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Bug 19972 - Genkernel should backup old kernels, modules and config files.
Summary: Genkernel should backup old kernels, modules and config files.
Status: VERIFIED LATER
Alias: None
Product: Gentoo Linux
Classification: Unclassified
Component: Current packages (show other bugs)
Hardware: All Linux
: High enhancement (vote)
Assignee: Bob Johnson (RETIRED)
URL:
Whiteboard:
Keywords:
Depends on:
Blocks:
 
Reported: 2003-04-25 20:02 UTC by Daniel Armyr
Modified: 2004-02-11 22:11 UTC (History)
1 user (show)

See Also:
Package list:
Runtime testing required: ---


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Description Daniel Armyr 2003-04-25 20:02:54 UTC
Kernels being quite essential to the system, It would be nice if genkernel could
back up the old kernel before making a new one. By this I do not mean simply
renaming the old one to bzImage.old, but a proper backup where all old kernels
are stored in separate catalogues together with their modules and the .config
used to build them. That way, if things go bad, you can revert to a kernel you
know works, even if you had a spree and recompiled a few times without testing
each kernel to death.

http://forums.gentoo.org/viewtopic.php?p=296675#296675

//Daniel Armyr
Comment 1 Bob Johnson (RETIRED) gentoo-dev 2003-04-25 20:32:46 UTC
i will need to think about this one a bit. 
Im already adding a package option to build a tar.gz 
with kernel,initrd,lib/modules for ppl using gentoo 
on large quantities of computers. Wouldnt be hard  
to add the .config . 
Comment 2 Bob Johnson (RETIRED) gentoo-dev 2003-04-27 20:39:59 UTC
ok, just cvs upped a version that has a --buildpkg option
which creates a kernel-VERSION.tar.bz2 containing
kernel, initrd, lib/modules/directory and config file.

test it out and let me know.
Comment 3 Daniel Armyr 2003-04-27 21:41:18 UTC
OK, it turns my prompt yellow. I think you are missing an "unset color" somewhere.   I use tcsh with an uncolored prompt. running any othe rprogram that uses colors fixed the prompt.
Comment 4 Bob Johnson (RETIRED) gentoo-dev 2003-04-27 21:48:19 UTC
ok, i cant call that a feature?? :) 
 
fixing now.. 
Comment 5 Daniel Armyr 2003-04-29 10:58:57 UTC
OK, did some compiling between studying for finals.

1) The program should make sure only kernels are installed. Perhaps append -sources or something to the given argument. 

2) Do not force reinstall. It is of course more failsafe to have a fresh install, but it is kinda tedious to watch the decompression when you are waiting for a 'make menuconfig'

3) You should find better way to determine kernel version. As it seems not to work with ck and devel. Emergeing them creates no /tmp/KV file. If you choose not to implement 2), you can check where /usr/src/linux points to and read the exact kernel from the pathname.

4) I tried the --bootsplash option just "out of the box".  I have no idea what it is supposed to do, but it failed at it. Anyways, the log is at the bottom of this message.

5) Some for of progress meter would be nice. (I know this cannot be done without
monumental effort.)

6) Oh yeah, the documentation is kinda crappy, but I think you allready knew that ;) And I havn't actually tried out the kernels it compiles, but what I get from the source, the kernel working or not has little to do with this program.

Log from failed --bootsplash
>>sudo /usr/sbin/genkernel --config --bootsplash --buildpkg
[...]
 * Creating initrd...
Error: sd_mod.o not found; skipping...
Error: sg.o not found; skipping...
Error: sr_mod.o not found; skipping...
cp: missing destination file
Try `cp --help' for more information.
 * Adding Bootsplash Initrd...
Comment 6 Aaron Peterson 2004-02-11 22:11:15 UTC
genkernel 1.8 did some saving of kernel configs, the new 3.01beta doesn't seem to.
at least some saving of settings and or kernels is kinda needed methinks