Kernel updating problem

Hi all

first I'm not entirely sure this is the right forum because it's not strictly security related but other than GCC I don't know where else to put it. If it should go elsewhere feel free to let me know.

Right onto the problem, I have played around with Mandrake and quite liked it, then I got hold of a copy of Knoppix3.1 from a magazine cover disc. Before I carry on I should mention that this is not a dual boot system, it's on a box of it's own so I'm not going to hose anything else. Anyway I decided I liked knoppix better (I know it's based on debian) and went ahead and installed it to disk using knx-hdinstall rather than just copying over the iso to the HD. Ok no problems with this at all, the system works beautifully as it is. The network to the rest of the LAN is ok, with the exception that I can't read the NTFS volume on the XP box. I know the network is ok as I can ping the XP box and I can connect through the XP box to the net. Reading and writing to FAT32 volumes is fine. I know NTFS support is a little flaky but I've had no problems with read support using Mandrake. Anyway it seems to me that the kernel of knoppix (its version 2.4.19) has had NTFS read support disabled. Bearing this in mind I decided that I may as well update the kernel to 2.4.20 and include NTFS read support. I've never compiled a kernel before but I'll list what I've done;

bzcat linux-2.4.20.tar.bz2 | tar xv
cd linux-2.4.20
make xconfig (configured what I wanted here - most of it seemed to auto detect what was already available)
make dep
make bzImage
make modules
make modules_install
cp arch/i386/boot/bzImage /boot/vmlinuz-2-4.20
cp System.map /boot/System.map-2.4.20

edited lilo.conf by adding the following

image = /boot/vmlinuz-2.4.20
label = kernel2420
root = /dev/hda1
read-only
initrd /boot/initrd.gz

then ran /sbin/lilo

The linux box indicates that it has added 'kernel2420' so I think great should be no problem now. I then reboot the linux box, it comes up with the option to boot into 'kernel2420' as expected. The system then appears to load ok until it gets to the line

freeing unused kernel memory 120k

then the whole system just hangs.

I can reboot and go back to the old configuration but I can't work out why the system is hanging with the new kernel. I'm a bit of a newbie as regards updating kernels etc so has anyone got any ideas? I've checked google and the closest thing I've been able to find is that the INIT which is hanging rather than the kernel - something to do with selecting the wrong processor I think.

Incidentally the box this is running on is using a celeron 400Mhz. It's detected during the 2.4.20 kernel config as a coppermine version, there is another option for a (?original version??) celeron which I have also tried but this doesn't seem to make any difference.

Anyone able to help?

Cheers

Z

Your order is a little off. It should read

Quote:

---

make dep
make modules
make modules_install
make clean
make bzImage
cp arch/i386/boot/bzImage /boot/vmlinuz-2-4.20
cp System.map /boot/System.map-2.4.20

---

Cheers,
cgkanchi

is the chipset for the motherboard correct?

Z,

You may wanna take a look this site:http://www.knoppix.net/docs/index.ph...tomKernelHowto

try what CGKANCHI said..

or try http://www.tp2.be/forum/viewtopic.php?t=8

Mmm cheers all, I'll give your suggestion a go cgkanchi - wouldn't surprise me if I'd got things in the wrong order :dunce:

and cheers for the links sweet_angel and JinX - both look as if they'll be useful . I'll look at it all in more depth when I get back from work tonight.

thanks again guys and girls

Z

umm... ok... I rechecked the sources I used for recompiling the kernel in case I had written down the order incorrectly i.e.

- 1 book (the complete reference to linux 4th ed - I know it deals more specifically with RH and Caldera but compiling the kernel should be relatively common to all flavours - right?)
- 2 different websites
- 1 magazine (Linux User)

all of them give the order for recompiling the kernel as I originally stated I had done it..... I'm currently recompiling on the other box whilst I write this... but my question is.. what difference does it make if I do

...
make bzImage
make modules
.... etc

rather than

....
make modules_install
make clean
make bzImage

as cgkanchi and JinX (nice site by the way JinX) have indicated? Comments?

Incidentally for anyone else trying this... the link Sweet_Angel has suggested appears to contain the answer... needs some work by me but that cool :D

thanks all

Z

well. before you can make modules_install you'd have to make modules ;)

do that is fixed..

Wether you compile and install the kernel image make bzImage etc.. before or after you do the modules doesn't realy matter..

make clean removes the intermediate objects (.o) and some other "crap"..
If you are to make changes to the kernel after you did a make clean, the puter is gonna build it all again, instead of using the existing intermediate objects..

So I wouldn't make clean myself, unless I'm getting realy low on diskspace..

JinX - ta for the reply...

I do realise that I had to make modules before make modules_install I was just saving a little typing space :)

Ok.. well at least I know it doesn't make a difference if I do bzImage before or after the modules bit

I had read up a little on make clean in the interim and clearing out the crap is what I understood it to mean as well... although I was more concerned with the order of bzImage and the modules etc.

Thanks again!

Z

[edit] I would send some greenies your way JinX... but unfortunately I have to spread the wealth a bit first :D [/edit]