>Hi All,
>
>now that Adrian Bunk has created an apt method for upgrading
>to kernel 2.4 while running potato I've got a couple of
>questions I'd appreciate some help with.
>1) Is it any better on low end machines?
You can optimize the kernel for various processors. So, there is some
improvement, how much I can't tell you.
>2) Will i need to re-do my modules? Particularly with the
>machine thats got the IDE cd writer i had to do some module
>voodoo, that i was uncomfortable with, to make it work. or
>will the upgrade handle that kind of thing? (I'm a
>cargo-cultist when it comes to modules)
Yes...new modules are needed. For IDE CD Writer support you'll need the ide-scsi
(IDE-SCSI emulation support) and sg (Generic SCSI support) modules. That's all!
Then, in your /etc/lilo.conf file, include in the "append" section
"hdc=ide-scsi" (replace hdc with the actual location of your CD writer). Also
add "sg" and "ide-scsi" to your /etc/modules file to load these modules. It's
really not that difficult, or at least it hasn't been for me.
>3) Apart from the machine with the cd writer my needs are
>pretty mundane, address the HD's, talk to the network over
>currently supported NIC's and in one case run an IDE
>cd-burner would there be a preference between 2.4.2 and 2.4.3?
2.4.3 would naturally provide bux-fixes for 2.4.2 along with other enhancements.
I'd go with 2.4.3.
>TIA
>John
Just a side note, I had trouble using the deb packaged kernel 2.4.2-686 in Sid
(caused a kernel panic upon booting). Not sure exactly what was wrong, but upon
compiling my own, it worked fine. Also, I now have the source and can patch it
to update the kernel as new versions are released. YMMV.
Oh yeah, make sure you have a way to access your old kernel. You never know what
might happen;)
Good luck,
Scott
