Managing Linux Kernel Configurations with Config Fragments – Darren Hart, VMware
Managing Linux Kernel Configurations with Config Fragments – Darren Hart, VMware
With well over 10,000 unique configuration options it can be difficult to make your Linux kernel configuration a deliberate one. Each new version introduces new options, renames some, and removes others. A static config is convenient at first, but it doesn’t distinguish between deliberate choices and the defaults, making it difficult to evaluate changes and prepare for upgrades. Configuration fragments have been part of build systems like the Yocto Project for years, and later became more common with the addition of the merge_config.sh script to the upstream Linux kernel. Darren will explore the complex task of Linux kernel configuration management through some common scenarios and pitfalls, and show how granular configuration with fragments provides for a more deliberate and more manageable approach to Linux kernel configuration management.
About Darren Hart
Darren is the Director of the Open Source Technology Center at VMware. He leads the engineering team in their efforts to contribute to open-source projects as well as role model and advocate for open source best practices within VMware. Prior to VMware, Darren spent 7 years at each of Intel and IBM where he worked on real-time Linux, embedded platform enabling, ACPI specifications, open hardware, and safety critical software. He has maintained the x86 platform drivers in the Linux kernel since 2014. Darren has degrees in Computer Engineering and Computer Science from Brigham Young University. He lives with his wife and two children in Portland, OR.
by The Linux Foundation
linux foundation
