rc.conf(5): comparing kld_list and kldload

[Polytropon]

On Mon, 22 Oct 2018 09:07:40 -0500, Kyle Evans wrote:
> On Mon, Oct 22, 2018 at 9:05 AM Polytropon <freebsd at edvax.de> wrote:
> >
> > On Mon, 22 Oct 2018 05:26:18 +0100, Graham Perrin wrote:
> > > From <https://www.freebsd.org/cgi/man.cgi?query=rc.conf&sektion=5&manpath=FreeBSD>:
> > >
> > > > …
> > > >
> > > > kld_list    (str) A list of kernel modules to load right after
> > > >             the local disks are mounted.  Loading modules at
> > > >             this point in the boot process is much faster than
> > > >             doing it via /boot/loader.conf for those modules
> > > >             not necessary for mounting local disk.
> > > > …
> > >
> > > Is there ever any benefit to using kldload instead of kld_list?
> >
> > It is important when you consider the _time_ during system
> > startup. Sometimes modules require to be loaded at a certain
> > time, that's when you can (or cannot) use kld_list, which is
> > the _default_ method of loading kernel modules.
> >
> > early: via /boot/loader.conf
> >
> > intermediate: via kld_list in /etc/rc.conf
> >
> > almost final: via kldload calls in /etc/rc.local
> >
> > It's also possible for scripts in /usr/local/etc/rc.d/ to
> > load kernel modules, and you could even add something to
> > /etc/rc itself to achieve "really final" loading (even though
> > manual additions to /etc/rc are discouraged for good reasons).
> >
> 
> It's worth noting that /boot/loader.conf is not an option for drm
> modules in head and stable/12, so only the above "intermediate" and
> "almost final" options are suitable for testing here.

Exactly! Before the kld_load setting appeared in /etc/rc.conf,
the common suggestion for such cases was to add a call to
kldload in the /etc/rc.local script for this specific purpose.
The mechanism that /etc/rc provides makes this much more
convenient.



-- 
Polytropon
Magdeburg, Germany
Happy FreeBSD user since 4.0
Andra moi ennepe, Mousa, ...