Linux-UNIX: S-TAP compilation of K-TAP

There are hundreds of Linux distributions available, and the list is growing. This means that there might not be a K-TAP already available for your Linux distribution. If the correct K-TAP is not available, the S-TAP installation process can build it for you.

Most of the K-TAP code is independent of the kernel. The installer enables the code to interact with your kernel. This layer is delivered as proprietary source code. The installer builds the complete K-TAP by compiling this proprietary source code against your Linux kernel. This produces a K-TAP specific to your Linux distribution.

This process requires that the standard kernel development utilities, provided with Linux distribution, are present on the database server where the K-TAP is to be built. The development package must be an exact match for the kernel. The required packages are:
  • RedHat based servers:
    • kernel-devel-`uname -r` for booted kernel
    • gcc compiler package
  • Suse based servers:
    • kernel-devel or kernel-source(if available) for booted kernel
    • kernel-default-devel for booted kernel
    • gcc compiler package
  • Ubuntu/Debian based servers:
    • linux-headers for booted kernel image
    • gcc compiler package
Important: Ensure that the server has the minimum required GNU Compiler Collection (GCC) version or a newer version installed, as supported by the kernel.
When the installer attempts to build a K-TAP module, you see messages issued by guard-ktap-loader. These messages can include:
  • It is attempting to build
  • The build has completed
  • The K-TAP has been loaded
  • The build cannot be attempted because the kernel development package is not found