Upgrade to 2.6 kernel, what am I missing?

jnsg · 10-12-2005, 11:07 PM

OK i just compiled and installed a 2.6.13 kernel, but when I boot to it some things don't work. The main one of these being my network connection. When I installed Slack, it went through the netconfig then and everything worked great. What changed when I boot to the new kernel? If I boot to the old one (as I'm doing now) everything works great. Also, I notice a few errors on boot about missing modules or something, I need to investigate further but first I'd like to get internet connectivity to facilitate the troubleshooting from the 2.6 boot.

MS3FGX · 10-12-2005, 11:23 PM

You need to find what module your NIC is using.

The easiest way would be to boot back into the original Slackware kernel, run "lsmod" and write down all the modules it shows there.

From there you could go to Google and search each one to figure out what it does.

Alternately, you could do "lspci", and write down the model of your NIC, and then Google that to find the appropriate module.

However you found the module name, you then go into the kernel config, an select it to either compile in, or load as a module. Then install the kernel/modules (whichever one you changed), and reboot.

mjjzf · 10-13-2005, 06:23 AM

Also, if you have a specific driver, it will probably have to be recompiled against the new kernel and headers.

KMcD · 10-13-2005, 07:02 AM

this is what I'd do. Get the slack 10.2 config for linux-2.6.13 kernel, here. Get the kernel source, here, unpack

Code:

bzip2 -dc linux-2.6.13.tar.bz2 | tar xvf -

and cd into it. Move the config file you downloaded here and rename to .config. Then do:

Code:

mkdir /stable-boot

Edit the Makefile, e.g.

Code:

emacs Makefile

and change line 552 from

Code:

export  INSTALL_PATH ?= /boot

to:

Code:

export  INSTALL_PATH ?= /stable-boot

Edit /etc/lilo.conf adding the following:

Code:

image=/stable-boot/vmlinuz
root=/dev/hda1
label=Slack10.2
read-only

Then run:

Code:

make menuconfig

exiting without changing anything, then run

Code:

make;make modules;make install;make modules_install

You now have the 2.6.13 kernel (test26.s on Slack10.2 bootdisk) installed. You can now tweak this kernel config for your system in the knowledge you have a fallback kernel. Before messing about change the installation path in the Makefile back to /boot or any other folder of choice. Hope I helped.

(you can skip the make menuconfig and go straight to make,etc.... I do it purely out of habit.)

mjjzf · 10-13-2005, 07:17 AM

This was actually one of the most clear instructions I have seen on kernel compiling. I will link to it from my page.
Earlier on, one should install Alsa after recompile. Is this still relevant? And if yes, won't it conflict with the fallback kernel?

KMcD · 10-13-2005, 07:21 AM

alsa is included in the 2.6.x kernels so you don't need to compile/install seperately. Just make sure alsa is enabled as modules only.

mjjzf · 10-13-2005, 07:31 AM

Brilliant. Am considering jumping into the 21st century by using a 2.6 kernel.

KMcD · 10-13-2005, 07:34 AM

easy-peasy. Have a look at the ck-patchset, here, to improve the speed of your (I assume) desktop machine.

mjjzf · 10-13-2005, 07:55 AM

Yes - desktop, laptop, tabletop... you name it.
This looks like the kind of thing which is tricky the first couple of times and afterwards you wonder why.

fireedo · 10-13-2005, 08:03 AM

KMcD, sorry but I have a really noob questions there are :
1: Where I should Untar the kernel ****.tar.bz2 ?
2: Can I use config linux-2.6.13 for kernel 2.6.13.4?
3: how to use "Ck-Patch" ? and what for?

thanx in advance

tuxrules · 10-13-2005, 09:47 AM

You can pretty much untar the kernel in any directory you want. Some say user home directory is a good place. I generally do it in /usr/src

Code:

cd /usr/src

fill in any directory other than /usr/src

Code:

tar -jxvf kernel-name.tar.bz2

move or copy the config file from slackware to the newly untarred directory

Code:

cp /config_file/directory/filename /usr/src/newly_untarred_directory/.config

Yes you can use the config file for 2.6.13 for 2.6.13.4 kernel. Infact you can use the same config file for future kernel upgrades if you **don't add new hardware** or **don't use/need new features** in your kernels.

Don't know about the CK patch

Tux,

jnsg · 10-13-2005, 11:54 PM

OK, I found my NIC's drivers and enabled them, I am now writing this from my new 2.6.13.4 kernel. Yipee. However, there are a few additional inconsistencies. For instance, when trying to run LILO in 1024x768, to get a nice small-font console (with Tux up top initially) I got no display at all. I was able to blindly log in and startx, which displayed just fine. From an rxvt I edited lilo.conf and turned it to normal display, so now it works fine. What do I need to do to use the higher resolution console? Also, my mouse seems to have increased in sensitivity. Not a crucial fix, but it's kind of annoying.

fireedo · 10-14-2005, 01:37 AM

thanx a lot tuxrules......

mjjzf · 10-14-2005, 03:17 AM

@ jnsg >
I assume you will have to enable the relevant framebuffer in lilo.conf?

KMcD · 10-14-2005, 05:04 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by fireedo
KMcD, sorry but I have a really noob questions there are :
1: Where I should Untar the kernel ****.tar.bz2 ?
2: Can I use config linux-2.6.13 for kernel 2.6.13.4?
3: how to use "Ck-Patch" ? and what for?

thanx in advance

tuxrules was spot on, you can put the source anywhere you want. I now always patch the kernel with either the ck patch or the nitro patch. I create a new folder:

Code:

mkdir /usr/src/Patched

and unpackage the source there. Change into the source directory:

Code:

/usr/src/Patched/linux-2.6.13

and copy the patch file (patch-2.6.13-ck8.bz2) here. Then to patch the source use the command:

Code:

bzip2 -dc patch-2.6.13-ck8.bz2|patch -p1

Use the config-2.6.13 now, changing it to .config

Then follow the instructions as before. I hope I've made this clear, any more questions just let me know. You can change these instructions for any patchset, have a look on the web, some may have a feature you really want such as Software Suspend 2 or Reiser4, etc. Just experiment and find what suits you best. And if you make a mistake you'll still have a stable kernel in /stable-boot safe and sound.

The ck patchset makes changes to the schedulers in the kernel (you'll need to ask others about what that means) and adds other enhancements (like swap-prefetching) which make your pc run faster. On my laptop (which has quite a good cpu) the effect is small but on my aging dell desktop the effect of this patch is quite noticeable.