nerdexam
Linux_Foundation

LFCS · Question #776

What information does the file modules.dep provide?

The correct answer is D. A list of modules required by each module. The modules.dep file, located in the kernel modules directory, contains a list specifying which kernel modules depend on other kernel modules.

Submitted by valeria.br· Apr 18, 2026Operation of Running Systems

Question

What information does the file modules.dep provide?

Options

  • AA list of all modules compiled for this kernel.
  • BA list of modules the kernel needs to run.
  • CA list of all modules available to the kernel.
  • DA list of modules required by each module.
  • EA list of devices and their module name.

How the community answered

(44 responses)
  • B
    5% (2)
  • D
    93% (41)
  • E
    2% (1)

Why each option

The `modules.dep` file, located in the kernel modules directory, contains a list specifying which kernel modules depend on other kernel modules.

AA list of all modules compiled for this kernel.

While it concerns modules, `modules.dep` lists dependencies, not simply all modules compiled for the kernel; other files like `modules.builtin` or `modules.order` might list all modules.

BA list of modules the kernel needs to run.

`modules.dep` details relationships between modules rather than providing a general list of all modules the kernel needs to operate.

CA list of all modules available to the kernel.

The file provides dependency information, not just a plain list of all available modules; it describes how they relate to each other.

DA list of modules required by each module.Correct

The `modules.dep` file is generated by `depmod` and stores a dependency tree for kernel modules. This file is critical for utilities like `modprobe` to automatically load all necessary prerequisite modules when a specific kernel module is requested, ensuring proper module functionality.

EA list of devices and their module name.

This file maps module dependencies, not devices to their respective modules; device mapping is typically handled by `udev` or through `modinfo`.

Concept tested: Linux kernel module dependencies

Source: https://man7.org/linux/man-pages/man8/depmod.8.html

Topics

#Kernel Modules#Module Dependencies#System Files

Community Discussion

No community discussion yet for this question.

Full LFCS Practice