comments for improvement of handbook/kernelconfig-config.html

http://www.freebsd.org/doc/en_US.ISO8859-1/books/handbook/kernelconfig-=20=

config.html

I'd like to offer some quick comments, after spending several hours =20
reading and googling only to verify the fairly obvious but that wasn't =20=

spelled out.  My comments to improve this page include

1.  Start the beginning.  What does the kernel configuration file do?  =20=

If the following statement is true, let's put this (or something =20
similar) somewhere near the top:

	"The kernel configuratioon file defines the modules which will =
be =20
built statically into the kernel.  You would change this file to remove =20=

modules from your kernel, or to change some kernel options. It does not =20=

limit or prevent you from adding dynamically loadable modules later.  =20=

If you want to include a loadable module in your kernel, you don't need =20=

to rebuild your kernel configuration."

This appears to be true, and running several kernel builds appears to =20=

prove it, but just determining whether or not it was true was downright =20=

difficult.

2. Move the comment about NOTES/LINT to the bottom.  It's unlikely that =20=

your average kernel builder would care about most of this stuff, and =20
they should read to the bottom anyway.  It's kindof "if we didn't talk =20=

about it here..." kind of comment anyway.  It certainly confuses the =20
subject when you first hit this page.

3. Identify which modules are required for a kernel to boot.  Or have =20=

some discussion of this.  And in general -- what does it mean when I =20
remove a module?  Can I remove plip from the kernel but have it =20
installed as a .ko so that I can load it dynamically later on if by =20
some reason I decide to use it?  What's the limitations of this =20
approach?

And lastly, stop with the intertwined 4.x and 5.x (and soon 6.x) =20
comments.  If there are different answers, put them in separate blocks. =20=

  Maybe color them separately.  It's incredibly frustrating to go =20
through a paragraph and then hit an else near the end that makes you =20
wonder just how many statements before the else are being negated.

> device   gif           # IPv6 and IPv4 tunneling
>
> This implements IPv6 over IPv4 tunneling, IPv4 over IPv6 tunneling, =20=

> IPv4 over IPv4 tunneling, and IPv6 over IPv6 tunneling. Beginning with =
=20
> FreeBSD 4.4 the gif device is =93auto-cloning=94, and you should use =
the =20
> line pseudo-device gif. Earlier versions of FreeBSD 4.X require a =20
> number, for example pseudo-device gif 4.

Huh?  What?  Did I read this right?  Instead, why not:

> FreeBSD 5/6:
> device   gif           # IPv6 and IPv4 tunneling
>
> FreeBSD 4.4 and above:
> pseudo-device   gif           # IPv6 and IPv4 tunneling
>
> FreeBSD 4.3 and earlier:
> pseudo-device   gif   4        # the number of IPv6 and IPv4 tunneling =
=20
> interfaces
>
> This implements IPv6 over IPv4 tunneling, IPv4 over IPv6 tunneling, =20=

> IPv4 over IPv4 tunneling, and IPv6 over IPv6 tunneling. Beginning with =
=20
> FreeBSD 4.4 the gif device is =93auto-cloning=94. Earlier versions of =20=

> FreeBSD 4.X require a number, for example pseudo-device gif 4.


--=20
Joe Rhett
senior geek
svcolo : meer.net=

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