We consider this article to be an extension of lsmod in Ubuntu. There we saw how to list currently loaded kernel modules. A kernel module is basically a code which can be loaded or unloaded without having to rebuild or reboot the kernel. This is done to extend kernel functionality. In this article, we cover command-line utility modinfo in Ubuntu.
Open a terminal and issue the following –
lsmod
This shows us the list of currently loaded modules. Now, what if we want to know more about a module? We can use modinfo, which we discuss in detail next, for more information about a module.
modinfo in Ubuntu
As already discussed, use modinfo to know more about a kernel module. Following is the syntax to get the module’s description –
modinfo -d [module_name]
or,
/sbin/modinfo -d [module_name]
For instance, if we want description for module – intel_rapl_common
modinfo -d intel_rapl_common
It would return with the following –
Intel Runtime Average Power Limit (RAPL) common code
To know about the author of the kernel module –
modinfo -a [module_name]
Know about the file associated with the module –
modinfo --filename [module_name]
Also, for licensing related information –
modinfo --license [module_name]
Lastly, if want to know everything about a kernel module which includes above mentioned options as well. Then,
modinfo [module_name]
For instance,
modinfo intel_rapl_common
In conclusion, we have discussed modinfo command-line utility in Ubuntu here. In next article, we cover how to load and unload a specific module.
