The Latest Kernel Release.

montagdude · 11-13-2019, 07:58 AM

The process I've settled on lately for my laptop:

slackpkg upgrade-all, but skip kernel-huge
Build initrd, etc. for new generic kernel, run lilo, and reboot.
If there are no problems with the generic kernel, upgrade kernel-huge as well and run lilo again.

This way I have the huge kernel as a fallback just in case there are issues, and I don't have to jump through hoops with slackpkg or do a lot of things manually.

drgibbon · 11-13-2019, 08:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by montagdude

slackpkg upgrade-all, but skip kernel-huge

Nice idea, thanks. I'm usually lazy and just `slackpkg upgrade-all`, I figure if the system falls over I'll just USB back in and install an old kernel, but your way is safer (without being too much hassle).

chrisretusn · 11-13-2019, 08:08 AM

I am currently set to boot to three different kernels.

Key section from /etc/lilo.conf

Code:

## kernel images ##
# Slackware64
image = /boot/vmlinuz
  initrd = /boot/initrd.gz
  label = Slackware64
# Working kernel
image = /boot/vmlinuz-working
  initrd = /boot/initrd-working.gz
  label = LastWorking
# Testing kernel
image = /boot/vmlinuz-testing
  initrd = /boot/initrd-testing.gz
  label = TestKernel

Applicable files in /boot

Code:

System.map -> System.map-generic-4.19.84
System.map-generic-4.19.82
System.map-generic-4.19.84
System.map-generic-5.4.0-rc7
System.map-testing -> System.map-generic-5.4.0-rc7
System.map-working -> System.map-generic-4.19.82
config -> config-generic-4.19.84.x64
config-generic-4.19.82.x64
config-generic-4.19.84.x64
config-generic-5.4.0-rc7.x64
config-testing -> config-generic-5.4.0-rc7.x64
config-working -> config-generic-4.19.82.x64
initrd-testing-tree/
initrd-testing.gz
initrd-tree/
initrd-working-tree/
initrd-working.gz
initrd.gz
vmlinuz -> vmlinuz-generic-4.19.84
vmlinuz-generic -> vmlinuz-generic-4.19.84
vmlinuz-generic-4.19.82
vmlinuz-generic-4.19.84
vmlinuz-generic-5.4.0-rc7
vmlinuz-testing -> vmlinuz-generic-5.4.0-rc7
vmlinuz-working -> vmlinuz-generic-4.19.82

enorbet · 11-13-2019, 08:15 AM

Just FTR my Main 14.2 install "/boot" houses 20 kernels for 5 distros, each of which is also chainloaded (has it's own bootloader installed to it's own "/boot") but I can recover any and all from just the one, or any of them. I could easily reduce that to 10-15 as several are rarely or even never used but I like the option of redundancy. I'm probably too paranoid but then again I am very safe, and I prefer manual. I'd probably store more than one spare tire in my trunk if space wasn't a premium there. It isn't on my hard drives.

cwizardone · 11-13-2019, 08:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Paulo2

.......I built the new 5.4.0-rc7 with the config-generic taken from Slackware testing/5.4.0-rc6 and the resulting kernel does build NVidia 440.31, go figure.

Well, then, I guess, the question becomes, what is the difference (in the configuration?) that allows the Nividia driver to build with one 5.40-rc7 kernel, but not the other?

drgibbon · 11-13-2019, 09:18 AM

Actually I'd kind of like it if slackpkg had an option you could set where "upgrade-all" would never actually upgrade kernels, but only install them (with all other packages being upgraded like usual). That along with a "clean-kernels" option that would nuke everything except the latest. I don't think that will happen, but it would be convenient

Paulo2 · 11-13-2019, 10:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cwizardone

Well, then, I guess, the question becomes, what is the difference (in the configuration?) that allows the Nividia driver to build with one 5.40-rc7 kernel, but not the other?

Still no luck with the stock testing 5.4.0-rc7, NVidia driver fails.

I built a new 5.4.0-rc7 kernel and modules with the stock /usr/src/linux-5.4-rc7 and stock .config file
(which is the same as config-generic file) and that kernel does build NVidia driver

Maybe "configure" kernel is getting something from my system.

Still VBox 6.1 beta2 doesn't build with any 5.4.

edit- all this with the new gcc(multilib) update.
I think it isn't related with multilib since in another -current install
without multilib (but with KDE5 and Xfce 4.14), NVidia doesn't build too.

cwizardone · 11-13-2019, 10:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Paulo2

...........edit- all this with the new gcc(multilib) update.
I think it isn't related with multilib since in another -current install
without multilib (but with KDE5 and Xfce 4.14), NVidia doesn't build too.

Agreed. I've tried it on a fairly new "fresh" install of -current with the recent gcc
update and with the gcc-multilib update and both failed.

SCerovec · 11-13-2019, 12:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ehartman

No: slackpkg upgrade expects only a single version of each package to be installed, so it is slackpkg and not slackware as total distro that really doesn't support two (or more) kernels in parallel.
I always have (at least) two kernel versions installed and often three:
- a "backup" kernel, as a safe and known to be working fallback choice
- the current active kernel, probably newer then the backup
- a "new upgrade" to be tested, NOT the default one at boot

Every time a newer kernel is announced I install it as the "new" choice in the boot menu,
try it, possible build NVidia, Vbox, etc modules FOR it.
Only when I'm comfortable with this new update I let it replace the "current" one (which will become the "old" one) by changing some symbolic links in /boot (no EFI here).
So after that I'm back again to two kernels.

I.e. in 14.2 the links are:
old: 4.4.190
cur: 4.4.199
new: 4.4.201

My bad

Totally agree

slackpkg was not intended for running more kernels (or other packages) in parallel by automagic
caveat: take care for parallel installed headers when building NVidia drivers

Slackware is and was intended to do what ever you might happen to achieve - intended or not - and to achieve it with reliability and grace.

P.S.
Children, don't drink and # rm -rfv / unless you're accompanied by, what you'd call "a trained professional"!

SCerovec · 11-13-2019, 12:08 PM

BTW said 5.4.0-rc7 seems to be running fine on said other computer - i7-2600S 8GB ram and GTX750 on modesetting

rkfb · 11-13-2019, 12:35 PM

The stable changelog says 4.4.201 is now available but I seem to have totally forgotten where it is.

slackpkg will offer to upgrade for me but I would rather download the packages manually. I ftp in to the server I have selected in slackpkg/mirrors but can't for the life of me find the new packages anywhere and I used to do it all the time!

Could someone be so kind as to point me in the right direction please? (I'm looking for a pre-built package rather than the source).

Aeterna · 11-13-2019, 03:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SCerovec

I guess that inconvenient side effect is to be expected?

There are only two ways to circumvent this, and both are manual I'm afraid:

1. Do the test run with the kernel and if it works - pick one to stick with

2. Alternatively, restrain from further package upgrading for the (short?) while you test-drive two kernels

It appears to me that Slackware does not really support (nor was intended for) running two installed kernel versions in parallel - think of kernel headers and the confusion for builds depending on having them present and assuming there are only one headers?

Could it be that running two parallel kernels is ought to be but a passing affair?

there are more than two ways of running safely several kernels in parallel:
for example I removed all slackware kernels and manually installed custom, so now running
slackpkg install-new
slackpg upgrade-all
slackpkg clean-system

does not affect installed kernels (I always have three kernels: stable that is one running for more than two weeks without single issue, current that will became stable if no issues found and experimental that is rcX)

because I rely on custom kernels, I don't see any reason to keep stock Slackware kernels and I don't have problems with system updates that are related to installed kernels

Paulo2 · 11-13-2019, 04:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rkfb

The stable changelog says 4.4.201 is now available but I seem to have totally forgotten where it is.

slackpkg will offer to upgrade for me but I would rather download the packages manually. I ftp in to the server I have selected in slackpkg/mirrors but can't for the life of me find the new packages anywhere and I used to do it all the time!

Could someone be so kind as to point me in the right direction please? (I'm looking for a pre-built package rather than the source).

This?
ftp://ftp.osuosl.org/pub/slackware/s...linux-4.4.201/

drgibbon · 11-13-2019, 04:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rkfb

slackpkg will offer to upgrade for me but I would rather download the packages manually.

You can also download them (without installing) from whatever mirror you have set in /etc/slackpkg/mirrors, with something like:

Code:

slackpkg download kernel

(there's probably a better way to filter the search though).

rkfb · 11-13-2019, 05:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Paulo2

This?
ftp://ftp.osuosl.org/pub/slackware/s...linux-4.4.201/

Thank you!