linuxboot / linuxboot/heads

Kernel configs - enabled but unused modules

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Description

There are a lot of modules enabled in the kernel configs that aren't included in the initrd - we should disable these if not needed to save space.

A few modules maybe should be builtin instead, such as AES support. Cryptsetup is configured to use the kernel crypto backend, which would seem to be impacted by this, although it does currently work.

Previously discussed in https://github.com/osresearch/heads/pull/1184#issuecomment-1320297144 and https://github.com/osresearch/heads/pull/1232#issuecomment-1320339869

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Research direction

Start by comparing the kernel configs with the modules included in the initrd, then review the linked pull-request discussions for prior decisions. Identify enabled modules that are unused and determine whether AES and other cryptographic support must be built in for cryptsetup's kernel crypto backend. Done means the unnecessary configuration is removed and the affected cryptsetup path still works.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
linux
Domain
operating-systems, security
Issue type
Refactor
Difficulty
4/5
Estimated time
3-5 days
Activity status
Stale
Clarity
Needs clarification
Newbie friendliness
30/100

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