Chapter 23. Ugrading the Kernel
The kernel that comes with Red Hat Linux is custom built by the Red Hat kernel team to ensure its integrity and compatibility with supported hardware. Before Red Hat releases a kernel, it must pass a rigorous set of quality assurance tests. The kernel RPM package now creates the initrd image if needed. It is no longer necessary to use the mkinitrd command after installing a different kernel if you install the kernel from the Red Hat RPM package.
Official Red Hat Linux kernels are packaged in RPM format so that they are easy to upgrade and verify. To upgrade to a newer version of a Red Hat Linux kernel, you need to obtain the latest Red Hat Linux kernel in RPM format, install the new kernel from the RPM packages, and configure the boot loader to boot the new kernel.
This chapter discusses the steps necessary to upgrade the kernel on an x86 system only.
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Building your own custom kernel is not supported by the Red Hat Linux Installation Support Team. For more information on building a custom kernel from the source code, refer to Appendix A. |
The 2.4 Kernel
Red Hat Linux now ships with the 2.4 kernel. Here are the highlights of the 2.4 kernel as shipped with Red Hat Linux:
The directory for the kernel source is now /usr/src/linux-2.4 instead of /usr/src/linux.
Better SMP support.
Support for up to 64 gigabytes of physical RAM — the enterprise kernel installed with Red Hat Linux 7.2 is compiled to support 64 gigabytes of physical memory.
Better multimedia support including the maestro3 module for the ESS Allegro sound card.
Better USB support.
Preliminary support for IEEE 1394, also referred to as FireWireTM, devices.