🚀 go-pugleaf

In alt.linux Ingo Pakleppa <ingo-immigration@kkeane.com> wrote:
> You might want to try opening your file /etc/modules.conf, and adding the
> following line:
> 
> alias eth0 rtl8139
> 
> Then reboot.
> 
> I can't promise that this will do the trick to get eth0 working. This line
> will install the driver for the rtl8139 card (it appears that is the one
> you have) and tell it to use eth0.

Nope, it tells the modprobe utility that "if someone asks to load a
module called 'eth0', load 'rtl8139' instead".  It just so happens that
if you try to configure an interface that doesn't exist, the kernel
module autoloader will try to load a module of that name, and try again.

You (or a script you run like if-up) type "ifconfig eth0 <ip>" to bring
up eth0.

ifconfig calls into the kernel to configure the eth0 interface.

The eth0 interface doesn't exist yet, so the kernel executes modprobe
and tells it to load the 'eth0' module.

modprobe knows that 'eth0' really means 'rtl8139', so it tries to load
that module.

The rtl8139 module loads successfully and registers eth* devices for all
the 8139 NICs it can find, including eth0.

Modprobe finishes, and the kernel tries again to configure eth0 - this
time, it works.

ifconfig finishes.

A similar story applies when you try to open a /dev/ device node when no
driver has registered the corresponding major/minor numbers, which is
how your soundcard module auto-loads when a program first tries to use
it.

	- Kevin.