Re: tlug: ppa

[Ulrike Schmidt <798a5047@example.com>]

>> From: Ulrike Schmidt <798a5047@example.com>
>
>>I did not knowingly upgrade the kernel, but when we installed a second
>>harddisc we had some problems with installing RedHat 6.1 (how does one
>>check the version? As far as I remember it was 6.1) and installed it over
>cat /etc/redhat-release [or similar file]

Checked it (thanks, Jim) and it is Redhat 6.1 (Cartman).

>But anyway RH6.1 has a nicely compiled kernel with all the modules. So if
you didn't upgrade the kernel, then why not use
>this original one?

Well, that is the one that was giving me trouble, as far as I know.

>> I tried this, and when I entered "make bzImage" I was asked a lot of
>> questions I was not sure how to answer, so I guessed that I need to
>
>Can you quote things like this message next time? So I and others who
could possibly help would know what >this is about.

It were the same questions as for the config as I found out when I checked
my hypthesis with menuconfig, so I was pretty sure it was the config,
sorry, I should have mentioned that.

>> configure the kernel first, killed this questionnaire and did "make
>> oldconfig".
>
>If you have a working X, you might do make xconfig as well.
>Or make menuconfig if you have ncurses. The oldconfig method is not very
convenient.

Oh, it did all by itself and gave all its answers to those questions I did
not know how to answer myself. I hoped I could cut down on my reading
assignment in this way. Found this in Linus' README and thought it would be
convenient. You said that just the missing "make clean" might be the
problem, so I thought the config might be ok and I better don't mess
anything up.

>Also make sure that the kernel config file belongs to the same kernel
version.

How do I check this? I just started up menuconfig, exited again without
saving and had a look at the messages left on the terminal, and from what I
see there my candidate for the config file would be arch/i386/defconfig, is
that correct? Although arch/i386/config.in might also be a possibility?:

##############################################################
[root@example.com /root]# make menuconfig
make: *** No rule to make target
`menuconfig'.  Stop.
[root@example.com /root]# cd
/usr/src/linux
[root@example.com linux]# make menuconfig
rm -f include/asm
(
cd include ; ln -sf asm-i386 asm)
make -C scripts/lxdialog all
make[1]:
Entering directory `/usr/src/linux-2.2.12/scripts/lxdialog'
make[1]:
Leaving directory `/usr/src/linux-2.2.12/scripts/lxdialog'
/bin/sh
scripts/Menuconfig arch/i386/config.in
Using defaults found in
arch/i386/defconfig
Preparing scripts: functions,
parsing....................................done.


Your kernel
configuration changes were NOT
saved.
##############################################################

In both of my candidates I could not find any references to kernel
verisons. Since the config seems to be automatically called only when I am
in the right directory can I assume that I was using the right config file?

>> Then I took a closer look at the config, but I am not sure with many of
>> these options. Which are probably relevant ones?
>
>Read the help file for the options that you're not sure with. Also you
could read the Kernel-HOWTO.

Ok, I will go on with reading, had the slight hope the question would be a
one-liner for an expert who is not too busy at the moment ... Just wanted
to check whether the problem is related to the config at all before I spend
too much time with reading, when the problem could be something else:

>> Or is the problem not
>> related to the config at all? Why does the error message of "modprobe ppa"
>> say that the resource or device is busy?
>
>Also you could try compiling the ppa support into the kernel instead of
building it as a module and see what happens.

Ok, I will try that ... 

>> Was also wondering whether it is possible to revive RedHat 5.2 on the first
>> harddrive as an option, it is mounted at the moment under /mnt/oldlinux.
>> But its /boot directory looks a bit different from the currently booting
>> /boot directory, there seems to be no kernel for putting into the
>> lilo.config as an option.
>
>Well, if it was a working linux system at one time there must be a kernel
there somewhere.
>Look into the /etc/lilo.conf file of that system to see where the kernel
image is located.
>And then you can modify your new RH6.1 system's lilo.conf and add an
option for booting from your 2nd harddisk.

I checked, and the kernel is not anymore where the lilo.conf is pointing
to, and furthermore someone cleaned up the directory where the sources used
to be!!! I recall that during the second install festival I asked whether
one could not set it up to boot from either harddisc but I was told that
would lead to problems, and I guess to rule out any kernel interference the
thing was killed down to the sources ... 

---So far I wrote yesterday and then kept reading howtos and readmes and
experimenting with old boot discs that did not work etc., but I should have
looked on the list! So many messages to ppa, my replies will come soon.

Thanks! Uli




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