.\" Copyright (C) 1996 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
.\" This file is distributed according to the GNU General Public License.
.\" See the file COPYING in the top level source directory for details.
.\"
.TH INIT_MODULE 2 "26 Dec 1996" "Linux 2.1.17" "Linux Module Support"
.SH NAME
init_module \- initialize a loadable module entry
.SH SYNOPSIS
.nf
.B #include <linux/module.h>
.sp
.BI "int init_module(const char *" name ", struct module *" image );
.fi
.SH DESCRIPTION
.B init_module
loads the relocated module image into kernel space and runs the
module's \fIinit\fP function.
.PP
The module image begins with a module structure and is followed by
code and data as appropriate.  The module structure is defined as follows:
.PP
.RS
.nf
struct module
{
  unsigned long size_of_struct;
  struct module *next;
  const char *name;
  unsigned long size;
  long usecount;
  unsigned long flags;
  unsigned int nsyms;
  unsigned int ndeps;
  struct module_symbol *syms;
  struct module_ref *deps;
  struct module_ref *refs;
  int (*init)(void);
  void (*cleanup)(void);
  const struct exception_table_entry *ex_table_start;
  const struct exception_table_entry *ex_table_end;
#ifdef __alpha__
  unsigned long gp;
#endif
};
.fi
.RE
.PP
All of the pointer fields, with the exception of \fInext\fP and
\fIrefs\fP, are expected to point within the module body and be
initialized as appropriate for kernel space, i.e. relocated with
the rest of the module.
.PP
This system call is only open to the superuser.
.SH "RETURN VALUE"
On success, zero is returned.  On error, \-1 is returned and \fIerrno\fP
is set appropriately.
.SH ERRORS
.TP
.B EPERM
The user is not the superuser.
.TP
.B ENOENT
No module by that name exists.
.TP
.B EINVAL
Some \fIimage\fP slot filled in incorrectly, \fIimage->name\fP does not
correspond to the original module name, some \fIimage->deps\fP entry
does not correspond to a loaded module, or some other similar inconsistency.
.TP
.B EBUSY
The module's initialization routine failed.
.TP
.B EFAULT
\fIname\fP or \fIimage\fP
is outside the program's accessible address space.
.SH "SEE ALSO
.BR create_module "(2), " delete_module "(2), " query_module "(2)."