Ubuntu manuals

Provided by: module-init-tools_3.7~pre9-2_i386

NAME

       modinfo - program to show information about a Linux Kernel module

SYNOPSIS

       modinfo [ -0 ] [ -F field ] [ -k kernel ] [ modulename|filename ... ]

       modinfo -V

       modinfo -h

DESCRIPTION

       modinfo extracts information from the Linux Kernel modules given on the
       command line.   If  the  module  name  is  not  a  filename,  then  the
       /lib/modules/version directory is searched, as done by modprobe(8).

       modinfo by default lists each attribute of the module in form fieldname
       : value, for easy  reading.   The  filename  is  listed  the  same  way
       (although it’s not really an attribute).

       This  version  of  modinfo  can  understand modules of any Linux Kernel
       architecture.

OPTIONS

       -V --version
              Print the modinfo version.  Note BACKWARDS COMPATIBILITY  below:
              you might be printing the version of modinfo.old.

       -F --field
              Only  print this field value, one per line.  This is most useful
              for scripts.  Field names are  case-insenitive.   Common  fields
              (which  may not be in every module) include author, description,
              license, parm, depends, and alias.   There  are  often  multiple
              parm,  alias  and  depends  fields.   The special field filename
              lists the filename of the module.

       -k kernel
              Provide information about a kernel other than the  running  one.
              This is particularly useful for distributions needing to extract
              information from a newly installed (but not yet running) set  of
              kernel  modules.  For  example,  you wish to find which firmware
              files are needed by various modules in a new  kernel  for  which
              you must make an initrd image prior to booting.

       -0 --null
              Use  the  ASCII zero character to separate field values, instead
              of a new line.  This is useful for scripts, since a new line can
              theoretically appear inside a field.

       -a -d -l -p -n
              These  are shortcuts for author, description, license.  parm and
              filename respectively, to  ease  the  transition  from  the  old
              modutils modinfo.

BACKWARDS COMPATIBILITY

       This  version of modinfo is for kernel modules 2.5.48 and above.  If it
       detects a kernel with support for old-style modules, it will attempt to
       run  modprobe.old  in its place, so it is completely transparent to the
       user.

       Note that the output of this version of modinfo  is  simpler  and  more
       regular  than  the older version: scripts attempting to use the default
       output may get confused with complex fields.

       You can force the new  modinfo  to  always  be  used,  by  setting  the
       NEW_MODINFO environment variable.

COPYRIGHT

       This manual page Copyright 2003, Rusty Russell, IBM Corporation.

SEE ALSO

       modprobe(8), modinfo.old(8)

                                 03 March 2009                      MODINFO(8)