive for all of the modules. This directive should explicitly not contain any
trailing ".o" or ".ko". Note that for each module within a dkms package, the nu-
meric value of # must be the same for each of BUILT_MODULE_NAME, BUILT_MODULE_LOCA-
TION, DEST_MODULE_NAME and DEST_MODULE_LOCATION and that the numbering should start
at 0 (eg. BUILT_MODULE_NAME[0]="qla2200" BUILT_MODULE_NAME[1]="qla2300").
BUILT_MODULE_LOCATION[#]=
This directive tells DKMS where to find your built module after it has been built.
This pathname should be given relative to the root directory of your source files
(where your dkms.conf file can be found). If unset, DKMS expects to find your
BUILT_MODULE_NAME[#] in the root directory of your source files. Note that for
each module within a dkms package, the numeric value of # must be the same for each
of BUILT_MODULE_NAME, BUILT_MODULE_LOCATION, DEST_MODULE_NAME and DEST_MODULE_LOCA-
TION and that the numbering should start at 0 (eg. BUILT_MODULE_LOCA-
TION[0]="some/dir/" BUILT_MODULE_LOCATION[1]="other/dir/").
DEST_MODULE_NAME[#]=
This directive can be used to specify the name of the module as it should be in-
stalled. This will rename the module from BUILT_MODULE_NAME[#] to DEST_MOD-
ULE_NAME[#]. This directive should explicitly not contain any trailing ".o" or
".ko". If unset, it is assumed to be the same value as BUILT_MODULE_NAME[#]. Note
that for each module within a dkms package, the numeric value of # must be the same
for each of BUILT_MODULE_NAME, BUILT_MODULE_LOCATION, DEST_MODULE_NAME and
DEST_MODULE_LOCATION and that the numbering should start at 0 (eg. DEST_MOD-
ULE_NAME[0]="qla2200_6x" DEST_MODULE_NAME[1]="qla2300_6x").
DEST_MODULE_LOCATION[#]=
This directive specifies the destination where a module should be installed to,
once compiled. It also is used for finding original_modules. This is a required
directive, except as noted below. This directive must start with the text "/kernel"
which is in reference to /lib/modules/<kernelversion>/kernel. Note that for each
module within a dkms package, the numeric value of # must be the same for each of
BUILT_MODULE_NAME, BUILT_MODULE_LOCATION, DEST_MODULE_NAME and DEST_MODULE_LOCATION
and that the numbering should start at 0 (eg. DEST_MODULE_LOCATION[0]="/ker-
nel/drivers/something/" DEST_MODULE_LOCATION[1]="/kernel/drivers/other/").
DEST_MODULE_LOCATION is ignored on Fedora and Red Hat Enterprise Linux, Novell SuSE
Linux Enterprise Server 10 and higher, Novell SuSE Linux 10.0 and higher, and
Ubuntu. Instead, the proper distribution-specific directory is used.
MODULES_CONF_ALIAS_TYPE[#]=
This directive array specifies how your modules should be aliased in /etc/mod-
ules.conf when your module is installed. This is done in an intelligent fashion so
if DKMS detects an already existing reference in modules.conf, it won't add a new
line. If it is not detected, it will add it to the modules.conf as the last alias
number for that alias type (eg. if MODULES_CONF_ALIAS_TYPE="scsi_hostadapter", no
alias currently exists for that module and the last scsi_hostadapter reference is
6, then your module will be added as "scsi_hostadapter7"). Common values for this
directive include: scsi_hostadapter , sound-slot- and eth. Note that the numeric
value of # is tied to the index of BUILT_MODULE_NAME, BUILT_MODULE_LOCATION,
DEST_MODULE_NAME and DEST_MODULE_LOCATION. The index is also tied to MOD-
ULES_CONF_OBSOLETES.
MODULES_CONF_OBSOLETES[#]=
This directive array tells DKMS what modules.conf alias references are obsoleted by
the module you are installing. If your module obsoletes more than one module, this
directive should be a comma-delimited list of those modules that are obsoleted (eg.
for megaraid2, MODULES_CONF_OBSOLETES[0]="megaraid,megaraid_2002"). When you are
installing your module, DKMS ensures that any entries in /etc/modules.conf with the
same MODULES_CONF_ALIAS_TYPE are changed over to the new module name. When you are
uninstalling your module, depending on the modules in your /lib/modules tree, DKMS
will take different actions. If you kernel has an original_module, then mod-
ules.conf will not be touched and the non-obsolete reference will remain. If the
kernel does not have an original_module but does have one of the obsolete modules,
it will replace those references with the first obsolete module name in the
comma-delimited list that is also in that kernel (thus, your obsolete list should
be prioritized from left to right). If no original_module or obsolete modules are
found within the kernel, the alias entry is removed all-together. Note that the nu-
meric value of # is tied to the index of BUILT_MODULE_NAME, BUILT_MODULE_LOCATION,
DEST_MODULE_NAME and DEST_MODULE_LOCATION. The index is also tied to MOD-
ULES_CONF_ALIAS_TYPE.
MODULES_CONF_OBSOLETE_ONLY[#]=
If set to yes , this directive will tell DKMS to only modify /etc/modules.conf if
it finds within it an obsolete reference as specified in the corresponding value of
MODULES_CONF_OBSOLETES[#] array directive.
NO_WEAK_MODULES=
The NO_WEAK_MODULES parameter prevents dkms from creating a symlink into the weak-
updates directory, which is the default on Red Hat derivatives. The weak modules
facility was designed to eliminate the need to rebuild kernel modules when kernel
upgrades occur and relies on the symbols within the kABI.
Fedora does not guaranteed a stable kABI so it should be disabled in the specific
module override by setting it to "yes". For example, for an Nvidia DKMS module you
would set the following in /etc/dkms/nvidia.conf:
NO_WEAK_MODULES="yes"
STRIP[#]=
By default strip is considered to be "yes". If set to "no", DKMS will not run
strip -g against your built module to remove debug symbols from it. STRIP[0] is
used as the default for any unset entries in the STRIP array.
PACKAGE_NAME=
This directive is used to give the name associated with the entire package of mod-
ules. This is the same name that is used with the -m option when building, adding,
etc. and may not necessarily be the same as the MODULE_NAME. This directive must
be present in every dkms.conf.
PACKAGE_VERSION=
This directive is used to give the version associated with the entire package of
modules being installed within that dkms package. This directive must be present
in every dkms.conf.
CLEAN= CLEAN specifies the make clean command to be used to clean up both before and after
building the module. If unset, it is assumed to be "make clean".
REMAKE_INITRD=
This directive specifies whether your initrd should be remade after the module is
installed onto the kernel. Any text after the first character is ignored and if
the first character is not a "y" or a "Y", it is assumed that REMAKE_INITRD="no".
MODULES_CONF[#]=
This directive array specifies what static configuration text lines need to be
added into /etc/modules.conf for your module. See the section on MODULES.CONF
CHANGES for more information regarding the implications of modifying /etc/mod-
ules.conf
OBSOLETE_BY=
This directive allows you to specify a kernel version that obsoletes the necessity
for this particular DKMS module. This can be specified as a particular upstream
kernel or an ABI bump of a kernel. For example, "2.6.24" would be an upstream ker-
nel and "2.6.24-16" would represent an ABI bump for a kernel. Both are valid in
this area.
Please avoid the use of OBSOLETE_BY wherever possible. It's use indicates a lack
of proper module versioning using MODULE_VERSION() tags in the module source it-
self. It is better to fix the MODULE_VERSION() tags than use OBSOLETE_BY. This
also introduces a implicit distribution/version dependency on the package, as the
value of OBSOLETE_BY is meaningful only in the context of a single distribu-
tion/version.
If you feel you must use it, please use as such in dkms.conf:
ubuntu_804="Ubuntu
8.04"
if [ -x /usr/bin/lsb_release ]; then
if [ "$(/usr/bin/lsb_release -sir)" == "${ubuntu_804}" ]; then
OBSOLETE_BY="2.6.25"
fi
fi
PATCH[#]=
Use the PATCH directive array to specify patches which should be applied to your
source before a build occurs. All patches are expected to be in -p1 format and are
applied with the patch -p1 command. Each directive should specify the filename of
the patch to apply, and all patches must be located in the patches subdirectory of
your source directory ( /usr/src/<module>-<module-version>/patches/ ). If any
patch fails to apply, the build will be halted and the rejections can be inspected
in /var/lib/dkms/<module>/<module-version>/build/. If a PATCH should only be ap-
plied conditionally, the PATCH_MATCH[#] array should be used, and a corresponding
regular expression should be placed in PATCH_MATCH[#] which will alert dkms to only
use that PATCH[#] if the regular expression matches the kernel which the module is
currently being built for.
PATCH_MATCH[#]=
See the above description for PATCH[#] directives. If you only want a patch applied
in certain scenarios, the PATCH_MATCH array should be utilized by giving a regular
expression which matches the kernels you intend the corresponding PATCH[#] to be
applied to before building that module.
AUTOINSTALL=
If this directive is set to yes then the service /etc/rc.d/init.d/dkms_autoin-
staller will automatically try to install this module on any kernel you boot into.
See the section on dkms_autoinstaller for more information.
BUILD_DEPENDS[#]=
This optional directive is an array that allows you to specify other modules as de-
pendencies for your module. Each array element should be the PACKAGE_NAME of an-
other module that is managed by dkms. Do not specify a version or architecture in
the dependency. Note that this directive is only advisory; missing or broken depen-
dencies cause non-fatal warnings.
BUILD_EXCLUSIVE_KERNEL=
This optional directive allows you to specify a regular expression which defines
the subset of kernels which DKMS is allowed to build your module for. If the ker-
nel being built for does not match against this regular expression, the dkms build
will error out. For example, if you set it as ="^2.4.*", your module would not be
built for 2.6 kernels.
BUILD_EXCLUSIVE_ARCH=
This optional directive functions very similarly to BUILD_EXCLUSIVE_KERNEL except
that it matches against the kernel architecture. For example, if you set it to
="i.86", your module would not be built for ia32e, x86_64, amd64, s390, etc.
POST_ADD=
The name of the script to be run after an add is performed. The path should be
given relative to the root directory of your source.
POST_BUILD=
The name of the script to be run after a build is performed. The path should be
given relative to the root directory of your source.
POST_INSTALL=
The name of the script to be run after an install is performed. The path should be
given relative to the root directory of your source.
POST_REMOVE=
The name of the script to be run after a remove is performed. The path should be
given relative to the root directory of your source.
PRE_BUILD=
The name of the script to be run before a build is performed. The path should be
given relative to the root directory of your source.
PRE_INSTALL=
The name of the script to be run before an install is performed. The path should be
given relative to the root directory of your source. If the script exits with a
non-zero value, the install will be aborted. This is typically used to perform a
custom version comparison.
DKMS.CONF VARIABLES
Within your dkms.conf file, you can use certain variables which will be replaced at
run-time with their values.
$kernelver
This variable can be used within a directive definition and during use, the actual
kernel version in question will be substituted in its place. This is especially
useful in MAKE commands when specifying which INCLUDE statements should be used
when compiling your module (eg. MAKE="make all INCLUDEDIR=/lib/modules/${ker-
nelver}/build/include").
$dkms_tree
See the section on /etc/dkms/framework.conf for more information. This variable
represents the location of the DKMS tree on the local system. By default this is
/var/lib/dkms , but this value should not be hard-coded into a dkms.conf in the
event that the local user has changed it on their system.
$source_tree
See the section on /etc/dkms/framework.conf for more information. This variable
represents the location where DKMS keeps source on the local system. By default
this is /usr/src , but this value should not be hard-coded into a dkms.conf in the
event that the local user has changed it on their system.
$kernel_source_dir
This variable holds the value of the location of your kernel source directory.
Usually, this will be /lib/modules/$kernelver/build , unless otherwise specified
with the --kernelsourcedir option.
DKMS.CONF OVERRIDES
You can override the module-provided dkms.conf files. Every time after a dkms.conf file
is read, dkms will look for and read the following files in order:
/etc/dkms/<module>.conf
/etc/dkms/<module>-<module-version>.conf
/etc/dkms/<module>-<module-version>-<kernel>.conf
/etc/dkms/<module>-<module-version>-<kernel>-<arch>.conf
You can use these files to override settings in the module-provided dkms.conf files.
/etc/dkms/framework.conf
This configuration file controls how the overall DKMS framework handles. It is sourced in
every time the dkms command is run. Mainly it can currently be used to set different de-
fault values for the variables.
$dkms_tree, $source_tree, $install_tree
control where DKMS looks for its framework.
$symlink_modules
controls whether binary modules are copied to /lib/modules or if only symlinks are
created there. Note that these variables can also be manipulated on the command
line with --dkmstree, --sourcetree, --installtree and --symlink-modules options.
$sign_tool
Script to be run at build for signing modules. Two arguments will be passed to the
script. The first argument is the target kernel version , the second is the module
file path. If the script exits with a non-zero value, the build will be aborted.
$autoinstall_all_kernels
used by the common postinst for DKMS modules. It controls if the build should be
done for all installed kernels or only for the current and latest installed kernel.
It has no command line equivalent.
dkms_autoinstaller
This boot-time service automatically installs any module which has AUTOINSTALL="yes" set
in its dkms.conf file. The service works quite simply and if multiple versions of a mod-
ule are in your system's DKMS tree, it will not do anything and instead explain that man-
ual intervention is required.
MODULES.CONF / MODPROBE.CONF CHANGES
Changes that your module will make to /etc/modules.conf or /etc/modprobe.conf should be
specified with the MODULES_CONF_ALIAS_TYPE[#] , the MODULES_CONF_OBSOLETES[#] and the MOD-
ULES_CONF[#] directive arrays. These arrays should also be used even if your distro uses
/etc/sysconfig/kernel to track kernel modules.
When the first module is installed upon the first kernel within the user's system, these
entries in MODULES_CONF[#] are automatically added to /etc/modules.conf and if REMAKE_INI-
TRD is specified, then the user's initrd is then remade. Subsequently, as your modules
are then later removed from the user's system, until the final module/version combination
is removed from the final kernel version, those references in modules.conf will remain.
Once the last module/version combination is removed, those references are then removed.
As modules/versions are removed and initrds are remade, one of three things will happen if
you have specified a MODULES_CONF_ALIAS_TYPE. If no original_module exists for that ker-
nel, and no MODULES_CONF_OBSOLETES modules are found in that kernel too, the modules.conf
alias references will temporarily be removed so that the initrd will successfully remake.
Once the initrd is remade, however; those references are then automatically put back into
modules.conf (unless you are removing the last instance of the module on the last kernel).
However, if no original_module exists, but there is an OBSOLETE module found within that
kernel, the alias reference is temporarily shifted to point to the OBSOLETE module so that
the initrd can be remade. After it is remade, it then automatically puts back the alias
reference (unless you are removing the last instance of the module on the last kernel).
Lastly, if an original_module does exist for the kernel version, then modules.conf is not
touched and all references persist (even if you are removing the last instance of the mod-
ule on the last kernel).
Certain module installations might not only require adding references to modules.conf but
also require removing conflicting references that might exist in the user's system. If
this is the case, the MODULES_CONF_OBSOLETES[#] directive should be utilized to remove
these references. More information about this directive can be found in the DKMS.CONF
section of this man page.
Note that the end state of your modules.conf file very much depends on what kernel modules
exist in the final kernel you remove your DKMS module from. This is an imperfect system
caused by the fact that there is only one modules.conf file for every kernel on your sys-
tem even though various kernels use different modules. In a perfect world, there would be
one modules.conf file for every kernel (just like System.map).
CREATING RPMS WHICH UTILIZE DKMS
See the sample.spec file packaged with DKMS as an example for what your RPM spec file
might look like. Creating RPMs which utilize dkms is a fairly straight-forward process.
The RPM need only to install the source into /usr/src/<module>-<module-version>/ and then
employ dkms itself to do all the work of installation. As such, the RPM should first un-
tar the source into this directory. From here, within the RPM .spec file, a dkms add
should be called (remember to use the --rpm_safe_upgrade flag during the add) followed by
a dkms build followed by a dkms install. Your dkms.conf file should be placed within the
/usr/src/<module>-<module-version>/ directory.
Under the removal parts of the .spec file, all that needs to be called is a: dkms remove
-m <module> -v <module-version> --all --rpm_safe_upgrade. Use of the --rpm_safe_upgrade
flag is imperative for making sure DKMS and RPM play nicely together in all scenarios of
using the -Uvh flag with RPM to upgrade dkms enabled packages. It will only function if
used during both the add and remove actions within the same RPM spec file. Its use makes
sure that when upgrading between different releases of an RPM for the same <module-ver-
sion>, DKMS does not do anything dumb (eg. it ensures a smooth upgrade from
megaraid-2.09-5.noarch.rpm to megaraid-2.09-6.noarch.rpm).
It should be noted that a binary RPM which contains source is not a traditional practice.
However, given the benefits of dkms it hopefully will become so. As the RPM created which
utilizes dkms is not architecture specific, BuildArch: noarch should be specified in the
.spec file to indicate that the package can work regardless of the system architecture.
Also note that DKMS RPM upgrades (-U option) will automatically work because of the struc-
ture of the dkms tree.
Lastly, as a matter of convention, you should name your RPM: <package>-<version>-<rpm-ver-
sion>dkms.noarch.rpm. The word dkms as part of the rpm-version signifies that the RPM
works within the DKMS framework.
AUTHOR
Gary Lerhaupt
WEBPAGE
https://github.com/dell/dkms
MAILING-LIST
dkms-devel AT dell.com http://lists.us.dell.com/mailman/listinfo/dkms-devel
dkms-2.8.7 01 October 2021 DKMS(8)
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