FreeBSD6 Unleashed

Kernel Modules

FreeBSD comes with several dozen kernel modules in its standard configuration, all located within the /boot/kernel directory along with the kernel file itself, and each one representing some new functionality or device support that is not necessarily present in the default (GENERIC) kernel. These kernel modules, files with extensions of .ko (for “kernel object”), can be loaded or unloaded at any time by the root user, adding features such as the ability to read a non-standard filesystem type or to use an unusual Ethernet card.

As an example, let’s consider the smbfs.ko module. This module, as its name suggests, provides support for the SMB Filesystem (the filesystem type underlying Windows network file-sharing), which isn’t available ...