Is it possible to use slapt-get to install things such as the kernel?
I know you can tell it to ignore the excluding of such things, but i doubt how safe that would be.

Only... I dont really want to upgrade the kernel with the how-tos i've seen b/c they all assume you are doing a fresh installation.

I'd compile a new kernel if i wasn't so much of a

If you remove the kernel from the exclude list, it will update the kernel any time a new version is available. They usually exclude this because newbies will update the kernel and may not even realize it, therefor not rerun lilo and their system will not boot back up. Or they leave alsa on the exclude list and now the kernel changes, also doesn't and they lose sound. You can use the change logs. Download the apps and then use upgradepkg to do it manually. But always remember to run lilo if you upgrade the kernel.

FWIW I would recommend that you take the time to learn to compile a kernel. I had to because it was the only way for me to get my IPW2200 wireless to work.

It *is* scary for a newbie (which I certainly am) but there are very good guides out there that walk you through it step by step. The kernel compilation utilities can be intimidating, but keep reading and if in doubt choose "Yes". you will probably end up with a huge and unbootable kernel the first times (I sure did, took me about 12 to get it right!) but with a little refinement it's not that bad.

Check out kernelnewbies.org , they have a good FAQ and it is very satisfying to finally see your very own kernel boot successfully and the machine do what you want

1 members found this post helpful.

I would absolutely, under no circumstances, upgrade a kernel through any automated system. I don't even like to use the stock kernels in the first place.

If you are serious about Linux, and want to run a distro like Slackware, you need to learn how to compile the kernel.

After the first time, it becomes second nature. Just read one of the many howto's (there is good one pinned to the top of the Slackware forum) and read through it and take your time.

And, as always, Don't Panic.

So if i install the kernel that Pat has set up for me... all i'd have to do was to have it ignore the exceptions and rerun the lilo configuration inside pkgtool... that's what u meant by rerun lilo?

No need to run lilo configuration again, just plain "lilo" from the commandline without arguments after installpkg should do the trick. Personally I see no reason to compile kernel if you don't need to do it to get your hardware working or something like that. I have used Linux for 5 or 6 years now and have never ever compiled a kernel in my life, nor do I plan to do it anytime soon. Rest assured that I'm quite "serious with linux" despite this, to me kernel compilation without a reason just seems like "perfecting the irrelevant" as S.R. Raganathan would put it

If you still want to go with kernel compilation, the topic is covered briefly in Slackware Book available online here: http://www.slackbook.org/

I've run slapt-get and then lilo... even liloconfig and all... it still says i'm running a 2.4 kernel.
I dont get it. I'm gonna look into this. I think Pat may still have kernel 2.6 in the "testing" section which wouldn't be installed by slapt-get, but then why would it upgrade to another 2.4 kernel?

I think I might just have a crack at compiling if it doesn't seem too complicated and time-consuming.

Slapt-get won't get you something from testing by default (you may can make it to do that, but never tried).
You could get the packages by downloading them from some mirror and installing them yourself (runnning lilo and blabla).
But my best recommendation is to compile your own kernel, it's a beatifull learning experience.

i've had to compile kernels frequently to handle odd hardware or extra functionality. it's really a good thing to learn, imho. and it's not really that hard at all. you ought to keep the default config you're using, and use that as a base or starting point to build the new kernel. even if you end up changing or adding nothing, you've still learned how to compile a kernel while not losing anything you have now.

here's an abbreviated guide you can follow. this method has never failed me. you can also read the howto sticky at the top of the slackware forum for more in depth discussion.

prelim: find a .config file to use. if you don't have one on your system, you can find one on the CD, in the kernel section. bare.i is probably what you want, unless you have specific requirements for raid, scsi, etc. you can also get the bare.i config here: http://slackware.mirrors.pair.com/sl...ernels/bare.i/. save it to your home directory somewhere, let's say in /home/user/kernel.

then, go to kernel.org, and get the kernel version you want. i usually note what's listed as the "latest stable version" and if i haven't read of anyone having trouble with it, get it from the http or ftp server (i.e., don't just get the patch that's linked on the front page). su to root, and go to it:

1. cd /usr/src
2. cp /home/user/kernel/linux-2.6.x.tar.bz2 . (the dot tells it to copy to the current dir, or you can type /usr/src explicitly)
3. tar -xvjf linux-2.6.x.tar.bz2 (or: tar -zxvf linux-2.6.x.tar.gz if you got the .gz)
4. rm linux-2.6.x.tar.bz2
5. ln -s linux-2.6.x linux
6. cd linux
7. cp /home/user/kernel/config ./.config ("dot slash dot config")
8. make menuconfig
9. go through menuconfig and add what you need, take out what you know you don't, or just leave the default selections if that is working for you
10. exit the menuconfig, saving the new kernel config when it asks you
11. make && make modules_install
12. stretch your legs
13. when it's done, cp arch/i386/boot/bzImage /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.x
14. cp System.map /boot
15. vim /etc/lilo.conf
16. copy one of your complete kernel entries, and change the image to the new kernel you just made (image=/boot/vmlinuz-2.6.x) and the label to something that doesn't conflict with an existing kernel label
17. :wq
18 lilo
19. if there are no lilo errors, you should be able to boot your new kernel
20. reboot!

if it works, save /usr/src/linux/.config to /home/user/kernel/.config-2.6.x. then anytime you need to rebuild a kernel in the future, you can just load up the same options.

have fun

I would have to agree with chefmark. Once you've successfully compiled a couple of kernels, compiling a program is A LOT less nerve-wracking. Plus, you get to be blase about it to all the other newbies who are still intimidated by it!

Compiling a kernel is really not that difficult. Difficult is trying to remove spyware from a Windows registry. The tricky part in making the kernel is knowing your hardware well enough to successfully pare it down in menuconfig. But if you just go with a currently working kernel config and only add what you specifically need, or remove something that is causing issues, then the process is not to be fretted.

I'm gonna try it. I want to learn as much as i can about linux and i'd say i'm getting good. tried most major and some not-so-major distros and know tons more than i should for only 6 months of linux use. 2 of which were actually not running linux b/c of a partition table corruption brought on by windows not liking linux using my usb 1.1 and the fact that i was still dependant on having a windows partition.

I'm gonna compile!

BTW, do i have to mess with alsa or anything? is that last step REALLY lilo?
Also, if there was a program that needed 2.4.x kernel... then 2.6.x should handle it fine... in other words, will any of my programs become strange?

UPDATE! ARG!

make -C block modules_install
make[2]: Entering directory `/usr/src/linux-2.4.31/drivers/block'
mkdir -p /lib/modules/2.4.31/kernel/drivers/block/
cp DAC960.o cciss.o cpqarray.o nbd.o sx8.o umem.o xd.o /lib/modules/2.4.31/kernel/drivers/block/
cp: cannot stat `DAC960.o': No such file or directory
cp: cannot stat `cciss.o': No such file or directory
cp: cannot stat `cpqarray.o': No such file or directory
cp: cannot stat `nbd.o': No such file or directory
cp: cannot stat `sx8.o': No such file or directory
cp: cannot stat `umem.o': No such file or directory
cp: cannot stat `xd.o': No such file or directory
make[2]: *** [_modinst__] Error 1
make[2]: Leaving directory `/usr/src/linux-2.4.31/drivers/block'
make[1]: *** [_modinst_block] Error 2
make[1]: Leaving directory `/usr/src/linux-2.4.31/drivers'
make: *** [_modinst_drivers] Error 2


WTF mates?

It would be usefull to know which steps did you take to get there

1. cd /usr/src
2. cp /home/user/kernel/linux-2.6.x.tar.bz2 . (the dot tells it to copy to the current dir, or you can type /usr/src explicitly)
3. tar -xvjf linux-2.6.x.tar.bz2 (or: tar -zxvf linux-2.6.x.tar.gz if you got the .gz)
4. rm linux-2.6.x.tar.bz2
5. ln -s linux-2.6.x linux
6. cd linux
7. cp /home/user/kernel/config ./.config ("dot slash dot config")
8. make menuconfig
9. go through menuconfig and add what you need, take out what you know you don't, or just leave the default selections if that is working for you
10. exit the menuconfig, saving the new kernel config when it asks you
11. make && make modules_install

then the error. I had to reinstall Pat's kernel to get sound and visual working again after i rebooted after that and my cd drives have errors everytime i try to mount them. Plus sound is screwy on some things like flash though it has correct permissions, i hink it might be an alsa-oss issue now. Should i use other instructions... only those are so straightforward.

i dont know if i have to continue to get my cd operability back.

what's all that "make -C block modules_install" you mentioned? don't do that, just "make && make modules_install" after the make menuconfig. you could try a make clean, but afaik, make covers that in 2.6.x. make mrproper is worth a shot before the make && make modules_install, just move your .config file first b/c i think mrproper might nuke it.

what happened in step 9, and btw what config are you using? it sounds like perhaps you might not have some of the right kernel options selected.

fwiw, those instructions even work on my debian box, and they've worked on any distro i've ever used including every slack install, ubuntu and even arch (where, like debian, you're "supposed" to use the package manager, etc.)

i would start over from scratch making sure to follow each step exactly as it's listed (with the adding of make mrproper before make && make modules_install). if you keep having a problem, definitely post again.