installed kernel version?

cbielke · 12-11-2004, 03:42 AM

I have got a problem to find out which kernel version is really installed.

I compiled and installed an updated kernel. I followed the instructions in the SuSE admin guide. I have done this a few times before, and it always worked well. But now there is a strange problem.

The compiled version is linux-2.6.5-7.111.5.

But after a reboot, uname -a sais
Linux nacktmull 2.6.5-7.108-default #1 Fri Dec 10 11:34:19 CET 2004 i686 i686 i386 GNU/Linux
(nacktmull is my machine)

and cat /proc/version also sais:
Linux version 2.6.5-7.108-default (geeko@buildhost) (gcc version 3.3.3 (SuSE Linux)) #1 Fri Dec 10 11:34:19 CET 2004

The date Fri Dec 10 is correct (the time when I compiled the new kernel). But the kernel version should be 2.6.5-7.111.5 and not 2.6.5-7.108.

Does anybody have an idea why the reported kernel version number is the old one? Everything in the installation looks correct:

/usr/src/linux -> linux-2.6.5-7.111.5,
/boot/vmlinuz -> vmlinuz-2.6.5-7.111.5-default.

That's what you expect. Also the entry in /boot/grub/menu.lst sais
kernel (hd0,3)/boot/vmlinuz root=/dev/hda4 vga=0x317 splash=native desktop resume=/dev/hda3 showopts

I would like to make shure that I have the 2.6.5-7.111.5 installed. And I would like uname and /dev/version to report the correct version number.

abisko00 · 12-11-2004, 11:22 AM

I don't know how this could have happend, but I would say that the Makefile contains still the old version. If you are sure that you've installed the correct sources, then you could manually edit the Makefile to the correct version number (certainly requires to compile the kernel again).

Did you patch the old kernel or did you install new sources? I can't figure out how this could happen.

cbielke · 12-11-2004, 06:09 PM

The sources are not patched but downloaded when I did a SuSE yast online update.

The problem is: I think it should be the newer kernel, but I do not know how to verify this.

I do not know where the version information is written. Is it hard coded in the C source, or in the Makefile or in the config file?

If it is in the config file, could 'make oldconfig' have caused this problem?

abisko00 · 12-13-2004, 01:50 AM

The version should be set in the Makefile. Have a look at the first few rows.

I think most of the methods you've already used:

Code:

rpm -q kernel-source
rpm -q kernel-default
uname -r
ls -l /usr/src/linux
ls -l /boot/vmlinuz

Code:

$>cat /usr/src/linux-2.6.7/Makefile
VERSION = 2
PATCHLEVEL = 6
SUBLEVEL = 7
EXTRAVERSION =
NAME=Zonked Quokka
...

I usually clone the old kernel config with

Code:

zcat /proc/config.gz > .config
make oldconfig
make prepare

I think make cloneconfig does the same.

Since you seem to be german, I would highly recommend to have a look here:
http://www.thomashertweck.de/kernel26.html