nix-config/modules/boot/kernel.org

#+title: Kernel Configuration
#+setupfile: ../headers

* Kernel Configuration
This module centralises everything related to the kernel: which
package to boot, which extra modules to load, which KVM module the
CPU needs, and a couple of modprobe quirks for specific devices.
Here’s the skeleton of the =nixos.kernel= module.
#+begin_src nix :tangle yes
{
  flake.modules.nixos.kernel = {
    pkgs,
    config,
    lib,
    ...
  }:
    with lib; let
      cfg = config.mySystem.boot.kernel;
    in {
      <<options>>
      <<config>>
    };
}
#+end_src

** Declaring the Options
#+name: options
#+begin_src nix
options.mySystem.boot.kernel = {
  <<opt-package>>
  <<opt-modules>>
  <<opt-cpu-vendor>>
  <<opt-v4l2loopback>>
  <<opt-extra-modprobe>>
};
#+end_src

*** Kernel Package
=package= picks which kernel to boot. I default to the Zen kernel for
its desktop-tuned scheduler, but a host can override it with a
hardened or hardware-specific kernel instead.
#+name: opt-package
#+begin_src nix
package = mkOption {
  type = types.raw;
  default = pkgs.linuxPackages_zen;
};
#+end_src

*** Extra Kernel Modules
=modules= lists any extra kernel modules a host needs beyond the ones
this module already adds on its own.
#+name: opt-modules
#+begin_src nix
modules = mkOption {
  type = types.listOf types.str;
  default = [];
};
#+end_src

*** CPU Vendor
=cpuVendor= tells the module which KVM module to load, since Intel and
AMD CPUs each need their own.
#+name: opt-cpu-vendor
#+begin_src nix
cpuVendor = mkOption {
  description = "Intel or AMD?";
  type = types.enum ["intel" "amd"];
  default = "amd";
};
#+end_src

*** Virtual Webcam
=v4l2loopback.enable= turns on a virtual video device. I feed it a
video source, and OBS Studio picks it up as if it were a webcam.
#+name: opt-v4l2loopback
#+begin_src nix
v4l2loopback.enable = mkEnableOption "Enables v4l2loopback kernel module";
#+end_src

*** Extra Modprobe Configuration
=extraModprobeConfig= lets a host inject raw =modprobe.d= lines. The
example below fixes a USB sound card that otherwise misconfigures
itself on boot.
#+name: opt-extra-modprobe
#+begin_src nix
extraModprobeConfig = mkOption {
  type = types.lines;
  default = "";
  example = ''
    options snd_usb_audio vid=0x1235 pid=0x8212 device_setup=1
  '';
};
#+end_src

** Wiring It All Up
#+name: config
#+begin_src nix
config.boot = {
  <<initrd-driver>>
  <<extra-modprobe-lines>>
  <<kernel-packages-and-modules>>
};
#+end_src

*** Choosing the Initrd Driver
Most of my machines have Intel graphics, so this module loads =i915=
early, in the initrd, to keep the Plymouth splash screen from flashing
or glitching before the proper driver takes over. Machines with an AMD
GPU instead load =amdgpu= early; the [[file:../hardware/amdgpu.org][AMD GPU module]] handles that
itself, so this module doesn’t need to know or care which GPU a host
actually has.
#+name: initrd-driver
#+begin_src nix
initrd.kernelModules = ["i915"];
#+end_src

*** Assembling Modprobe Configuration
This concatenates whatever a host set through =cfg.extraModprobeConfig=
with the v4l2loopback quirk line whenever =v4l2loopback.enable= is on.
#+name: extra-modprobe-lines
#+begin_src nix
extraModprobeConfig =
  strings.concatLines
  ([cfg.extraModprobeConfig]
    ++ lists.optional cfg.v4l2loopback.enable ''options v4l2loopback exclusive_caps=1 devices=1 video_nr=0 card_label="OBS Studio"'');
#+end_src

*** Kernel Package and Extra Modules
Finally, =kernelPackages= and =kernelModules= wire the chosen package
and modules through, appending the vendor-specific KVM module.
#+name: kernel-packages-and-modules
#+begin_src nix
kernelPackages = cfg.package;
kernelModules = cfg.modules ++ ["kvm-${cfg.cpuVendor}"];
#+end_src