kernel upgrade without compiling

Using applications, configuring, problems
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maspai
Posts: 2
Joined: Fri 18 Jan 2013, 02:59

kernel upgrade without compiling

#1 Post by maspai »

i'm using slacko 5.4. whenever new future released, can i easily use the new kernel from the new release for my 5.4? eg. just by copying the vmlinuz, initrd, and .sfs from the new release?
thanks for replies.

bark_bark_bark
Posts: 1885
Joined: Tue 05 Jun 2012, 12:17
Location: Wisconsin USA

#2 Post by bark_bark_bark »

what?? a kernel contains software? Since when did the Linux devs put software into a kernel?

Sorry if that sounded rude. But Linux is only a kernel. But Puppy ( as well any other linux distribution) contains Linux (the kernel), and a lot of software.

Since you asked if you can upgrade a kernel, yes you can (if you like doing a lot of work and compiling). But you are also asking at the same time if you can upgrade Slacko 5.4, well no because that is the latest Slacko version.

Do you at least a tiny bit get it?

Anyways, Welcome to the kennels.

EDIT: I forgot to say that copying a newer version of Slacko's "vmlinuz", "initrd.img", and the "puppy_*.sfs" can be used to replace an older Slacko's 3 main files.
....

maspai
Posts: 2
Joined: Fri 18 Jan 2013, 02:59

#3 Post by maspai »

i never told or mean to tell that kernel contains software. i know linux is a kernel, and puppy is a GNU/linux OS. all i want to confirm is just like what you said in your EDIT section above, that i can replace my current main puppy files (vmlinuz, initrd, and .sfs) with ones in future release.
thanks for reply, anyway.

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Keef
Posts: 987
Joined: Thu 20 Dec 2007, 22:12
Location: Staffordshire

#4 Post by Keef »

maspai

That is exactly what I do with my frugal installs. Mount the new iso, then copy the vmlinuz, initrd and pup_sfs into the existing directory. No need to re-install from the CD or mess with the menu.lst for Grub etc - although you may want to edit the title to relect the new version.
Just check the release notes on the forum to see if it is safe to use the old savefile - sometimes they can be updated, but if there have been big changes it may not be a good idea.

amigo
Posts: 2629
Joined: Mon 02 Apr 2007, 06:52

#5 Post by amigo »

Actually, the kernel most certainly is software, not hardware or firmware. Yes, it's just a kernel and can't do anything at all without some userspace software -libraries or programs- but it is still programmable software and comes in the form of executable machine code.

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pemasu
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Location: Finland

#6 Post by pemasu »

Actually, the kernel most certainly is software
That`s right. And kernel usually is modular, ie small kernel with a lot kernel modules.

Code: Select all

Software is a generic term for organized collections of computer data and instructions, often broken into two major categories: system software that provides the basic non-task-specific functions of the computer, and application software which is used by users to accomplish specific tasks. 
So...it sounds like kernel is system software.

sh-3.00# find /mnt/home/kernel-kits/kernel-precise-3.7.2/linux-3.7.2 -type f | wc -l
41005
Kernel source has over 40 K of files, plain readable.

sh-3.00# find /mnt/home/kernel-kits/kernel-precise-3.7.2/dist/packages/linux_kernel-3.7.2-upup -type f | wc -l
2214
And for me they produced one kernel and over 2000 kernel modules. They are not anymore plain readable.

In fact...inside kernel source is userspace software also:
sh-3.00# find /usr/src/linux -name "userspace"
/usr/src/linux/drivers/staging/ced1401/userspace
/usr/src/linux/drivers/staging/usbip/userspace

There is even one puppy pet using this kernel userspace software:
http://www.murga-linux.com/puppy/viewto ... d87b9cc3d7

amigo
Posts: 2629
Joined: Mon 02 Apr 2007, 06:52

#7 Post by amigo »

"40 K of files, plain readable" -That's the figure from some kernel packages. The kernel sources are over 60MB of plain old readable files -over 15 million lines of just (C) code. You are using wc -l to count the number of lines of the output from find -not the size. binary files like the kernel and its modules do not really have 'lines'. The readable files you refer to are the alias and map files used by modprobe when loading modules.

Dewbie

#8 Post by Dewbie »

maspai wrote:
i'm using slacko 5.4. whenever new future released, can i easily use the new kernel from the new release for my 5.4?
The short answer is maybe.

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