Linux modprobe Command with Practical Examples

Introduction

In this lab, we will explore the Linux modprobe command and its practical applications. The modprobe command is used to load and remove kernel modules, which are essential components that extend the functionality of the Linux kernel. We will understand the purpose of the modprobe command, learn how to load and remove kernel modules using it, and explore its benefits over lower-level commands like insmod and rmmod. The lab will provide a comprehensive understanding of managing kernel modules in Linux, which is a crucial skill for system administrators and developers.

Linux Commands Cheat Sheet

Skills Graph

Understand the Purpose of modprobe Command

In this step, we will explore the purpose of the modprobe command in Linux. The modprobe command is used to load and remove kernel modules, which are essential components that extend the functionality of the Linux kernel.

Kernel modules are pieces of code that can be loaded and unloaded into the kernel as needed, without the need to reboot the system. This allows the kernel to be customized and expanded with new features and drivers without having to rebuild the entire kernel.

The modprobe command simplifies the process of loading and removing kernel modules by handling the dependencies between modules. It ensures that all required modules are loaded or unloaded correctly, making it more user-friendly than the lower-level insmod and rmmod commands.

Let's start by checking the currently loaded kernel modules:

lsmod

Example output:

Module                  Size  Used by
rfcomm                 98304  0
bnep                   24576  2
bluetooth             802816  23 rfcomm,bnep
...

The lsmod command lists the currently loaded kernel modules. This output shows that various kernel modules, such as rfcomm, bnep, and bluetooth, are currently loaded.

Now, let's try to load a specific kernel module using modprobe:

sudo modprobe bridge

This command will load the bridge kernel module, which is responsible for creating and managing network bridges in Linux.

If the module is successfully loaded, you won't see any output. To verify that the module has been loaded, you can run lsmod again:

lsmod | grep bridge

Example output:

bridge                155648  0

The output shows that the bridge module has been loaded.

Similarly, you can use modprobe to remove a kernel module:

sudo modprobe -r bridge

This command will remove the bridge kernel module from the system.

The modprobe command simplifies the process of managing kernel modules by handling dependencies and ensuring that all required modules are loaded or unloaded correctly. Understanding the purpose and usage of modprobe is essential for system administrators and developers who need to customize the Linux kernel's functionality.

Load Kernel Modules with modprobe

In this step, we will learn how to use the modprobe command to load kernel modules in Linux.

First, let's check the available kernel modules that can be loaded:

sudo modprobe -l

This command will list all the available kernel modules that can be loaded on the system.

Now, let's try to load a specific kernel module using modprobe:

sudo modprobe nfs

This command will load the nfs kernel module, which is responsible for providing support for the Network File System (NFS) protocol.

If the module is successfully loaded, you won't see any output. To verify that the module has been loaded, you can run lsmod again:

lsmod | grep nfs

Example output:

nfs                   393216  0
sunrpc                393216  1 nfs

The output shows that the nfs and sunrpc modules have been loaded. The sunrpc module is a dependency of the nfs module, and modprobe automatically loaded it as well.

You can also load a module with specific parameters using the modprobe command. For example, to load the e1000e network driver module with the InterruptThrottleRate parameter set to 3000, you can use the following command:

sudo modprobe e1000e InterruptThrottleRate=3000

This will load the e1000e module with the specified parameter.

Remember that the modprobe command will only load the module if it is available in the system's module search path, which is typically /lib/modules/<kernel_version>. If the module is not found, you may need to install the corresponding package or ensure that the module is available in the system.

Remove Kernel Modules with modprobe

In this step, we will learn how to use the modprobe command to remove kernel modules in Linux.

First, let's load a kernel module that we can later remove:

sudo modprobe nfs

This will load the nfs kernel module.

Now, to remove the nfs module, we can use the -r (or --remove) option with modprobe:

sudo modprobe -r nfs

This command will remove the nfs kernel module from the system.

You can verify that the module has been removed by running lsmod and checking if the nfs module is no longer listed:

lsmod | grep nfs

If the module has been successfully removed, you should not see any output.

Sometimes, a kernel module may have dependencies, and you need to remove those dependencies as well. You can use the -a (or --all-modules) option with modprobe -r to remove the target module and all its dependencies:

sudo modprobe -r -a nfs

This command will remove the nfs module and all its dependencies.

Keep in mind that you should only remove kernel modules that you no longer need, as removing essential modules may cause system instability or prevent the system from booting properly.

Summary

In this lab, we explored the purpose and usage of the modprobe command in Linux. The modprobe command is used to load and remove kernel modules, which are essential components that extend the functionality of the Linux kernel. It simplifies the process by handling the dependencies between modules, ensuring that all required modules are loaded or unloaded correctly. We learned how to use modprobe to load and remove kernel modules, as well as how to verify the loaded modules using the lsmod command. The modprobe command provides a user-friendly way to manage kernel modules, making it more convenient than the lower-level insmod and rmmod commands.

Linux Commands Cheat Sheet