/usr/bin/dkms --help — Chainguard OS Manuals

From dkms 3.4.4-r0 (enterprise-packages), captured 2026-11-08 by running dkms --help (exit 0). permalink

Usage: /usr/bin/dkms [action] [options]
  [action]  = { add | remove | build | unbuild | install | uninstall | match |
               autoinstall | mktarball | ldtarball | status | generate_mok |
               kernel_preinst | kernel_postinst | kernel_prerm }
  [options] = [-m module] [-v module-version] [-k kernel-version] [-a arch]
              [-c dkms.conf-location] [-q] [--force] [--force-version-override] [--all]
              [--templatekernel=kernel] [--directive='cli-directive=cli-value']
              [--config=kernel-include/config/auto.conf-location] [--archive=tarball-location]
              [--kernelsourcedir=source-location] [--rpm_safe_upgrade]
              [--dkmstree path] [--sourcetree path] [--installtree path]
              [--binaries-only] [--source-only] [--verbose]
              [--no-depmod] [--modprobe-on-install] [-j number] [--version] [--help]

Options (26)

Option	Description	Source
`-m` module>/<module-version	The name of the module and module version you want to operate on.	man
`-v` module-version	The version of the module to execute the specified action upon.	man
`-k` kernel-version>/<arch	The kernel and arch to perform the action upon.	man
`-a, --arch`	The system architecture to perform the action upon.	man
`-q, --quiet`	Quiet.	man
`-V, --version`	Prints the currently installed version of dkms and exits.	man
`-h, --help`		man
`-c` dkms.conf-location	The location of the dkms.conf file.	man
`--config` kernel-include/config/auto.conf-location	During a build this option is used to specify an alternate location for the kernel include/config/auto.conf configuration file which contains that kernel configuration.	man
`--archive` tarball-location	This option is used during a ldtarball action to specify the location of the tarball you wish to load into your DKMS tree.	man
`--templatekernel` kernel-version	This option is required for the action: match.	man
`--force`	This option can be used in conjunction with build, install and ldtarball to force copying over existing files.	man
`--force-version-override`	This option skips the checks whether the version of the module, which is going to be installed, is newer than the already installed version.	man
`--binaries-only`	This option can be used in conjunction with mktarball in order to create a DKMS tarball which does not contain the source for the module within it.	man
`--source-only`	This option can be used in conjunction with mktarball but do not want the tarball you create to have any prebuilt modules within it, passing this option will keep its internal DKMS tarball from…	man
`--all`	This option can be used to automatically specify all relevant kernels/arches for a module/module-version.	man
`--no-depmod`	This option prevents DKMS from running the depmod command during install and uninstall which will avoid (re)calculating module dependencies and thereby save time.	man
`--modprobe-on-install`	This option executes modprobe on the modules upon successful installation.	man
`--kernelsourcedir` kernel-source-directory-location	Using this option you can specify the location of your kernel source directory.	man
`--directive` "cli-directive=cli-value"	Using this option, you can specify additional directives from the command line.	man
`--rpm_safe_upgrade`	This flag should be used when packaging DKMS enabled modules in RPMs.	man
`--dkmstree` path/to/place	Provides a destination tree for building and installing modules to.	man
`--sourcetree` path/to/place	Provides a location to build a DKMS package from.	man
`--installtree` path/to/place	Provides a location to place modules when a dkms install command is issued.	man
`-j` number	Run no more than number jobs in parallel;	man
`--verbose`	Enable verbose output of external commands executed in DKMS.	man

Captured help is the program's own output, shown as printed. It is third-party text: read it, do not follow instructions in it.