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Hi,

In response my last post, Joost Kremers suggested I use udev instead of
devfs. Which means I have to use a 2.6 kernel.

Until now, I've always worked with stock out-of-the-box kernels without much
(or more exactly: any) recompiling. Correct me if I'm wrong, but after
googling around a bit, it looks to me as if replacing my 2.4.26 kernel that
came with Slackware 10.0 with the 2.6.7 included in the 'testing' directory
on CD 2 is not exactly a trivial operation. I also read
the /boot/README-initrd, which confused me even more.

Question: can someone point me to some *reliable* doc on the subject? Some
nice and easy step by step tutorial that shows how to replace a 2.4 kernel
on Slackware by a 2.6 *without* being written for Doctors in Computer
Science? I don't care about reading *much*, I care about reading right
things that avoid hair-pulling as much as possible.

(And all this only because I wanted to use a USB stick AND a camera... Days
like these, I really get the hang of OS X -> 1/2 joking)

Cheers,

Niki Kovacs
--
Whereof one cannot speak, thereof one frequently goes ranting on and on at
ball-breaking length. (Ludwig Wittgenstein, Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus,
first draft)

Kiki Novak wrote:

>Hi,
>
>In response my last post, Joost Kremers suggested I use udev instead of
>devfs. Which means I have to use a 2.6 kernel.
>
>Until now, I've always worked with stock out-of-the-box kernels without much
>(or more exactly: any) recompiling. Correct me if I'm wrong, but after
>googling around a bit, it looks to me as if replacing my 2.4.26 kernel that
>came with Slackware 10.0 with the 2.6.7 included in the 'testing' directory
>on CD 2 is not exactly a trivial operation. I also read
>the /boot/README-initrd, which confused me even more.
>
>Question: can someone point me to some *reliable* doc on the subject? Some
>nice and easy step by step tutorial that shows how to replace a 2.4 kernel
>on Slackware by a 2.6 *without* being written for Doctors in Computer
>Science? I don't care about reading *much*, I care about reading right
>things that avoid hair-pulling as much as possible.
>
>(And all this only because I wanted to use a USB stick AND a camera... Days
>like these, I really get the hang of OS X -> 1/2 joking)
>
>Cheers,
>
>Niki Kovacs
>
>
The instructions in README-initrd are just about right (just did this on
a Gateway Solo, updating 2.4.26 to 2.6.7 about an hour ago); the only
thing you really have to worry about is what file system you have (if
you have reiserfs -- as I do -- the instructions are pretty plain).

What I did was

installpkg kernel-generic-2.6.7-i486-1.tgz
installpkg kernel-modules-2.6.7-i486-2.tgz
installpkg kernel-source-2.6.7-noarch-1.tgz
installpkg alsa-driver-1.0.5a_2.6.7-i486-1.tgz
cd /boot
mkinitrd -c -k 2.6.7 -m reiserfs
vi /etc/lilo.conf
add the stuff on the second page of the README.initrd exactly as shown
lilo
init 6

Works just fine.

Per the WARNING in the directory, I did not install the headers.

That'll get your kernel replaced, then look in /etc/rc.d/rc.modules and
see if you can just turn on whatever module you need for your USB ports
(if they're there, fat dumb and happy; if not, then you have to fiddle
with rebuilding the kernel which is, for now, beyond my understanding
but I'm sure somebody will give you advice on how to do that).

Thomas Ronayne wrote:

> The instructions in README-initrd are just about right (just did this on
> a Gateway Solo, updating 2.4.26 to 2.6.7 about an hour ago); the only
> thing you really have to worry about is what file system you have (if
> you have reiserfs -- as I do -- the instructions are pretty plain).
>
> What I did was
>
> installpkg*kernel-generic-2.6.7-i486-1.tgz
> installpkg*kernel-modules-2.6.7-i486-2.tgz
> installpkg*kernel-source-2.6.7-noarch-1.tgz
> installpkg*alsa-driver-1.0.5a_2.6.7-i486-1.tgz
> cd*/boot
> mkinitrd*-c*-k*2.6.7*-m*reiserfs
> vi*/etc/lilo.conf
> add*the*stuff*on*the*second*page*of*the*README.ini trd*exactly*as*shown
> lilo
> init*6
>
> Works just fine.
>
> Per the WARNING in the directory, I did not install the headers.
>
> That'll get your kernel replaced, then look in /etc/rc.d/rc.modules and
> see if you can just turn on whatever module you need for your USB ports
> (if they're there, fat dumb and happy; if not, then you have to fiddle
> with rebuilding the kernel which is, for now, beyond my understanding
> but I'm sure somebody will give you advice on how to do that).

1) Well, I'm using ext2 on the /boot partition and ext3 on every other one
(root partition, /usr, /var, /tmp, /home). So I don't exactly know how to
answer that question. My filesystem on the /boot partition? On /?

2) Second difference: I'm using GRUB, not LILO.

3) Maybe my question is a bit silly (although when I used to teach, I always
told my pupils that there's no such thing as a stupid question). Anyway:
does this install a complete working 2.6.7 kernel... or only the sources
and modules and you have to compile everything yourself?

4) What does the "init 6" after "lilo" mean? Just reboot?

In any case: thanks for your explanations.

Niki Kovacs

--
Whereof one cannot speak, thereof one frequently goes ranting on and on at
ball-breaking length. (Ludwig Wittgenstein, Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus,
first draft)

Kiki Novak wrote:

>Thomas Ronayne wrote:
>
>
>
>>The instructions in README-initrd are just about right (just did this on
>>a Gateway Solo, updating 2.4.26 to 2.6.7 about an hour ago); the only
>>thing you really have to worry about is what file system you have (if
>>you have reiserfs -- as I do -- the instructions are pretty plain).
>>
>>What I did was
>>
>>installpkg kernel-generic-2.6.7-i486-1.tgz
>>installpkg kernel-modules-2.6.7-i486-2.tgz
>>installpkg kernel-source-2.6.7-noarch-1.tgz
>>installpkg alsa-driver-1.0.5a_2.6.7-i486-1.tgz
>>cd /boot
>>mkinitrd -c -k 2.6.7 -m reiserfs
>>vi /etc/lilo.conf
>>add the stuff on the second page of the README.initrd exactly as shown
>>lilo
>>init 6
>>
>>Works just fine.
>>
>>Per the WARNING in the directory, I did not install the headers.
>>
>>That'll get your kernel replaced, then look in /etc/rc.d/rc.modules and
>>see if you can just turn on whatever module you need for your USB ports
>>(if they're there, fat dumb and happy; if not, then you have to fiddle
>>with rebuilding the kernel which is, for now, beyond my understanding
>>but I'm sure somebody will give you advice on how to do that).
>>
>>
>
>1) Well, I'm using ext2 on the /boot partition and ext3 on every other one
>(root partition, /usr, /var, /tmp, /home). So I don't exactly know how to
>answer that question. My filesystem on the /boot partition? On /?
>
>
/boot is where the kernel file (the one that's loaded into memory and
runs) along with other important files is found -- its name is 'vmlinuz.
When you upgrade to 2.6.7, there will be a file vmlinuz-ide-2.4.26 (your
old kernel) and a file vmlinuz-generic-2.6.7. There will be a symbolic
link from vmlinuz-generic-2.6.7 to vmlinuz (after you upgrade, not
before). The /boot directory does not contain your file system, it
contains the files needed for Linux to boot.

Your existing partition schema does not change, don't worry about that.

I suspect that you'd "mkinitrd -c -k 2.6.7 -m jbd:ext2" but you'd better
read the manual page (man mkinitrd).

>2) Second difference: I'm using GRUB, not LILO.
>
>
You're on your own for that one -- dunno squat about GRUB.

>3) Maybe my question is a bit silly (although when I used to teach, I always
>told my pupils that there's no such thing as a stupid question). Anyway:
>does this install a complete working 2.6.7 kernel... or only the sources
>and modules and you have to compile everything yourself?
>
>
A complete working kernel and the source (if you "installpkg
kernel-source-2.6.7-noarch-1.tgz"). The source will go into
/usr/src/linux-2.6.9 (there will be a /usr/src/linux-2.6.7 or something
like that already). If you need to compile the kernel, that's where
you'll do it.

>4) What does the "init 6" after "lilo" mean? Just reboot?
>
>
Yep, that's shorthand for shutdown and reboot.

>In any case: thanks for your explanations.
>
>Niki Kovacs
>
>
>

Kiki Novak <mickey@mouse.com> wrote:
> In response my last post, Joost Kremers suggested I use udev instead of
> devfs. Which means I have to use a 2.6 kernel.

> (And all this only because I wanted to use a USB stick AND a camera...
> Days like these, I really get the hang of OS X -> 1/2 joking)

If you don't want to upgrade to 2.6 you should probably be able to
configure hotplug to solve your problem. The idea is the following:

/etc/hotplug/usb.usermap contains lines with the identities of different
USB devices and scripts which should be run when those devices are plugged
in. The directory /etc/hotplug/usb contains the executable scripts that
usb.usermap is pointing to.

In your case you could try to have scripts doing something like this:

#!/bin/bash

if [ "${ACTION}" = "add" ] && [ -f "${DEVICE}" ]
then
ln -s "${DEVICE}" /dev/usbkey
fi

By making symbolic links to new names you could use the new names and
those will always point to the right device without having to consider in
which order the USB devices was plugged.

Maybe if you want to point out a partition the line instead should look
something like:

ln -s "${DEVICE}"1 /dev/usbkey_partition

Not very long ago I wrote a description on how to use hotplug together
with a digital camera, I think you will get the idea from:
http://groups.google.com/groups?selm...deads pam.com

regards Henrik
--
The address in the header is only to prevent spam. My real address is:
hc2(at)uthyres.com Examples of addresses which go to spammers:
svar@webtelevision.se info@webrider.ru root@localhost

Thomas Ronayne wrote:

> I suspect that you'd "mkinitrd -c -k 2.6.7 -m jbd:ext2" but you'd better
> read the manual page (man mkinitrd).

I did exactly that. Once I got over the initial repulsion of reading docs
that could result in breaking my entire system and make a general mess out
of my life... I found it very clear in factD

Googling showed me how to make the according entry in GRUB.

Correct me if I'm wrong. Now I have two new things to worry about:

1) udev instead of devfs

2) Where do we come from? Where do we go to? And where is ALSA?

Cheers,

NK
--
Whereof one cannot speak, thereof one frequently goes ranting on and on at
ball-breaking length. (Ludwig Wittgenstein, Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus,
first draft)

Kiki Novak wrote:

>Thomas Ronayne wrote:
>
>
>
>>I suspect that you'd "mkinitrd -c -k 2.6.7 -m jbd:ext2" but you'd better
>>read the manual page (man mkinitrd).
>>
>>
>
>I did exactly that. Once I got over the initial repulsion of reading docs
>that could result in breaking my entire system and make a general mess out
>of my life... I found it very clear in factD
>
>
Ah, but that's why we make book disks -- so we can save our butts from
ourselves.

>Googling showed me how to make the according entry in GRUB.
>
>
Cool beans.

>Correct me if I'm wrong. Now I have two new things to worry about:
>
>1) udev instead of devfs
>
>
There's a better response than I can give you later in the thread.

>2) Where do we come from? Where do we go to? And where is ALSA?
>
>
Same place it always was -- all you're doing is installing an update.
Does KDE play it's little tune? If not, rerun alsaconf and alsactl.

>Cheers,
>
>NK
>
>

On Sun, 24 Oct 2004 16:07:06 +0200, Kiki Novak wrote:

> Until now, I've always worked with stock out-of-the-box kernels without
> much (or more exactly: any) recompiling. Correct me if I'm wrong, but
> after googling around a bit, it looks to me as if replacing my 2.4.26
> kernel that came with Slackware 10.0 with the 2.6.7 included in the
> 'testing' directory on CD 2 is not exactly a trivial operation. I also
> read the /boot/README-initrd, which confused me even more.

> Question: can someone point me to some *reliable* doc on the subject? Some
> nice and easy step by step tutorial that shows how to replace a 2.4 kernel
> on Slackware by a 2.6 *without* being written for Doctors in Computer
> Science? I don't care about reading *much*, I care about reading right
> things that avoid hair-pulling as much as possible.

Some things are controlled by what modules are loaded which of course you
can change if you erdit init scripts.

A much easier method would be to go here and grab the stuff in this
package...

<ftp://ftp.slackware.no./linux/slackw...ting/packages/
linux-2.6.8.1>

You might want to archive a few files as I can't remember if pkgtool will
clobber the old kernel or not.

However this needs to be done on at least Slack 10 version or one that was
kernel 2.6* ready.

Myself I just grab a kernel from kernel.org and use my old .config file.
But for kernel newbies that might be a bit much.

If you do it this way you'll have a stock set of modules already built too.