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Date:      Sun, 15 Oct 2000 09:40:45 -0700 (PDT)
From:      John Baldwin <jhb@FreeBSD.ORG>
To:        Jeremiah Gowdy <jgowdy@home.com>
Cc:        freebsd-smp@FreeBSD.ORG
Subject:   RE: MP Generic Kernel
Message-ID:  <200010151640.JAA15727@john.baldwin.cx>
In-Reply-To: <01e501c0364c$3a89d5e0$aa240018@vista1.sdca.home.com>

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On 15-Oct-00 Jeremiah Gowdy wrote:
> I'm wondering if we can't include a generic MP kernel in the FreeBSD
> releases.  Basically, on a fresh install of a dual cpu box, we find that we
> have to compile the kernel and/or world on a single cpu the first time
> through.  It seems a simple enough matter to include kernel.smp or something
> to that effect in the standard ISO/CD release so that a knowledgable FreeBSD
> user/admin could interrupt the boot process, and boot kernel.smp.  Perhaps
> even the disk version could include a choice of a standard boot floppy or an
> SMP boot floppy.  It's not as though releases are every other day, so it
> doesn't seem that this would be all that great of a chore, and it would
> allow those of us who admin alot of SMP boxes to save us a single cpu
> buildworld.  The only reason I suggest this is that it is my understanding
> that with the 4.1/4.1.1 releases one must buildworld before compiling
> kernel.  On the older systems, one would simply compile an SMP kernel and
> reboot and be up and running dual cpus for the buildworld.  Anyhow, just a
> suggestion.

You can simply build a SMP kernel, no need to buildworld.  The reason for doing
buildworlds before building the kernel is that if your /usr/src is newer than
your current world, you want to make sure that the kernel tools used to build
the kernel are the right versions.  However, if you are installing a system
and then want to build a kernel using the sources you just installed, that is
quite alright and should work fine.  Shipping a kernel.smp by default might be
a good idea though just to make it easier, esp. now that one doesn't need to
use the NCPU, NAPIC, NINTR, and NBUS variables, meaning that a generic SMP
kernel should work on just about any SMP box.

-- 

John Baldwin <jhb@FreeBSD.org> -- http://www.FreeBSD.org/~jhb/
PGP Key: http://www.baldwin.cx/~john/pgpkey.asc
"Power Users Use the Power to Serve!"  -  http://www.FreeBSD.org/


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