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On 2005-03-10 10:25, h p <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> I'd like to recompile my kernel for disk encryption support (options
> GEOM_BDE). I am right now running an out-of-the-box 5.3-RELEASE
> kernel.
>
> I noticed that some kernel modules I use are missing in the GENERIC
> kernel configuration file (such as ext2fs and snd_emu10k1).
The GENERIC kernel is just what the name suggests: a generic kernel
configuration. It's also the one that is distributed with the FreeBSD
release CD-ROMs as the default kernel.
You can always add whatever you want to a custom kernel configuration
file, say LOCAL, and use the kernel built from that config file.
> I am worrying that these features will not work if I install a new
> kernel. Of course, I could just try and restore the old kernel, if
> not. With Linux, there is a solution to get the current kernel
> configuration (in /proc/config.gz). Is there such a thing under
> FreeBSD?
The kernel installation process, if you follow the instructions from
/usr/src/UPDATING or the Handbook, should be:
# cd /usr/src
# make KERNCONF=LOCAL installkernel
This will keep a backup of the GENERIC kernel in:
/boot/kernel.old
You can also make a backup copy of the GENERIC kernel, if you want to
keep it safe from continuous "installkernel" runs, by manually copying
/boot/kernel to /boot/kernel.GENERIC right after FreeBSD has been
installed:
# cd /boot
# cp -Rp kernel kernel.GENERIC
Then, if anything does wrong, you can always interrupt the boot loader
before a broken kernel boots and boot into kernel.GENERIC. This is as
easy as hitting ESC or any key that is not ENTER, and writing at the
OK prompt of the loader:
OK unload
OK boot kernel.GENERIC
> I admit I haven't yet quite understood how the kernel recompilation
> works. How do I configure features as a module?
Anything that is not compiled in the kernel by the kernel config file
is built as a module and installed as a *.ko file in /boot/kernel.
> Also, there are some features, which don't seem to be documented...
> at least not in the NOTES file.
You're looking at the wrong NOTES file. There are two NOTES files on
any given architecture that FreeBSD supports:
1) The architecture-independent NOTES file, listing options common
to all the possible architectures: /usr/src/sys/conf/NOTES.
2) The architecture-dependent NOTES in /usr/src/sys/ARCH/conf/NOTES,
where ARCH is one of: i386, sparc64, amd64, alpha, powerpc, etc.
> ext2fs is an example. Is there a comprehensive list anywhere?
The two NOTES files (architecture independent and architecture
dependent) should be all you need.
- Giorgos
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