Table of Contents
Dynamic Kernel Module Support (DKMS)
Dynamic Kernel Module Support (DKMS) is a framework developed by Dell. It helps to rebuild Linux kernel modules of which sources are not located in the main Linux Kernel Source Tree. It takes care that all needed modules are getting recompiled/built when updating the kernel or a e.g. kernel module (this saves time and work after applying updates).
For example, DKMS is very useful regarding VirtualBox updates:
- Installed on the host system, it keeps track of the mandatory VirtualBox kernel modules
- Installed on a guest system, it keeps track of the VirtualBox Guest Additions kernel modules.
Installation
Ubuntu
8.10 Intrepid and above
Debian
5.0 Lenny and above
dkms in not available via repository. But Dell provides a Debian compatible .deb package. Just download and install it as usual (e.g. via dpkg -i
).