Linux - NewbieThis Linux forum is for members that are new to Linux.
Just starting out and have a question?
If it is not in the man pages or the how-to's this is the place!
Notices
Welcome to LinuxQuestions.org, a friendly and active Linux Community.
You are currently viewing LQ as a guest. By joining our community you will have the ability to post topics, receive our newsletter, use the advanced search, subscribe to threads and access many other special features. Registration is quick, simple and absolutely free. Join our community today!
Note that registered members see fewer ads, and ContentLink is completely disabled once you log in.
If you have any problems with the registration process or your account login, please contact us. If you need to reset your password, click here.
Having a problem logging in? Please visit this page to clear all LQ-related cookies.
Get a virtual cloud desktop with the Linux distro that you want in less than five minutes with Shells! With over 10 pre-installed distros to choose from, the worry-free installation life is here! Whether you are a digital nomad or just looking for flexibility, Shells can put your Linux machine on the device that you want to use.
Exclusive for LQ members, get up to 45% off per month. Click here for more info.
Why wasn't this done with the initial install?????? I mean, bloody 'ell, I'm running dual Xeon 64-bit processors! Why doesn't the default kernel support 2GB of RAM?
*catches breath*
Ok, I'm sorry. Care to guide me through not blowing up my system on a kernel recompile in Mandrake Linux 9.2? I really, *really* don't want to mess this one up. How could Mandrake not detect that I had 2GB of memory at install?
Are both of your processors seen? I'm not familiar with Mandrake so I'm not sure if it comes SMP enabled. If not you can kill 2 birds with one stone.
the command to check is
GRRRRRRRRRRRRR.... why does this have to be so bloody hard?????
I'm stuck right here:
Now we need to edit the Makefile to make sure your new kernel is copied to the appropriate directory.
If you are using 8.1 or later, open /usr/src/linux/Makefile in a text editor, scroll to line 74 and
uncomment the the line #export INSTALL_PATH=/boot.
For 8.0 you must leave this line commented.
So...cd /usr/src/linux
pico Makefile
scroll to line 74 and
uncomment the the line #export INSTALL_PATH=/boot.
For 8.0 you must leave this line commented.
Now for the fun
make menuconfig (make your changes here...when done, save your new configuration)
make dep (sets all the kernel dependencies)
make clean (removes un-needed files)
make bzImage (builds the kernel)
make
make install (installs, moves and renames all the needed files and updates lilo)
make modules (builds all the kernel modules)
make modules_install (installs the modules)
I tried skipping the "Makfile" part because it seeemed slackware related, and I couldn't find that file on Mandrake. So then I moved onto the "make menuconfig", and I get a "No rule to make target 'menuconfig', Stop." error. It happens when I try any of the other "make" things as well.
This is killing me. I hate this @#^@$^ learning curve.
Dosen't look like it. But this isn't surprising or a big deal. Linux is designed to work with most of the normal setups ou there out of the box. You're lucky enough (and yes I'm jealous ) to have this monster and you'll need to take a bit of time to use it to it's fullest. Changing to SMP support and High Mem is only a matter of clicking a couple of buttons, but there's alot more optomizing you can do if you're going to recompile the kernel. You have to decide how far you're willing to go this first time.
Well... considering I probably want to do it right the first time, I probably should.
However, I really, *really* need to figure out just what the heck I'm doing first. It's this "overview" that I don't have in my mind right now. I don't know how much sense that makes to you, but when you see things from the "ground", you don't really get a very good picture. When you're flying overhead, however, everything all starts to make sense.
That's how it is with Linux (and learning in general, for that matter). Right now, I'm sitting on the ground, trying to feel my way around, knowing nothing, and relying on my air support (you) to try and guide me through this very... difficult process.
I know how much of this is on my part for it to just "click", but... right now I feel pretty hopeless. I need to have this box configured, operational, secure, and launched for a large-scale site in a month, and I'm starting to get scared that I won't be able to make that happen.
Originally posted by burnpile No we're not laughing!
This is a big pain in the butt until you get used to it.
You have to be root to run make menuconfig
you have to have Ncurses 2+ installed.
Try using make xconfig as well. Much nicer interface
I was running as root in the shell. I'm not sure what Ncurses 2+ is, or how to install it. In case you were following me in my other thread... I can't seem to get anything "installed". This is day 2 in Linux, and I'm 'bout to drive myself insane.
What would xconfig be? Another prog to install, or some text editor or something? In fact, nevermind that... I'll look it up on google. If you could help with the Ncurses 2+ though, I'd appreciate that.
Note that I'm not a completely worthless slob who can't do anything for myself. I've been looking up all this information since the butt-crack of dawn, but almost everything I find seems to distro-specific, or once I run into a bump, I get lost - mainly because I haven't a clue what they're asking me to do, or why I'm doing it.
Originally posted by duerra I was running as root in the shell. I'm not sure what Ncurses 2+ is, or how to install it. In case you were following me in my other thread... I can't seem to get anything "installed". This is day 2 in Linux, and I'm 'bout to drive myself insane.
What would xconfig be? Another prog to install, or some text editor or something? In fact, nevermind that... I'll look it up on google. If you could help with the Ncurses 2+ though, I'd appreciate that.
Note that I'm not a completely worthless slob who can't do anything for myself. I've been looking up all this information since the butt-crack of dawn, but almost everything I find seems to distro-specific, or once I run into a bump, I get lost - mainly because I haven't a clue what they're asking me to do, or why I'm doing it.
I'd bet my eyeteeth that Mandrake installed Ncurses. The problem could very well be the kernel source tree. Refer to my above post and see if it makes sense, or if you're missing something.
I don't know how much this means to you, but let me summarize:
2 GB of 4x512MB modules of RAM
2x2.4 GHz Intel Xeon Processors
36 GB, 15,000 RPM Seagate SCSI HDD
LSI 53C1030 controller
Unfortunately, I do not have exact model numbers (I don't think). I could probably call Dell on them, however, if you need them.
LinuxQuestions.org is looking for people interested in writing
Editorials, Articles, Reviews, and more. If you'd like to contribute
content, let us know.