Regarding FreeBSD Custom Kernel

[Benjamin Sobotta]

On Friday 16 July 2004 16:12, bsd hack wrote:
> Hi All,
>       I have a few basic questions regarding building a custom Kernel:
>
> (1) Once I configure, make and make install the custom kernel... it will
> get written to /boot/kernel. Now I have already made a backup of the
> working kernel.  what I need to know is when I get the boot loader
> menu(when it counts from 1 to 10) is there any way in which I can Include
> another option for my Custom Kernel. I want the default to remain as the
> working kernel... and I want an option for my Custom kernel in the menu...

No need to make a backup. The previous is automatically copied 
to /boot/kernel.old. Besides you don't use configure, make, make install to 
compile and install a new kernel but "make buildkernel KERNCONF=YOURKERNEL" 
and "make installkernel KERNCONF=YOURKERNEL".

http://www.de.freebsd.org/doc/en_US.ISO8859-1/books/handbook/kernelconfig-building.html

>
> (2) Secondly I dont understand the boot prompt and the loader prompt
> completely. at the boot prompt I guess I can specify the kernel I want to
> load. So lets say I have my custom kernel in the directory
> /boot/mydir/custom-kernel. so how do I specify at the boot prompt or the
> loader prompt to load the custom kernel
>

well theoretically you type at boot prompt:

"unload kernel"
"boot mydir"

I'm not really sure what happens if you rename the kernel itself. Personally I 
would ONLY copy or move the directory.

> (3) And finally I had downloaded the source code of freeBSD and I
> configured, did a make and a make install without making any changes
> ...(Just to get it started!) ... when I rebooted the system it failed to
> recognize the disk and so I reinstalled FreeBSD again...( hadnt enabled any
> debug options so could not recover any information!!)... Is there anything
> that "HAS" to be done before installing the new kernel?
>

Kernel and "world" should be in sync. So if you download the sources you want 
to reinstall world _and_ kernel. This is especially important when there were 
version changes in between. 

http://www.de.freebsd.org/doc/en_US.ISO8859-1/books/handbook/synching.html
http://www.de.freebsd.org/doc/en_US.ISO8859-1/books/handbook/makeworld.html

> any help will be appreciated.

I hope this helps a little bit since I'm also not an expert.... :)

Ben

>
> Thank you
> HKR
>
>
>
>
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