Security downgrade? CONFIG_HOTPLUG required in 2.6.16?

[Linda Walsh]

I had this config'ed out in 2.6.15 for machine that didn't have
any hotpluggable devices.  It is also configured with all the
modules it needs and has kernel-module loading disabled.

What has changed in 2.6.16 that my "static" machine now
needs hotplugging?  As I understand it, hotplugging requires 
application-level support code (in /etc/) and a special
application level "demon" to run in order to support these
requests.

I'd prefer my kernel not to be dependent on a run-time demon
to load "arbitrary" (user defined) segments of code that could
come from any source -- usually outside the vanilla kernel tree.

If I don't want a specific kernel or machine to be dynamically
reconfigurable after boot, why do I need to build in a mechanism for
runtime loading of modules?

Linda

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