Date: Thu, 8 Nov 2001 21:38:07 -0600 From: Mike Meyer <mwm@mired.org> To: "Anthony Atkielski" <anthony@atkielski.com> Cc: questions@freebsd.org Subject: Re: Multi-processor Support Message-ID: <15339.20383.222555.482111@guru.mired.org> In-Reply-To: <91293257@toto.iv>
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Anthony Atkielski <anthony@atkielski.com> types: > Andrew writes: > > A simple kernel recompile with two additional > > options is suddenly "risky" ? > Anything that changes the kernel is risky--just as risky as reinstallation. I think you're suffering from MSBD (MicroSoft Brain Damage). Their systems are so poorly modularized that that may be true. Unix systems have a much more modular design, such that compiling and installing a new kernel is less dangerous than installing many applications on a Windows 9x box (sorry, I haven't used Win?P, so I can't compare to those). Yup, you have to reboot the system after you build it. Yup, the system may not boot after you do so. But that's like many of the application installs I've done with Win9x boxes. If you're careful, there's usually no problem. If you're not, you may wind up with a mess. As far as I can tell, it's easier to back out of failed kernel install on Unix than it is to back out a failed application install on Windows. Sure, once in a career(*) the option you changed will cause a register to be used that wasn't used in kernel mode before, and that kernel register will happen to be flaky on that machine. So after spending a week figuring that out, you get to spend a day convincing the hardware support people that it really is bad hardware so they'll replace the board. But having to recompile to enable said option won't change that - it'll just make it that much less confusing, as there's clearly one binary that works, and one that doesn't. <mike *) At least I *hope* this never happens to me again! -- Mike Meyer <mwm@mired.org> http://www.mired.org/home/mwm/ Q: How do you make the gods laugh? A: Tell them your plans. To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-questions" in the body of the message
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