Linux System - Table 12 > Packages - Table 8 > module-init-tools

The module-init-tools are a set of programs for loading, inserting, and removing Kernel Modules for Linux (versions 2.5.48 and above). It serves the same function that the modutils package serves for Linux 2.4. They are necessary because starting with 2.5.51, modules are handled differently. Every symbol of a module has versioning information, so that the Kernel can read the module and what hooks it uses, compare it to an internal database of what's critical and what's not, and decide whether the module can be used, even if it wasn't compiled specifically for the current running Kernel. This adds a lot more flexibility for people forced to run BinaryDrivers.