Kernel Concepts The two different types of Linux kernel are: A: Monolithic A monolithic kernel is one which has support for all hardware, network, and filesystem compiled into a single image file. B: Modular A modular kernel is one which has some drivers compiled as object files, which the kernel can load and remove on demand. Loadable modules are kept in /lib/modules. The advantage of a modular kernel is that it doesn’t always need to be recompiled when hardware is added or replaced on the system. Monolithic kernels boot slightly faster than modular kernels, but do not outperform the modular kernel.
