What's /usr/src/linux-obj for?

rose_bud4201 · 07-03-2005, 02:14 PM

I just recompiled my kernel, and am now happily running along with 2.6.11. The install didn't switch the symlinks in /usr/src, however, and I'm wondering just how much of this is going to be an issue? As it stands now:

Quote:

[me@localhost ~]$ ls -l /usr/src/
total 24
drwxr-xr-x 2 root root 4096 2005-06-27 18:09 ATI
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 20 2005-07-03 11:46 linux -> linux-2.6.5-7.155.29
drwxr-xr-x 19 root root 4096 2005-07-03 14:45 linux-2.6.11
drwxr-xr-x 3 root root 4096 2005-07-03 11:39 linux-2.6.4-52
drwxr-xr-x 20 root root 4096 2005-07-03 11:46 linux-2.6.5-7.155.29
drwxr-xr-x 3 root root 4096 2005-06-02 15:52 linux-2.6.5-7.155.29-obj
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 24 2005-07-03 11:46 linux-obj -> linux-2.6.5-7.155.29-obj
drwxr-xr-x 7 root root 4096 2005-06-12 18:14 packages

(2.6.5-7.155.29 was the default SuSE 9.1 kernel.)

I can manually move /usr/src/linux to point to linux-2.6.11, but I'm not sure what linux-obj is used for, and since I don't have a linux-2.6.11-obj directory and google isn't being very forthcoming, I'm not sure if it's even necessary? Maybe I'm being overly analytical here, but I'd rather not start compiling my *explitive deleted* ATI kernel modules and be in the middle of it when I realize I forgot something

foo_bar_foo · 07-03-2005, 05:53 PM

hand it to novel (suse) to make the kernel source direstories into bizarre sprawling confusion.

just rename to backup those two links
(mv linux linuxOLD) and like that
unless you want to just delete them which is what i would do

no need for either one unless you are using some kind of suse specific build system (i know nothing about suse) but it sounds like you did the kernel on your own and didn't use suse crazy rpm with all the strange directories

the link /usr/src/linux if it's there at all should point to the current running kernel but most of us havn't used that link for many many years (it shouldn't hurt anything if you want it but definitely don't leave it pointing to the old kernel)

the other link is to some suse specific directory which is not part of the vanilla kernel so back it up or delete it and use non suse specific packages for modules and drivers you need

why do all the strange directories feel like an attempt to break interoperability with non-suse specific packages ? you just gota love those crazy computer companies..

rose_bud4201 · 07-03-2005, 06:00 PM

hehe, cool.
And yes, I just grabbed 2.6.11 from kernel.org...I figured a stock kernel was probably my best bet here. I moved linux to point to my current kernel, since the ATI module's make.sh looked like it was using the /usr/src/linux symlink, and left linux-obj where it was on the theory that it couldn't hurt. If it starts to, I'll delete it.
Thanks!