[PLUG] New kernel won't boot

Russell Senior seniorr at aracnet.com
Sun Oct 12 23:44:01 UTC 2003


>>>>> "Rich" == Rich Shepard <rshepard at appl-ecosys.com> writes:

Rich> On Sun, 12 Oct 2003, Russell Senior wrote:
>> What is wrong with "make install"?

Rich>   The kernel-HOWTO recommends against it.

But fails to say why.  BTW, who _is_ Alavoor Vasudevan?  

"make install" works fine for me and presumably millions of others
around the world.  It is in the kernel README file.  "make install"
invokes[1] /sbin/installkernel, which your distribution probably
provides to do the right thing.  /sbin/installkernel (at least on my
boxes) not only copies the kernel to the right place, but also puts a
config-<version> and System.map-<version> in /boot, adjusts symbolic
links so that /boot/vmlinuz points at the most recently "installed"
kernel (and System.map and config likewise), and /boot/vmlinuz-old to
the next most recently installed, etc.  You still probably need to
adjust /boot/grub/menu.lst (or /etc/lilo.conf) yourself.

[1] a) the top-level Makefile includes arch/$(ARCH)/Makefile

    b) arch/i386/Makefile includes the "install" target to call,
       effectively:
  
         make -C arch/$(ARCH)/boot BOOTIMAGE=bzImage install

       which, effectively calls "make" as if from arch/$(ARCH)/boot.

    c) arch/i386/boot/Makefile's "install" target calls
       arch/i386/boot/install.sh with various arguments.

    d) arch/i386/boot/install.sh checks for, in order: 
 
         i) a user-specific script: ~/bin/installkernel; or

         ii) a system-wide script: /sbin/installkernel; 
   
       found, they are exec'd.  If neither is found, it moves existing
       $(INSTALL_PATH)/vmlinuz and $(INSTALL_PATH)/System.map aside
       (to foo.old) and copies the new ones into $(INSTALL_PATH)

Note also, the build system has been revamped a bit for 2.6.  Check
the README for details.

-- 
Russell Senior         ``shtal latta wos ba padre u prett tu nashtonfi
seniorr at aracnet.com      mrlosh''  -- Bashgali Kafir for ``If you have
                         had diarrhoea many days you will surely die.''




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