The kernel RPM package configures the GRUB or LILO
boot loader to boot the newly installed kernel if either boot loader is
installed. However, it does not configure the boot loader to boot the
new kernel by default.
It is always a good idea to confirm that the boot
loader has been configured correctly. This is a crucial
step. If the boot loader is configured incorrectly, you will not be able
to boot your system. If this happens, boot your system with the boot
diskette you created earlier and try configuring the boot loader again.
If you selected GRUB as your boot loader, confirm that the file
/boot/grub/grub.conf contains a
title section with the same version
as the kernel package you just installed (if you
installed the kernel-smp and/or
kernel-bigmem, you will have a section for it has
well):
# NOTICE: You have a /boot partition. This means that
# all kernel paths are relative to /boot/
default=0
timeout=30
splashimage=(hd0,0)/grub/splash.xpm.gz
title Red Hat Linux (2.4.18-0.12)
root (hd0,0)
kernel /vmlinuz-2.4.18-0.12 ro root=/dev/hda3
initrd /initrd-2.4.18-0.12.img |
If you created a separate /boot partition, the
paths to the kernel and initrd image are relative to the
/boot partition.
To configure GRUB to boot the new kernel by default, change the value
of the default variable to the title section
number for the title section that contains the new kernel. The count
starts with 0. For example, if the new kernel is the second title
section, set default to 1.
You can begin testing your new kernel by rebooting your computer and
watching the messages to ensure your hardware is detected properly.
If you selected LILO as your boot loader, confirm that the file
/etc/lilo.conf contains an
image section with the same version
as the kernel package you just installed:
boot=/dev/hda
map=/boot/map
install=/boot/boot.b
prompt
timeout=50
message=/boot/message
linear
default=linux
image=/boot/vmlinuz-2.4.18-0.12
label=linux
initrd=initrd-2.4.18-0.12.img
read-only
root=/dev/hda5 |
The kernel RPM package activates the changes by
running the command /sbin/lilo.
To configure LILO to boot the new kernel by default, set the
default variable to the value of
label in the image section for the
new kernel. You must run the /sbin/lilo command as
root to enable the changes. After running it, you will see output
similar to the following:
The * after
linux means that the section labeled
linux is the default kernel that LILO
will boot.
You can begin testing your new kernel by rebooting your computer and
watching the messages to ensure your hardware is detected properly.
