[elrepo] kmod-hspa?

[Akemi Yagi]

Hi Morgan,

No, our kernel modules do not overwrite the in-kernel ones. Here, I
use the hpsa module and the current kernel version as an example.

The distro kernel's driver is found here:

/lib/modules/5.14.0-570.21.1.el9_6.x86_64/kernel/drivers/scsi/hpsa.ko.xz

while the kmod-hpsa package installs the module as:

/lib/modules/5.14.0-570.12.1.el9_6.x86_64/extra/hpsa/hpsa.ko
/lib/modules/5.14.0-570.21.1.el9_6.x86_64/weak-updates/hpsa/hpsa.ko ->
/lib/modules/5.14.0-570.12.1.el9_6.x86_64/extra/hpsa/hpsa.ko

It is installed into the extra/ directory of the 9.6 GA kernel. The
symlink above indicates that the module works for the current
kernel-5.14.0-570.21.1.el9_6.

In general, modules in the "extra" directory are prioritized over the
built-in kernel modules. Our configuration file also ensures that the
"weak-updates" gets a higher priority. Thus, the hpsa module in the
distro kernel will not be used.

When the kernel is updated to a newer version, you do not need to
update the kmod package as seen in the symlink above (thanks to the
kABI compatibility). This is generally true within a point release
(e.g. 9.5, 9.6, etc). However a kABI breakage could happen even
withing a point release. Therefore you want to install the elrepo
repository so the kmod gets updated when it is required.

Akemi





On Thu, Jun 12, 2025 at 3:11 PM Morgan Read via elrepo
<elrepo at lists.elrepo.org> wrote:
>
> Thanks Tuan for getting back.
>
> I should have been clearer in my question, what I was trying to ask after are the implications of installing the elrepo package - I assume it overwrites `/usr/lib/modules/[uname -r]/kernel/drivers/scsi/hpsa.ko.xz' so do I have to be mindful to reinstall after kernel updates?
>
> Thanks
> Morgan.
>
> 12 Jun 2025 19:18:09 Tuan Hoang <tqhoang at elrepo.org>:
>
> > Hi Morgan,
> >
> > Here is the Red Hat docs explaining what they mean by “unmaintained”.
> > What does it mean when hardware is classified as unmaintained in Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.6+, 9.0 and newer? - Red Hat Customer Portal[https://access.redhat.com/solutions/6663421]
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > *What does it mean when hardware is classified as unmaintained in Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.6+, 9.0 and newer? - Red Hat Customer Portal*
> >
> > I recently noticed a classification of hardware in the Considerations in Adopting RHEL 9 guide called unmaintained. What does this classification mean for me in terms of hardware enablement and technical support? After installing 8.6 I get the follow
> >
> >
> >
> > [https://access.redhat.com/solutions/6663421]
> >
> > Our ELRepo kmod drivers exist to:
> > - restore support for drivers with disabled device ID’s
> > - add support for disabled drivers
> > - add an out-of-kernel OEM driver (ex: Realtek)
> >
> > Most kmods are just rebuilds from the RHEL kernel source and others are backported from upstream kernels.  We also look to backport upstream fixes based upon end-user feedback.
> >
> > In essence we try to provide some level of support to our end-users.  Please note that this is a volunteer project, but we do spend numerous hours to maintain everything.
> >
> > Thanks,
> > Tuan
> >
> >
> > Sent from Yahoo Mail for iPhone[https://mail.onelink.me/107872968?pid=nativeplacement&c=Global_Acquisition_YMktg_315_Internal_EmailSignature&af_sub1=Acquisition&af_sub2=Global_YMktg&af_sub3=&af_sub4=100000604&af_sub5=EmailSignature__Static_&af_ios_store_cpp=9d3a686e-218d-4849-8298-b480188dc8ac&af_android_url=https%3A%2F%2Fplay.google.com%2Fstore%2Fapps%2Fdetails%3Fid%3Dcom.yahoo.mobile.client.android.mail%26listing%3Demail_signature]
> >
> > On Thursday, June 12, 2025, 1:15 PM, Morgan Read via elrepo <elrepo at lists.elrepo.org> wrote:
> >
> > Hi List,
> >
> > I've been getting these:
> > `Warning: Unmaintained driver is detected: hpsa`
> > From rhel9 for some time now - since rhel9 - and just noticed kmod-hspa
> > in elrepo.  So, there is still a driver from rhel, but it's 'unmaintained'.
> >
> > Is the elrepo kmod-hspa 'maintained' and is it safe to install over the
> > top of the rhel in-kernel module?
> >
> > Thanks
> > --
> > Morgan Read
> > Grande Bretagne
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > elrepo mailing list
> > elrepo at lists.elrepo.org
> > http://lists.elrepo.org/mailman/listinfo/elrepo
> >
>
> --
> Morgan Read
> Grande Bretagne
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