How to find the list of processes using a particular kernel module?

linux driver kernel-module
Raj picture Raj · Jan 27, 2012 · Viewed 26.9k times · Source

When I try to rmmod a module I get the error message "Error: Module in use" , lsmod | grep <module name> shows the count.
Is there a way that would tell me which processes are using this particular kernel module/driver?

Answer

wallyk picture wallyk · Jan 27, 2012

This was asked before, but there was no great answer, probably because there is no good way to accomplish to find what is using what.

The best suggestion is to dmesg and look for any indication of what loaded the module.

You might also try using the --force parameter to rmmod in case your kernel was built with support for it.

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