may i know what is the use of System.map and config files in the boot folder. i had compiled kernel-2.6.6 i tried symlinks for both files(System.map and config) like this:-

ln -s /boot/System.map-2.6.6 /boot/System.map for System.map.

ln -s /boot/config-2.6.6 /boot/config for config.

but it says file exist for both files.

but when i mouse over the 2 files in the boot folder it says:-

"config->config-ide-2.4.22 Plain Text Document (link)"

"System.map->System.map-ide-2.4.22 Plain Text Document (link)"

im not sure whether am i using the correct System.map and config files for the new kernel-2.6.6 and also i want to know the use of this files when booting with the new kernel-2.6.6. will it affect my new kernel such as missing out some compiled options which i wanted to be in.

for your infor i used shilo's "This is how i do it all -- Time for a New Kernel" post.

thanks and regards.

i believe its because there is already a sym link pointing to the old sytem and config files.
i think if you do a rm -f config and a rm -f system.map it will remove the link then you can do your ln -s to point to the new files.
hope this helps, im a newbie too so if im wrong someone please chime in

System.map info: Click

Copying your kernel's .config into /boot is just like backing up your current kernel config, so that you need not reconfigure from scratch if let's say you've deleted your kernel sources and it's .config file.

That's all there is to it.

great link - thanks Azmeen!

cd /boot
mv System.map System.map.old
mv config config.old
mv vmlinuz vmlinuz.old

cd /usr/src/linux
cp .config /boot/config-ide-2.X.X
cp System.m arch/i386/boot/bzImage /boot/vmlinuz-ide-2.X.X
cp arch/i386/boot/bzImage /boot/vmlinuz-ide-2.X.X

cd /boot
ln -s vmlinuz-ide-2.X.X vmlinuz
ln -s System.map-ide-2.X.X System.map
ln -s config-ide-2.X.X config

This will allow you to add the old kernel in lilo incase your new (read untested) one doesn't work. Just add a section like the linux one in there already and add .old to the label and the image.

Glad to be of help

hi Azmeen thats a great info about System.map. according to that infor i guess i can leave the System.map-2.6.6 file as it is and boot with the newly compiled kernel-2.6.6 and let it find the correspoding System.map file on its own

here is the infor extracted for the links given by Azmeen.

"System.map also has versioning information, and klogd intelligently searches for the correct map file. For instance, suppose you're running kernel 2.4.18 and the associated map file is /boot/System.map. You now compile a new kernel 2.5.1 in the tree /usr/src/linux. During the compiling process, the file /usr/src/linux/System.map is created. When you boot your new kernel, klogd will first look at /boot/System.map, determine it's not the correct map file for the booting kernel, then look at /usr/src/linux/System.map, determine that it is the correct map file for the booting kernel and start reading the symbols."

may i also ask what is klogd?

thanks and regards.

Kernel Log Daemon