Re: kernel upgrade options

["Salman Ahmed" <ssahmed@interlog.com>]

>>>>> "J" == John  <joney@clara.net> writes:
    J> Firstly, when I boot, I do not get an opportunity apply any
    J> parameters - the reference to (I think) Peter Anwin and the boot
    J> prompt do not appear - the word 'loading' and a fast moving line of
    J> dots then right into the 'init' and up comes the log-in screen. (No
    J> time to pick up my coffee mug). What have I omitted?

I too have the same 'problem'. When I initially installed Debian a couple
of months ago, that was one of the first thing that I noticed. The Debian
boot process does not seem to give any opportunity to enter boot
parameters, the way that Redhat does by pausing at the LILO: prompt.

Since then I have compiled the 2.2.12 kernel a number of times and this
LILO boot behaviour has not changed.

I'd be interested in knowing why LILO behaves this way in Debian.


    J> I find some files confusing and am not sure what I should get rid
    J> of.  /usr/src now contains kernel-source-2.2.1.tar.gz (1.3M which I
    J> put there) and a directory kernel-source-2.2.1 which includes
    J> vimlinuz (1.3M) dated Oct 25.  /usr/include/linux still has Oct 5
    J> date (my original installation).  / has vmlinuz (19 Bytes) linked to
    J> /boot/vmlinuz also dated Oct 5 and /boot/vmlinuz-2.0.36 is 715K
    J> again Oct 5.  Does this make sense, and if so what is not needed?

Yes it makes perfect sense. You can delete the 2.2.1 source tarball as long
you have a copy somewhere else (CDs, another HD, etc.) or else be prepared
to download it again. You can also delete the kernel-source-2.2.1 directory
if you are running out of HD space, but then you will lose your kernel
.config file if you haven't backed it up somewhere.

The vmlinuz in /usr/src/kernel-source-2.2.1 can safely be deleted as the
one that is used to boot Linux is in /boot.

Hope that makes sense. If am I wrong, I am sure someone will correct me ;)

    J> If there is nothing sinister arising out of the above, I propose to
    J> apply patches 2 to 7 and then on to 12.

Are you running a production server ?? If not, then it would be easier to
just upgrade to the latest and greatest stable 2.2 kernel which would
happen to be 2.2.13 (hope you are not superstitious ;)).

If you are running a production server then it makes sense to upgrade the
kernel slowly.

HTH,

-- 
Salman Ahmed
ssahmed AT interlog DOT com