Still trying to understand kernel update process

tckosvic · n00b Joined: 18 Apr 2023 Posts: 67

I am running emerge @world processs. I noticed that the emerge downloaded kernel 6.4.12 sources. I am running 6.4.11. so these are new.

First question is, are kernel sources included always in @world. As I look at handbook, the world file description does not include kernel sources. The world file includes many "sets" that include /system but nothing names kernel.. Listing of the contents of /system set in the handbook does not indicate kernel sources. What set of world are the kernel sources in? Will the new 6.4.12 sources get compiled and installed along with updated installed packages? Do you need to do anything special for the kernel sources to get installed and running.?

Other text I read from handbook seemed to say that install of new kernel sources was a separate and distinct process from emerge @world. There is a separate download and compile process description with alternate compile processes. If compiled with @world, what alternative is used.?

Just need some pointers and the proper refs to look at so I can understand what I am doing.

thanks, tom kosvic

pietinger · Posted: Thu Aug 24, 2023 8:27 pm Post subject:

In another thread you wrote:

tckosvic · n00b Joined: 18 Apr 2023 Posts: 67

@pletinger,

1. I hosed up my system again and it won't boot. The cheat sheet did not include the "dracut" step and I skipped it. It locks in boot with same messages as before. I restarted in 6.4.11 kernel in grub and went back and ran the "dracut" step and it did not correct and find the boot directory.

Why does a developer cheat sheet not have the correct command sequence in it (no dracut step)? Shouldn't this be corrected? I missed the admonition in your message reply to run dracut while I was looking at the cheat sheet.

Is there a way to recover from this.? Else I will delete all reference to 6.4.12 and redo the previous manual kernel install steps as I did previously with 6.4.11

2. It appears, two kernels were generated using provided steps from cheat sheet. These were 6.4.12-gentoo and 6.4.12-gentoo-dist. What are the differences? Which should eselect be directed to? Should I run dracut in each kernel directory?

thanks, tom kosvic

pietinger · Posted: Sat Aug 26, 2023 4:03 pm Post subject:

tckosvic,

configuring your own kernel needs some knowledge and experience ... at the end it take its time ;-)

Therefore Gentoo gives you a perfect solution with our bin-kernel (6.4.12-gentoo-dist). See more here:
https://wiki.gentoo.org/wiki/Handbook:AMD64/Installation/Kernel/de#Distribution_kernels and
https://wiki.gentoo.org/wiki/Project:Distribution_Kernel
You have done this, so you have either gentoo-kernel or gentoo-kernel-bin in your /var/lib/portage/world. If you do an "emerge -u @world" you will get the new version. This should be sufficient and there is no need to do additionally a manual installation ... but you acn do what you want ... ;-)

So, you have done a manual installation also ... with one very specific addition: dracut (I dont recommend). Usually a manual installation is done without dracut. Why ?

1. Many User dont want an initramfs and configure their kernel, so they dont need it (see my first sentence).
2. Some User want more flexibility but dont want to configure their kernel completely. These users choose our third method: Genkernel. But even then you need some knowledge about kernel configuration.

My CheatSheet is ONLY for Users which have done a completely manual installation ... but it can be used also for users with some special solutions ... therefore I have added: