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Last active November 5, 2024 23:05
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Linux Kernel Modules for NixOS #linux #nixos
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linux_kernel_modules_nixos.md

Linux Kernel Modules for NixOS

You can find what kernel modules are loaded using lsmod.

However some kernel modules are required at stage 1 boot. Basically preloaded in the initial ram disk before switching to the root filesystem. These kernel modules are mostly needed to deal with peripherals, storage devices, filesystems and network devices. You may need to be wary of these required modules:

  • sd_mod - SCSI, SATA, and PATA (IDE) devices
  • ahci - SATA devices on modern AHCI controllers
  • nvme - NVMe drives (really fast SSDs)
  • usb_storage - Utilize USB Mass Storage (USB flash drives)
  • usbhid - USB Human Interface Devices
  • uas - USB attached SCSI drives
  • xhci_pci - USB 3.0 (eXtensible Host Controller Interface)
  • ehci_pci - USB 2.0 (Enhanced Host Controller Interface)
  • sdhci_pci - Secure Digital Host Controller Interface (SD cards)
  • rtsx_pci_sdmmc - Realtek PCI-E SD/MMC Card Host Driver

These modules are meant to be set with boot.initrd.availableKernelModules in NixOS.

Beware of boot.initrd.supportedFilesystems for bringing in filesystem modules.

These modules will most likely be found with nixos-generate-config during the installation process.

After switching to the root filesystem, the kernel modules that are available are controlled by:

  • boot.hardwareScan
  • boot.kernelModules
  • boot.supportedFilesystems

The boot.hardwareScan usually brings almost everything you need. However you may also need:

  • kvm-intel - KVM on Intel CPUs
  • kvm-amd - KVM on AMD Cpus
  • coretemp - Temperature monitoring on Intel CPUs
  • k10temp - Temperature monitoring on AMD CPUs

As you can see it is quite complex to provision software on hardware, given the wide variations in hardware and issues with proprietary hardware drivers. This is why most people have stopped buying hardware, and instead "buy software", where the vendor of the software supplies vendor approved hardware. Hence cloud and end to end consumer experiences of Apple computers and the Microsoft Surface line.

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