When you're compiling the kernel and you use make menuconfig what
configuration file or whatever decides what module options will appear for you to select?

The reason I'm asking is because I need a specific one which I know the kernel supports and the source code for the driver is in there amongst other things.

Problem is, it doesn't appear as an option under the menu, to be more specific it's in the USB section

USB network adapters

which doesn't expand to anything.


I've got kernel 2.4.22 all the packages headers,ide, modules pulled from slackware ftp site as slackware packages, apart from the actual source code which was downloaded from kernel.org

What am I missing, again

I believe all 'make' options are in the Makefile. Which is in the top level of the source code in question.

To my (limited) knowledge, menuconfig displays everything it can, all the time, and there are no dynamically generated options (other than those that are dependent on the parent category, of course)

If you move the cursor down to an expandable category and then press Enter, I believe it will bring up everything it can, so if the option you want isn't listed, there is no way (that I'm aware of anyway) to include it. If my understanding is incorrect, please hit me with the clue hammer, as this would be a highly useful trick to know. -- J.W.

Sometimes one bit depends on another. So, for example, unless you select "prompt for incomplete or experimental software" in the first dialogue, then you will never have the option of installing anything marked with EXPERIMENTAL. I believe that all the USB networking options are experimental. So, under code maturity options (the first dialogue), you have to select the above option. I believe it's the only one.

You knocked it on the head adz


Ever shy of the eperimental I had left the very first menu option unchecked, only after looking through every damn file and doing tried and tested brute force one and a time error checking did I pick that one, duh!! I got it doing the right thing at one point but it was pot luck I think and unreproduceable under labratory conditions


At least I've got a better idea of config.in files and menuconfig now

Cheers folks