Arch Linux: Preserving the kernel modules of the currently running kernel during and after an upgrade

One potential issue when upgrading the Arch Linux kernel is that the modules of the currently running kernel may be deleted. This can lead to a number of problems, including unexpected behavior, system crashes, or the inability to mount certain file systems (e.g. the kernel fails to mount a vfat file system due to the unavailability of the vfat kernel module).

The Arch Linux package linux-keep-modules (also available on AUR: linux-keep-modules @AUR), written by James Cherti, provides a solution to ensure that the modules of the currently running Linux kernel remain available until the operating system is restarted. Additionally, after a system restart, the script automatically removes any unnecessary kernel modules that might have been left behind by previous upgrades (e.g. the kernel modules that are not owned by any Arch Linux package and are not required by the currently running kernel).

The linux-keep-modules package keeps your system running smoothly and maintains stability even during major Linux kernel upgrades.

Make and install the linux-keep-modules package

Clone the repository and change the current directory to ‘archlinux-linux-keep-modules/’:

$ git clone https://github.com/jamescherti/archlinux-linux-keep-modules.git
$ cd archlinux-linux-keep-modules/Code language: plaintext (plaintext)

Use makepkg to make linux-keep-modules package:

$ makepkg -fCode language: plaintext (plaintext)

Install the linux-keep-modules package:

$ sudo pacman -U linux-keep-modules-*-any.pkg.tar.*Code language: plaintext (plaintext)

Finally, enable the cleanup-linux-modules service:

$ sudo systemctl enable cleanup-linux-modulesCode language: plaintext (plaintext)

(The cleanup-linux-modules service will delete the Linux kernel modules that are not owned by any a package at boot time)

The linux-keep-modules Arch Linux package offers a solution to preserve kernel modules during and after upgrades, ensuring that the necessary modules for the currently running kernel remain present in the system even after the kernel is upgraded. This solution keeps your system running smoothly and maintains stability even during major upgrades.

Links related to the pacman package linux-keep-modules

How to make Vim edit/diff files from outside of Vim? (e.g. from a shell like Bash, Zsh, Fish..)

The Vim editor offers the ability to connect to a Vim server and make it perform various tasks from outside of Vim. The command-line tools vim-client-edit, vim-client-diff and the vim_client Python module, written by James Cherti, can be used to easily find and connect to a Vim server and make it perform the following tasks:

  • Edit files or directories in new tabs (The command-line tool vim-client-edit),
  • Diff/Compare up to eight files (The command-line tool vim-client-diff),
  • Evaluate expressions and return their result (The Python module vim_client),
  • Send commands and expressions to Vim (The Python module vim_client).

The command-line tools vim-client-edit and vim-client-diff are especially useful when a quick edit or comparison needs to be performed on a file from outside of Vim (e.g. from a shell like Bash, Zsh, Fish, etc.).

Additionally, the vim_client Python module allows running expressions on a Vim server and retrieving their output, which can be useful for automating tasks or scripting. For example, you can use vim-client to run a search and replace operation on a file or directory, or to perform a complex diff operation between two files.

Overall, vim-client is a powerful tool for interacting with Vim from the vim-client-edit and vim-client-diff command-line tools. The vim_client Python module can also be used to run and retrieve the output of Vim expressions, which can help automate various tasks.

Please star vim-client on GitHub to support the project!

Requirements

To use vim-client, you will need to have Vim and Python installed on your system.

Installation

The vim-client package can be installed with pip:

$ sudo pip install vim-clientCode language: Bash (bash)

Execute Vim server

The Vim editor must be started with the option “–servername”, which enables the Vim server feature that allows clients to connect and send commands to Vim:

$ vim --servername SERVERNAMECode language: plaintext (plaintext)

Make Vim server edit multiple files in tabs

Editing a list of files in new tabs:

$ vim-client-edit file1 file2 file3 

Make Vim server diff files (like vimdiff)

Comparing/diff up to eight files:

$ vim-client-diff file1 file2

Useful ~/.bashrc aliases:

Adding the following aliases to ~/.bashrc is recommended as it makes it easy to execute the command-line tools vim-client-edit and vim-client-diff:

alias gvim=vim-client-edit
alias vim=vim-client-edit
alias vi=vim-client-edit
alias vimdiff=vim-client-diff

Links related to vim-client