On Mon, Jan 05, 2004 at 07:57:15AM -0800, Matt Zimmerman wrote: > On Mon, Jan 05, 2004 at 02:26:12PM +0100, kuene wrote: > > > thanks a lot to all. > > > > now I really understand. :b > > > > below I write down what I have understood. > > please correct me if I am still wrong. > > You are still wrong. What you do not understand is, when you install > Debian, you do not have the package "kernel-image-2.4.18-bf2.4" installed. > You have a copy of some of the files in that package, but the package itself > is not installed, and so will never be automatically upgraded. >
I've been following this thread, trying to learn something. I'm beginning to realize that, within Debian, the meaning to the word 'install' is highly context dependent, especially when the object being installed is a kernel. For instance, the initial install of Debian puts a file structure on the hard disk, but this is not an install of a Debian package. The initial install of Debian also puts a file containing a kernel image into that file structure at an appropriate place so that it can be used to boot the system. In some contexts this action might be referred to as install of a kernel, but it is NOT an install of a "kernel-image debian package". When the initial install of Debian is complete, a kernel-image debian package is NOT (yet) installed. The Debian apt-get / dpkg system does not upgrade/update files that are not part of a Debian package. (Double negative intended.) In order to bring the kernel that is being used into the management system of the apt-get/dpkg, one must 'install' a Debian package that contains the image of file that is pointed to by the softlink /vmlinuz. You can install the debian package for the kernel that you are actually using, or you can install a debian package for a kernel that will also work on your hardware, with, maybe less bloat and better code optimization. Upgrade of a running kernel is fraught with difficulties. Instead, the upgrade version of the kernel is placed on the hard disk during the 'install' of the kernel-image package and the user/admin is told to reboot the computer. Because of this, you should never try to have a kernel 'upgraded automatically'. HTH -- Paul E Condon [EMAIL PROTECTED]
