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Best way to install a custom kernel on multiple nodes



Vinay Perneti wrote:
> Hi,
> 
> I have a custom kernel (2.6.21) with some nfs stuff modified. I know how to
> build and install the kernel on a single machine. However, I was trying to
> find the best way to install it on multiple nodes. One of the obvious ways
> is to make rpm packages and use them ( The nodes i'm trying to install the
> kernel run Redhat enterprise edition 5).
> 
> I was trying to make rpms for the kernel packages using instructions on this
> link "http://grid-it.cnaf.infn.it/index.php?rpmbuild&type=1";. However, that
> didn't go so well cuz it required a config_smp to be present, which i did
> not have on the RHEL 5 i was working on.

You might try these instructions instead:
http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Docs/CustomKernel
Given that RHEL5 is a pretty new release, the tools are likely to be similar
enough to Fedora. The union of these two sources should help at the very least.

> Also, once the build is done, Is it possible to migrate the modules and the
> bzImage's on to other machines without building it on each node
> individually?

Yes.  If you don't want to mess with the rpm, then tarring up
 /boot/*-2.6.21-custom*
 /lib/modules/2.6.21-custom
 /boot/grub/grub.conf # if you want it

(or where "2.6.21-custom" is whatever version string gets used) and
untarring it on all the other boxes should be sufficient.

Naturally, this has some disadvantages over the rpm.  Most importantly,
using the tar method you'll either copy the grub.conf from one box to all
the others (thereby wiping out any customizations on the others), or you'll
have to manually edit grub.conf on each target.  The RPM (un)install of a
kernel "does the right thing" w.r.t. grub.conf automatically.

HTH,
Matt

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