Why dont custom Kernels Conflict?

STREBLO · 2017-02-13 02:30:18

I was installing a custom kernel and I noticed that it did not seem to have a conflict with the mainline kernel. Why is this? I thought it might be a mistake but then I read here that this is expected behavior. Why would you want to not have conflicts? Shouldn't a custom kernel replace the main one? If there is no confliction, wouldn't both of them end up being installed at the same time?

If that is the case and both of them end up installed at the same time, how am I supposed to install my new kernel? Am I supposed to just run mkinitcpio myself after compiling a new kernel? And then copy the kernel into my boot directory?

What am I missing here?

circleface · 2017-02-13 02:34:02

You can have as many kernels as you want installed. Just create an entry for them in your boot loader / manager. And make sure they are on your /boot partition for easiest configuration.

Trilby · 2017-02-13 02:35:05

Custom kernels should not conflict with the repo kernel. You wouldn't want them to conflict as many people want (and have) several kernels installed. You can chose which one to boot into in your bootloader.

As for installing your own kernel, use a PKGBUILD. There is an wiki page devoted specifically to this.

STREBLO · 2017-02-13 02:35:15

circleface wrote:

You can have as many kernels as you want installed. Just create an entry for them in your boot loader / manager. And make sure they are on your /boot partition for easiest configuration.

Interesting... I guess that does make sense.

STREBLO · 2017-02-13 02:38:19

Trilby wrote:

Custom kernels should not conflict with the repo kernel. You wouldn't want them to conflict as many people want (and have) several kernels installed. You can chose which one to boot into in your bootloader.
As for installing your own kernel, use a PKGBUILD. There is an wiki page devoted specifically to this.

Yea, I am using a package build. I meant that was what my PKGBUILD should do. I read all the kernel related wikis.

ewaller · 2017-02-13 05:29:59

But, ensure that your kernels have different names. The modules for each kernel are stored under /lib/modules/ in directories that are identified by the kernel revision and name. That is how each kernel finds its modules and not other kernel's modules. In Arch, when a kernel is upgraded by Pacman, the old modules are removed. This is why things go Tango Uniform when a kernel upgrade is performed without the boot partition being mounted; the old kernel still loads, but its modules are history.

Edit: BTW, this machine has three kernels installed for Arch. The mainline kernel, a kernel that is based on mainline that has a different scheduler involved. and a kernel that has config options required to run this machine built in rather than be modularized. Note that that does not include the kernel for the separate Gentoo installation.

Last edited by ewaller (2017-02-13 05:34:24)

eschwartz · 2017-02-14 03:15:18

See https://bugs.archlinux.org/task/16702 -- the eventual plan is to have multiple versions of the same kernel able to coexist without conflicts (via a dummy package).

The fact that the installed files don't conflict (assuming you follow the standard approach) is only to be expected.

...

If a custom kernel replaces the stock kernel, it is because it is actually a locally rebuilt version of the stock kernel, which of course means it is the same kernel, hence why it conflicts with... itself?

Arch Linux

#1 2017-02-13 02:30:18

Why dont custom Kernels Conflict?

#2 2017-02-13 02:34:02

Re: Why dont custom Kernels Conflict?

#3 2017-02-13 02:35:05

Re: Why dont custom Kernels Conflict?

#4 2017-02-13 02:35:15

Re: Why dont custom Kernels Conflict?

#5 2017-02-13 02:38:19

Re: Why dont custom Kernels Conflict?

#6 2017-02-13 05:29:59

Re: Why dont custom Kernels Conflict?

#7 2017-02-14 03:15:18

Re: Why dont custom Kernels Conflict?

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