I know how to compile and install packages, but is there some way to remove them easily? I have gcc 3.2 installed, but I want 2.95.3. Kernel 2.6.7 recommends this version of gcc.

I am trying to upgrade my kernel from 2.4.18 to 2.6.7. If I want to upgrade all the headers too, and everything in the /usr/src/linux directory, what should I do, since it is not recommended to keep libraries that were linked against the old version when the headers and stuff are the new version. How much stuff do I have to recompile?

If you are compiling/installing everything yourself (LFS?), you can check the different makefiles to see if they have an 'uninstall' target. If they don't, you can probably study the makefile to figure out what it did and undo it yourself (or write an uninstall target to do it for you).

Other than that, unless you've been using some kind of package manager/filesystem change logger, there is no real way to figure out what they've done.

Finally, if you are doing something like this, you should install each application (libs, headers, ... everything) in a separate directory. That would make remove/upgrades a hell of a lot easier.

Regards,

zakaluka.

I'm new to this of course. I have been going through LFS quite a bit so I know the routine but I wonder about compiler versions and such. I start out using GCC 3.3.3, but later install GCC 2.95.3, since it is certified for kernel compiling. So now, which am I using, 3.3.3 or 2.95.3? Or both? How can you have two different versions available concurrently? Can you be using the 2.95.3 compiler with the 3.3.3 libs?

Also, what if I start out with a system where everything has been made against some version, like 3.3.3, but I want to upgrade EVERYTHING to a newer version of compiler and libs? Apparently it's recommended NOT to remove the old headers or libraries or something because thus and such was compiled against them, I don't understand. Somebody explain to me how all this "linking against" stuff works. Can I somehow upgrade all my libraries and compiler but still use programs and kernel compiled with earlier version, or do I have to remake the entire system?

Is it possible to quickly summarize all the pertinent spots in the filesystem that are affected by a new installation of gcc libs and compiler, like what are the default places that files, libs, etc are installed in, and how can different versions be installed at the same time? Or if you compile and install a different version, does it just overwrite everything in the old version by default?

Thankz

* bump *

Its best to stay with the same compiler version. There are some problems if you are compiling programs with 2.95 and compile the kernel with 3.3.3. You can do a test and see what happens. Again its bests to stick with one version and test the program with earlier or latest compiler versions that you are going to install. During compiling the configure program gives you the option to pick what gcc compiler to use. Usually the first compiler you install will be used by default. If you installed compiler version 3.3.3 and 2.95, they should be in seperate directories.

The /usr/src/linux should be a symbolic link that points to the directory that contains the kernel version that you are running. No you do not have to compile with in /usr/src/linux. Make sure you backup your module directory and make sure you have the drivers that you compiled with your old kernel version. If you do not trust yourself, you can backup everything in the root directory. If you make it not bootable, you can always restore what you had from the backup.

Okay, to clarify. I'm used to Windows, where when you install a program it puts some files here and some more there, changes the registry a bit, goes over here and drops something, etc. Basically leaves traces all over the system. I don't know if Linux programs typically work that way too when they are installed, which is why I was asking about where programs put things and what external things they need. Can I count on having an executable or two that I can put where I like when the build is finished, or are there other files associated with the program to worry about too?

The compiler, for example; if it's supposed to be installed in separate directories, does it REALLY work that way, or is it just putting the gcc executable in a separate directory while having it refer to all sorts of extra files that are who knows where? In DOS, a program might have a bunch of files but you could count on them all being in the same main directory unless it was a really big application, so you could move them around or install different versions and have no problem.

So smaller programs might be like that but when it comes to things like glibc and gcc, I need to know where they are looking for their files, and what configuration files tell them where to look. How's this all work?

muchas gracias

Yes, but it depends on the LINUX distribution and if you compile source code or used RPMs. All I can say is navigate through the directory structure. That will answer your question further.

It depends if you installed from the RPM or from tar files. Yes the smart way to put the compiler in different directory.


Just make a backup and compile the new kernel. Then see what happens. You should not need to upgrade any of your gtk, kde, qt, XFree86, etc packages. Like I said in my previous post, you do need to re-install your video card module (driver), sound, and other devices that you have manually compiled in kernel version 2.4.18.

I do not know why you are so confused. Compiling the kernel will be seperate from the libraries that you have. Though you will have to upgrade the filesystem utilities, modprobe, insmod to work with the new kernel.

Actually the kernel is no problem for me since that's a self-contained file once it's built; I was thinking more along the lines of linked libraries and such. I'm still trying to figure out how things are interconnected in this filesystem but I think I'm getting the hang of it. It can be a trick for me to know exactly what happened after I typed 'make install' for whatever.

thankz