Re: Upgrading R6 testing.

[Jeffrey Ebert <jebert@earthlink.net>]

Guy Maor wrote:
> 
> Someone that Bruce Perens was responding to, wrote:
> > > Memory says that the 1.2.13 kernel doesn't support built in ELF.
> > > Is this true?
> 
> It is not true.  But you must install H.J. Lu's patch,
> linux-1.2.11.elf.diff.gz.  When installing it to 1.2.13, you'll get
> many errors of 'patch already applied. assume -R?' and 'apply
> anyway?'.  Answer no to all of them (Use 'yes no | patch').  You also
> have to install a tiny patch to io.h to fix a difference in gcc 2,7.2
> inlining.  I have both of these if you can't find them.
> 
> Guy

This is only necessary if you want your kernel to be an ELF format
executable. The requirement for upgrading to Debian-1.1 is only having
binfmt_elf support in the kernel (not a module). This can be done with the
stock source-1.2.13 package. Here's the required line from .config:

CONFIG_BINFMT_ELF=y

In fact, one of my machines has been happily running unstable stuff with an
a.out 1.2.13 kernel with binfmt_elf in the kernel.  I am going to upgrade
soon, however, since 1.3.x is the "official" kernel for Debian-1.1. :)

It is important that our documentation, FAQs, and error messages make a clear
distinction between ELF _in_ the kernel (binfmt_elf) and an ELF kernel.

After all, it is not possible to generate an ELF kernel without first
upgrading to Debian-1.1. ;)

-- 
Jeff Ebert
jebert@earthlink.net
ho-hum