Arch Linux

Archiso

Member

Registered: 2020-08-05

Posts: 3

Help me... difference between "linux-api-headers" and "linux-headers"?

What is the difference between "linux-api-headers" and "linux-headers"??

ArchLinux.

$ pacman -Q|grep headers
linux-api-headers 5.6.11-1

$ uname -r
5.7.12-arch1-1

$ pacman -Ss linux-headers
core/linux-headers 5.7.12.arch1-1

So... what's exactly the difference between "linux-api-headers" and "linux-headers( in this case, 5.7.12-arch1-1)"

notice that the result of linux-header query and `uname -r` versions are the same(5.7.12.arch1-1), linux-api-headers looks like something "old version"
since i didn't install any linux kernel headers(linux-api-headers?), should i install it (pacman -S linux-headers)? and what will happen for that?

loqs

Member

Registered: 2014-03-06

Posts: 18,027

Re: Help me... difference between "linux-api-headers" and "linux-headers"?

If you wish to compile kernel modules the kernel headers are required.
The linux-api-headers are a sanitized version of linux-headers used by glibc.  linux-api-headers documents the features any supported kernel will provide.
linux-lts is on 5.4.y while linux-api-headers in on 5.6.y if there were any new userspace API features that would be an issue.

Last edited by loqs (2020-08-14 17:59:08)

Archiso

Member

Registered: 2020-08-05

Posts: 3

Re: Help me... difference between "linux-api-headers" and "linux-headers"?

The linux-api-headers are a sanitized version of linux-headers used by glibc.

thans for your reaply,,, what's the meaning     "sanitized version"    ? Can you be more specific?
Can i just remove "linux-api-headers" and replaced with lastest version "linux header"? Will that work?

Mr.Elendig

#archlinux@freenode channel op

From: The intertubes

Registered: 2004-11-07

Posts: 4,094

Re: Help me... difference between "linux-api-headers" and "linux-headers"?

tl;dr  linux-headers is for building out of tree kernel modules while linux-api-headers is for runtime software wanting to do syscalls and the like.

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