initrd

[Brian Densmore]

Well, ok. Just remember YOU asked for this rant! :)

   I opened up Mandrake Update, it went out and found all the security
updates. One of those was kernel 2.4.8. I HAD (past tense, see below)
2.4.3. So I selected all the updates and installed them. Everything
seemed to work right. I later rebooted, but the system would freeze
right after putting out LILO. I pulled out an install disk, ran an
upgrade. Switched over to virtual terminal 3 (a root command prompt),
deleted System.map (a link) , because the upgrade couldn't install LILO.

[sidebar: It was at this point that I noticed there was NO initrd, put
it was listed in the lilo.conf file. So the upgrade DID NOT install the
initrd.img file needed for the precompiled kernel. That is the crux of
the problem.] 
I then booted into Linux 2.4.16, by the way I reconfigured the network
from the install CD and it added the -h blah to the dhcpd commandline,
so I think I am using dhcp now for my internet connection [interesting].

But wait there's more. I have recompiled the 2.4.8 kernel, but it panics
because of unresolved symbols. 2.2.19 panics also, but to be fair, I
suspect it has never worked. The 2.4.16 kernel, which I made the default
in the upgrade process, boots fine. Although it is crashing on me every
so often. I suspect it has to do with the mon daemon. I will have to
recompile that kernel and check the logs.

Also when the Mandrake Update updated the kernel it DELETED all the code
and binaries for 2.4.3! The directory is there but the code is gone. One
possible problem here is that some time back, before I knew better, I
had pointed the "/usr/src/linux" directory away from the 2.4.3 and to
the 2.4.16 kernel sources.

I think my solution for this will be to delete the 2.4.8 library and all
code and source related to it. pull down the 2.4.8 sources and
recompile, woo hoo. Or maybe I'll try deleting just the library config
files first and rerun the make modules_install.

Oh what fun it is to compile on a one Athlon PC,
Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle all the way,

Dashing thru the code, looking for the culprit code,
crying all the way,
Oh what fun it is to compile on a one Athlon PC,

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Jim Herrmann [mailto:Jim at itdepends.com]
> Sent: Thursday, December 20, 2001 7:26 PM
> To: KCLUG (E-mail)
> Subject: Re: initrd
> 
> 
> Brian,
> What kind of problems did you have?  Why should we not use 
> Mandrake Update to 
> update the kernel?  Pass on your hard knocks, so that we 
> won't repeat your 
> mistakes.  
> 
> Thanks,
> Jim