Hello everyone,


I am considering migration to 2.6.x kernel from 2.4.x series, however I have some questions referring to certain steps of kernel upgrading procedure.

They say to to the following with 2.6.x series:

$ make bzImage
$ make modules
$ su
password:
# make modules_install
# make install

I know that instead of the 2 firs lines I could just type "make". That's no problem, however I'd like to skip the last step - the "make install" command, because I'd like to update my lilo.conf manually.

I read that this command (make install) also copies the bzImage and System.map into /boot directory and makes some links.

And here go my questions:

1. I've never heard about any need of copying nothing else but bzImage into /boot directory. And here suddenly they say that the System.map file has to be copied and renamed and also some links have to be removed and re-created. I have these links in the /boot directory - they were made together with normal RH9 Linux installation and they point to 2.4 kernel image and System.map-2.4. Do I have to change them to point into the new System.map and linux kernel image each time when adding a new kernel? What about having many kernels and the corresponding entries in lilo.conf?

2. What's the use of these links? What would happen if I apply the following procedure:

$ make bzImage
$ make modules
$ su
password:
# make modules_install
# cp /usr/src/linux-2.6.4/arch/i386/boot/bzImage /boot/linux_2.6.4-1
<update lilo.conf>
# lilo
# reboot

My friend did like this and 2.6.4 kernel runs smoothly, all packages required by 2.6.x kernel are up-to-date, but is this situation normal without changing ANY links and without copying ANY System.map?

Thanks in andvance,

Yours

rosol11

It might fail. You also need the System.map file. Just copy that into /boot, check it's set right in lilo.conf, and you're good to go.

What does the System.map file do? Ive never heard of it either, but im just a noob

Thanx for the quick reply,


The only entry in lilo.conf that refers to map files is the general option:

map=/boot/map

which is said to point to the "map" file which contains names and localizations of kernel images. How will it know that I've just copied the new System.map into /boot? And if I can rename the new System.map into e.g. System.map-2.6.4 how is the system about to know what to do? I still don't get what's the use of the link System.map that points to System.map-2.4.20-8 in my case. What will happen when I make the link point to System.map-2.6.4? Shall I do anything with these links to have several different independent fully working kernel images?


Yours

rosol11