Next, we have a few module macros of the form MODULE_FOO(); most are quite intuitive:
- MODULE_AUTHOR(): Specifies the author(s) of the kernel module
- MODULE_DESCRIPTION(): Briefly describes the function of this LKM
- MODULE_LICENSE(): Specifies the license(s) under which this kernel module is released
- MODULE_VERSION(): Specifies the (local) version of the kernel module
In the absence of the source code, how will this information be conveyed to the end user (or customer)? Ah, the modinfo(8) utility does precisely that! These macros and their information might seem trivial, but they are important in projects and products. This information is relied upon, for example, by a vendor establishing the (open source) licenses that code is running under by using grep on the modinfo output on all installed kernel modules.