[SWLUG] contents of /boot

[Ciaran Anscomb]

bascule wrote:
> examining my mandrake 8.2 /boot i see the following symlimks:
> config
> kernel.h
> System.map
> 
> they point to similar name files with the kernel name appended, this prompts 
> the question: what do those files do, if i install a new kernel so that i 
> have a choice of two what difference -if any- will it make if i do/don't 
> alter these symlimks to point to the new kernel equivalents?

config is just the .config from /usr/src/linux (or wherever you're
building your kernel from).  Just kinda customary to copy it into place
where a user can see it.

kernel.h?  Buggered if I know why that's there.

System.map is used by things like ps to map addresses to function names.
Try a 'ps laxc' and see where all your processes are hanging out.

None of them are essential to a running system (unless you have some
script that depends on the output of ps, I guess).  System.map can be
useful and config might be so if you come to reconfigure later on.

Symlinking to them seems daft as you might have multiple boot options
and therefore want multiple copies of these files.  In summary:  don't
worry about them.

..ciaran
-- 
Ciaran Anscomb, Perl/C Hacker
No disclaimer?  http://www.goldmark.org/jeff/stupid-disclaimers/
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