Linux-tkg

This fork tracks upstream closely and adds some spice on top.

Note

New to linux-tkg? Start with the upstream project README to get familiar with the general concept, the available options and the build workflow. Come back here once you know the basics.

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Extra knobs in customization.cfg

All on top of what upstream already offers — knobs live in customization.cfg.

_nvidia_open — builds the open-source NVIDIA kernel modules alongside the kernel package

Value	Description
"false"	Disable (skips prompt)
"latest"	Lastest NVIDIA driver branch
"vulkan"	Vulkan developer beta branch
"legacy"	Older NVIDIA LTS driver branch

Examples:

_nvidia_open="vulkan"

Driver versions and supported kernels are pinned in linux-tkg-config/prepare.

_module_drv — build third-party out-of-tree (e.g. motherboard chipset) kernel modules alongside the kernel package

Examples:

# enable modules
_module_drv="nct6687 v4l2loopback"

# disable all — skips prompt
_module_drv="false"

Builds selected out-of-tree kernel modules into the main kernel package at build time. Supported modules:

Module	Chip / Controller	Description	Source
nct6687	Nuvoton NCT6687-R (common on MSI & Gigabyte boards)	Hardware monitoring driver (fans, temps, voltages)	Fred78290/nct6687d
it87	ITE IT8689E / IT8792E / IT87xx series (common on ASUS & ASRock boards)	Hardware monitoring driver (fans, temps, voltages)	frankcrawford/it87
v4l2loopback	Virtual (no physical chip; kernel-level loopback)	Creates virtual video devices usable as webcam sources (e.g. OBS → Zoom)	v4l2loopback/v4l2loopback

Companion options (all ignored when _module_drv is empty):

Option	Description
_module_drv_autoload	Space-separated subset of modules to autoload at boot via /usr/lib/modules-load.d/. v4l2loopback is autoloaded by default for compatibility.
_module_drv_options_<name>	Per-module modprobe options written to /usr/lib/modprobe.d/. Available for nct6687, it87, and v4l2loopback.
_module_drv_git_<name>	Pin a specific git ref (branch, tag, or commit) for a module, or set a full URL (https://… / git@…) to clone from a different fork entirely. Leave empty to use the default upstream repository at its default branch.

Examples:

# Enable two modules
_module_drv="nct6687 v4l2loopback"

# Autoload nct6687 at boot
_module_drv_autoload="nct6687"

# modprobe options for nct6687 (space-separated, produces a single "options" line)
_module_drv_options_nct6687="fan_config=msi_alt1 msi_fan_brute_force=1"

# Pin nct6687 to a specific commit
_module_drv_git_nct6687="abc1234"

# Or switch to a completely different fork URL
_module_drv_git_nct6687="https://github.com/otherfork/nct6687d.git"

These options below were added for personal testing and are left in for anyone who might find it useful.

_nvidia_open_sign — sign NVIDIA open modules (experimental)

_nvidia_open_sign="false"

When set to "true", all nvidia*.ko files in the NVIDIA open modules package are signed using the kernel's module signing key after building.

Useful in combination with _RESIGN_AFTER_STRIP to prevent unsigned-module taint messages. Requires CONFIG_MODULE_SIG=y. Has no effect when _nvidia_open is "false" or empty.

_module_drv_sign — out-of-tree module signing (experimental)

_module_drv_sign="false"

When set to "true", all active out-of-tree modules are signed using the kernel's module signing key after building. Alternatively, pass a space-separated subset of module names to sign only those selectively. Requires CONFIG_MODULE_SIG=y. Has no effect when _module_drv is empty.

_install_signing_keys — keep signing key in headers package (experimental)

_install_signing_keys="false"

When set to "true", the kernel module signing key and certificate are installed into the linux-headers package (useful for Secure Boot workflows or to prevent unsigned-module taint messages). Requires CONFIG_MODULE_SIG=y. Has no effect when is "false" or empty.

Warning

The key is stored unencrypted on disk. It is installed with permissions 400 (root-readable only), but anyone with root or physical access to the machine can extract it and sign arbitrary modules. If security is a concern, use full-disk encryption (e.g. LUKS) to protect the key against physical access.

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Install procedure

(Arch & derivatives)

git clone https://github.com/damachine/linux-tkg.git
cd linux-tkg
makepkg -si

(Generic / Gentoo)

git clone https://github.com/damachine/linux-tkg.git
cd linux-tkg
./install.sh install

_module_drv and its companion options should also work on Generic and Gentoo. Untested, use at your own risk.

install.sh has no effect when using on Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora.

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