LinuxQuestions.org
Help answer threads with 0 replies.
Go Back   LinuxQuestions.org > Forums > Linux Forums > Linux - Distributions > Slackware
User Name
Password
Slackware This Forum is for the discussion of Slackware Linux.

Notices


Reply
  Search this Thread
Old 02-21-2005, 06:56 PM   #1
Pawnzeeknee
LQ Newbie
 
Registered: Feb 2005
Location: California
Distribution: Slackware 10
Posts: 9

Rep: Reputation: 0
Kernel upgrade, worth it?


I'm running slackware 10 on the defaul 2.4.26 kernel. I was thinking about compiling the newest stable kernel, 2.6.10, but was put off by how complicated it looked. I have two questions:
How complicated is getting a new kernel up and running, from downloading the source to using the new kernel?

Is 2.4.26 > 2.6.10 a large upgrade? is it worth it?

Thanks in advance,
Pawnzeeknee
 
Old 02-21-2005, 07:03 PM   #2
brokenflea
Member
 
Registered: Nov 2003
Distribution: Slackware 11.0, FreeBSD
Posts: 284

Rep: Reputation: 30
i would suggest doing it unless you don't like tinkering around and getting your hands really dirty. the only other reason i would suggest compiling it is there's a piece of hardware not working on your box that you need to run.
its not complicated though, you just have to know what to and what not to compile in the kernel itself. what i would suggest doing is, compile your own kernel but make sure you also leave your entry for 2.4.26 in the lilo.conf file, in case you wanna go back. once you're finished compiling it, just add the entry for 2.6.x in lilo.conf
 
Old 02-21-2005, 08:05 PM   #3
beaucoup
Member
 
Registered: Jun 2003
Location: Florence, SC
Distribution: Gentoo i386
Posts: 180

Rep: Reputation: 30
The 2.6 series kernels come with a really slick graphical utility for helping you to configure them. It can be time consuming, but as long as you know what you need, and what kind of hardware you have, it generally isn't too difficult.

Generally, everything will continue to function properly after a kernel upgrade. Do note that cd burner support changed completely from 2.4 to 2.6, though, and so you'll probably have to reconfigure any cd or dvd burners you use.
 
Old 02-21-2005, 08:15 PM   #4
DaWallace
Member
 
Registered: Feb 2004
Location: Southern Maine, United States
Distribution: Slackware Ubuntu Debian FreeBSD
Posts: 418

Rep: Reputation: 31
I find compiling your own kernel for the first time HIGHLY rewarding.. and 2.6.10 is GOOD. all the other 2.6 kernels I made were ditched a day or so later in favor of the latest 2.4 kernel.

I suggest you don't use a 'make install' on the kernel. it's far too likely that it'll just screw up your system and you'll need to use a boot disk to get your old configuration back.


I've never used it personally but I know exactly what it does and it's quite sketchy.. I recommend that you manually copy the kernel image and the system.map to your boot directory and update your boot loader accordingly.
 
Old 02-21-2005, 08:24 PM   #5
beaucoup
Member
 
Registered: Jun 2003
Location: Florence, SC
Distribution: Gentoo i386
Posts: 180

Rep: Reputation: 30
I didn't even know you COULD do a "make install" with a kernel. The manual install process is just so straightforward, it hardly seems necessary.
 
Old 02-21-2005, 08:31 PM   #6
DaWallace
Member
 
Registered: Feb 2004
Location: Southern Maine, United States
Distribution: Slackware Ubuntu Debian FreeBSD
Posts: 418

Rep: Reputation: 31
the world is better off not knowing... it's hellishly awful.
 
Old 02-21-2005, 09:45 PM   #7
sh1ft
Member
 
Registered: Feb 2004
Location: Ottawa, Ontario, Can
Distribution: Slackware, ubuntu
Posts: 391

Rep: Reputation: 32
It is pretty elementary so long as you read up. Like others I never bothered until it was needed to get some obscure piece of hardware working. If you're going to compile your own you might as well wait a week or so until 2.6.11 is released.

As for the make install thing, that sounds retarded and very bad practice.
 
Old 02-21-2005, 11:28 PM   #8
vharishankar
Senior Member
 
Registered: Dec 2003
Distribution: Debian
Posts: 3,178
Blog Entries: 4

Rep: Reputation: 138Reputation: 138
Yes. The proper way is
Code:
make xconfig
make mrproper
make bzImage
make modules
make modules_install
The bzImage, System.map and .config files should be copied to /boot with the appropriate names and symlinks. Add entry to lilo or grub pointing to the new kernel image and you're done.
 
Old 02-21-2005, 11:31 PM   #9
sh1ft
Member
 
Registered: Feb 2004
Location: Ottawa, Ontario, Can
Distribution: Slackware, ubuntu
Posts: 391

Rep: Reputation: 32
You can just type 'make'

Saves you typing both make bzImage and make modules, and it does the same thing.
 
  


Reply


Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is Off
HTML code is Off



Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Upgrade to 2.6.x kernel worth it?? Nz_Boy_2004 Linux - General 1 10-03-2005 11:57 PM
Is it worth the upgrade? 10.0>10.1CE Kramer Mandriva 1 10-22-2004 04:34 AM
Slack 9.1 -- worth the upgrade? cclavey Slackware 4 12-14-2003 10:01 PM
Worth upgrade old computer? matt3333 Slackware 6 11-30-2003 12:47 AM
RedHat 7.2 upgrade to 7.3: i it worth it? sewer_monkey Linux - Distributions 11 06-05-2002 04:37 AM

LinuxQuestions.org > Forums > Linux Forums > Linux - Distributions > Slackware

All times are GMT -5. The time now is 12:07 AM.

Main Menu
Advertisement
My LQ
Write for LQ
LinuxQuestions.org is looking for people interested in writing Editorials, Articles, Reviews, and more. If you'd like to contribute content, let us know.
Main Menu
Syndicate
RSS1  Latest Threads
RSS1  LQ News
Twitter: @linuxquestions
Open Source Consulting | Domain Registration