configure for Linux kernel properties

[Joachim Worringen]

Greetings,

we are developing Linux kernel modules outside the kernel tree (for good 
reasons), and use autoconf to set up our source tree. We need to adapt 
to the ever-changing kernel interfaces and structures.

The usual autooconf stuff, of course - the problem is that the 
AC_TRY_COMPILE macros do not work because I failed so far to get this to 
work reliable (proper CPPFLAGS, CFLAGS setting) for the kernel headers.

We are working around this using sed-constructs to check for things in 
the known header files. Of course, letting the preprocessor/compiler do 
this would be more reliable. I.e., what has been a function could be a 
macro in the next version, etc.

Does anyone have a recipe to make such tests work? What is needed is
- either a way to set up things for AC_TRY_COMPILE and friends to work
- or (the better solution) define macros that try to compile/link a test 
kernel module using the native Linux kernel build system.

 Joachim

--
Joachim Worringen, Software Architect, Dolphin Interconnect Solutions
phone ++49/(0)228/324 08 17 - http://www.dolphinics.com