Upgrading from Single to SMP Kernel

[Michael Williams_6]

Hello all (greif I'm losing count of how many questions I've asked!)

After a recent installation of a server, one of the processors was faulty and as such the single kernel was installed, the faulty processor has been replaced now and I'd like to get SMP working.

We use SLES8 / UnitedLinux 1.0 and it appears there's no easy way to do this with Yast, so it's to the command line.

I'm pressuming all I need to do to achieve this is an rpm -uvh --force {kernelRPM}.

Is there anything else I'll need to do? Does GRUB update automatically with the new RPM or do I have to change grubs menu.lst?

Has anyone does this before?

Thanks again for your help!

Mike

[Alexander Chuzhoy]

When you install kernel's rpm always install it with rpm -ivh and not rpm -Uvh since the Uvh will replace instead of append..
Generally you don't need to add anything.
just rpm -ivh kernelversion
and your grub file should be updated automatically.
Best regards

[Steven E. Protter]

When you install the kernel, all the necessary files are put in place and there are additional kernel choices in the grub "database"

You have to manually modify the grub.conf file to make the new kernel the primary boot kernel when you do this process manually.

Command line unix is fun.

Bill Hassell(HP-UX): Real System Admnistrators Don't use GUI's.

Thats a joke, so please don't get mad at he or I.

SEP

[Roberto Polli]

Hi Mike,

1)if you have a SMP machine you better use a SMP kernel even if one CPU is faulty. So you should have installed only the SMP kernel.

2) to install kernel you have to issue the 'simple'
#rpm -ivh .rpm

2a) rpm -uvh <...> the "u" option is not the "U" option
3) avoid playing with --force during kernel installations unless you don't know exactly what you are doing.

3a) to know exactly what you are doing you can issue a nice
# rpm -qpl .rpm
to list files contained in the .rpm package



4) with RH grub updates automatically. You can check the content of /boot/grub/menu.lst

5) be sure you won't break the /boot/initrd*.img forcing kernel installations thru rpm

Peace, R.

[Roberto Polli]

Hi Mike,
your posting is still in 'open' status (there's no rabbit icon) . Did anybody resolve your problem?

Please, let us know.

Peace, R.

[Steven E. Protter]

Roberto,

Nice headgear. Keep it up.

SEP

[Roberto Polli]

Thanks SEP,
but I'll never wear a crown like your.
THX again & Peace,
R.

[Michael Williams_6]

To sum up my experience here, I did install the SMP kernel successfully and it rebooted into the SMP kernel ok. However, doing an online update resulted in it downloading an installing both the single and SMP kernel, and rebooted back into the single kernel.

After a couple more reboots, a hardware fault developed and in trying to get back to a previous version I discovered that Ghost doesn't support Reiserfs! RTFM eh?!

I've rebuilt the bugger now, which was a pain, but I'm running SMP now and the performance has really improved because of it.

I've got another box that is running single kernel and the processor upgrade is sitting on my desk, we're going to rebuild it anyway, so before I do I'll let you know how I got on!

BTW; how do you get the rabbit thing to appear to say the majic answer has been supplied?

[Roberto Polli]

To show the magic-rabbit icon you have to assigno 8-10 points to an answer.

Peace, R.