Date: Tue, 2 Sep 1997 11:01:07 +0930 From: Greg Lehey <grog@lemis.com> To: Sara Gronim <sgronim@panix.com> Cc: freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG Subject: Re: Kernel question Message-ID: <19970902110107.09113@lemis.com> In-Reply-To: <Pine.SUN.3.94.970901205500.27230C-100000@panix.com>; from Sara Gronim on Mon, Sep 01, 1997 at 08:56:42PM -0400 References: <Pine.SUN.3.94.970901205500.27230C-100000@panix.com>
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On Mon, Sep 01, 1997 at 08:56:42PM -0400, Sara Gronim wrote: > Hi, this is my first time writing to this service. > > Can i leave my generice kernel in place, build a new custom kernel and > then implemenet the new kernel at the boot prompt? Yes. > Is this possible, smart or in any way less risky than implementing > the new kernel and keeping a copy of the old one? No. It's pretty much the same thing. To understand why, you need to understand what the Boot: prompt does. When, it appears, it gives you about 5 seconds to enter something. If you don't, it'll try to boot the file /kernel from its default partition, normally /dev/sd0a (SCSI) or /dev/wd0a (IDE). If you install a custom kernel, you have the choice of renaming the old one, say, /kernel.GENERIC, and installing the new kernel as /kernel. Or you can leave the generic kernel where it is, and install the new kernel as, say, /kernel.ALLMINE. In either case, if you want to boot the kernel not called /kernel, you just enter its name at the Boot: prompt. Obviously, it's better to name the kernel you use more often /kernel. Having said that, there are some problems involved with multiple kernels. Some of the programs in /sbin and /usr/sbin are sensitive to the version of the kernel. ps, in particular, will often not work with a kernel of a different version. On the other hand, you shouldn't see any problems with kernels built from the same version but with different config files. Greg
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