[NTLUG:Discuss] first Kernel compile/Panic

[MadHat]

On Mon, 2002-09-23 at 19:11, Richard Geoffrion wrote:
> MadHat <madhat at unspecific.com> wrote:
> > On Mon, 2002-09-23 at 08:24, Richard Geoffrion wrote:
> >> Geremy L. Hamlett <gnuzealot at swbell.net> wrote:
> >>> Yes, I did that,  I am using a ext3 fs, which is the default on a
> >>> RedHat intall of 7.3.  I belive I compiled the ext3 fs as a module.
> >>> Could that be the problem?
> >>
> >> oh definately.  If the system can't mount the partition...how can it
> >> read the module so that it can load it into memory?
> >
> > So how do stock kernels work, since they are all modules...  I'll give
> > you a hint: initrd ;)
> >
> >>
> >> :)
> >>
> >> Try recompiling and including ext3 in your kernel. :)
> >>
> >
> > or just try running mkinitrd, see 'man mkinitrd' for details.
> 
> mkinitrd!?  What the heck is that!  That wouldn't be some RedHat invention
> would it? :)

Don't know who invented it.  Doesn't really matter.

> 
> My slackware has never used it.
> 

Which slackware is _your_ slackware?
I know RedHat, Debain, Mandrake, trinux, SuSE, LRP, etc... use it, so if
slackware doesn't use it, it is more of the odd man out than the norm. 
It's a nice feature.

> So then what?  Use mkinitrd if you use Redhat....or if it doesn't break
> anything else on your system...just compile the freakin boot options you
> need into the kernel.
> 

try reading the linux source.  Take a look at the documentation.
linux/Documentation/initrd.txt
its been there since at least 2.0, and was in some distributions at 1.x
kernels as well.

It doesn't break stuff, it fixes stuff... if you need it and you don't
have it, you can't boot _that_ kernel, so what are you going to break.

The point is, it is not necessary to recompile the ENTIRE kernel just to
use modules at boot time or not.  Why go through a complete recompile
when not necessary?  Why waste the time?


-- 
MadHat at Unspecific.com
"Anyone who understands Linux/Unix, really understands the universe.
 Anyone who understands Windows, really understands Windows."
          - Richard Thieme, DefCon 10, 2002