NAME

kldload — load a file into the kernel

SYNOPSIS

DESCRIPTION

The kldload utility loads file.ko into the kernel using the kernel linker. Note that if multiple modules are specified then an attempt will be made to load them all, even if some fail. The .ko extension name is not mandatory when loading a given module using kldload. It does not hurt to specify it though.

If a bare filename is requested it will only be loaded if it is found within the module path as defined by the sysctl kern.module_path. To load a module from the current directory it must be specified as a full or relative path. The kldload utility will warn if a module is requested as a bare filename and is present in the current directory.

The following options are available:

-n

Do not try to load module if already loaded.

-v

Be more verbose.

-q

Silence any extraneous warnings.

NOTES

The kernel security level settings may prevent a module from being loaded or unloaded by giving Operation not permitted.

FILES

/boot/kernel

directory containing loadable modules. Modules must have an extension of .ko.

EXIT STATUS

The kldload utility exits 0 on success, and >0 if an error occurs.

EXAMPLES

To load by module name:

> kldload foo

To load by file name within the module path:

> kldload foo.ko

To load by relative path:

> kldload ./foo.ko

To load by full path:

> kldload /boot/kernel/foo.ko

AUTOMATICALLY LOADING MODULES

Some modules (pf, ipfw, ipf, etc.) may be automatically loaded at boot time when the corresponding rc.conf(5) statement is used. Modules may also be auto-loaded through their addition to loader.conf(5) or kld_list in rc.conf(5).

Only those modules necessary for booting the system, including those required for mounting the root filesystem, should be handled by loader.conf(5).

SEE ALSO

kenv(1), kldload(2), loader.conf(5), rc.conf(5), security(7), kldconfig(8), kldstat(8), kldunload(8), kldxref(8)

HISTORY

The kldload utility first appeared in FreeBSD 3.0, replacing the lkm interface.

AUTHORS

Doug Rabson <dfr@FreeBSD.org>