An engineer from SUSE has suggested a series of patches for inclusion in the linux-next branch, which will shape the functionality of the Linux 7.1 kernel. These patches aim to remove the ability to build the IPv6 stack in the form of a kernel module. The rationale behind this proposal is to simplify maintenance and eliminate unnecessary complications. It is noted that the option to build IPv6 in module form is primarily a remnant of historical reasons and is not commonly utilized in modern distributions, where IPv6 is either integrated into the kernel or completely disabled.
The issue arises when the kernel supports IPv6 assembly through a kernel module (CONFIG_IPV6=m), which leads to numerous subsystems having to add superfluous handlers to account for the possibility of the IPv6 module being unloaded. To address this, the engineer suggests limiting the selection to either embedding IPv6 into the kernel (CONFIG_IPV6=y) or disabling IPv6 entirely (CONFIG_IPV6=n). This streamlined approach would alleviate the burden on the network subsystem, BPF, Netfilter, and certain drivers from having to manage module unloading, ultimately streamlining operations.