Skip to content

docs: add how-to for rebuilding a single kernel module#113

Open
tswhison wants to merge 1 commit into
canonical:mainfrom
tswhison:tswhison/migrate_kernel_module_rebuild
Open

docs: add how-to for rebuilding a single kernel module#113
tswhison wants to merge 1 commit into
canonical:mainfrom
tswhison:tswhison/migrate_kernel_module_rebuild

Conversation

@tswhison

@tswhison tswhison commented Jun 26, 2026

Copy link
Copy Markdown
Contributor

Migrates and modernises the content from the deprecated Ubuntu wiki page at https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Kernel/Dev/KernelModuleRebuild into the kernel-docs how-to structure.

Changes from the original wiki content:

  • Replace the deprecated SUBDIRS= make parameter with the current M= form (SUBDIRS was removed in Linux 3.8; M= / KBUILD_EXTMOD is the correct modern equivalent).
  • Add a 'make O=... M=scripts' step that produces the scripts/mod/ helpers required for building external modules.
  • Add explicit modprobe -r / modprobe load-and-test steps.
  • Add a note guiding readers toward DKMS for sustained cross-upgrade use.
  • Format the guide consistently with the MyST/Sphinx conventions used elsewhere in kernel-docs (code-block directives, note/important admonitions, cross-references to related pages).

The new page is placed at how-to/develop-customise/build-kernel-module.md, alongside the existing build-kernel.md and build-kernel-snap.md guides, and is linked into the toctree and body of how-to/index.md.

  • Added or updated meta description (if this PR includes documentation changes)
  • Reviewed all GitHub Actions / CI results; any unresolved failures are explained in a comment

Migrates and modernises the content from the deprecated Ubuntu wiki page
at https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Kernel/Dev/KernelModuleRebuild into the
kernel-docs how-to structure.

Changes from the original wiki content:
- Replace the deprecated SUBDIRS= make parameter with the current M= form
  (SUBDIRS was removed in Linux 3.8; M= / KBUILD_EXTMOD is the correct
  modern equivalent).
- Add a 'make O=... M=scripts' step that produces the scripts/mod/ helpers
  required for building external modules.
- Add explicit modprobe -r / modprobe load-and-test steps.
- Add a note guiding readers toward DKMS for sustained cross-upgrade use.
- Format the guide consistently with the MyST/Sphinx conventions used
  elsewhere in kernel-docs (code-block directives, note/important admonitions,
  cross-references to related pages).

The new page is placed at how-to/develop-customise/build-kernel-module.md,
alongside the existing build-kernel.md and build-kernel-snap.md guides, and
is linked into the toctree and body of how-to/index.md.

Signed-off-by: Tim Whisonant <tim.whisonant@canonical.com>
@tswhison tswhison requested a review from AnneCYH as a code owner June 26, 2026 22:16
Sign up for free to join this conversation on GitHub. Already have an account? Sign in to comment

Labels

None yet

Projects

None yet

Development

Successfully merging this pull request may close these issues.

1 participant