Intro ===== This document is designed to provide a list of the minimum levels of software necessary to run the 2.1.x kernels, as well as provide brief instructions regarding any other "Gotchas" users may encounter when trying life on the Bleeding Edge. If upgrading from a pre-2.0.x kernel, please consult the Changes file included with 2.0.x kernels for additional information; most of that information will not be repeated here. Basically, this document assumes that your system is already functional and running at least 2.0.x. It is originally based on my "Changes" file for 2.0.x kernels and therefore owes credit to the same people as that file (Jared Mauch, Axel Boldt, Alessandro Sigala, and countless other users all over the 'net). Please feel free to submit changes, corrections, gripes, flames, money, etc. to me (kaboom@gatech.edu). If you do so, you don't need to bother doing so in the form of a diff, as this is generated by texinfo so a diff is useless anyway (though I can incorporate one by hand if you insist upon sending it that way ;-). Check out http://www.mindspring.com/~nunez/info/linux/LinuxBleed.html for an HTML-ized shopping list. For those of you in Europe, http://www.datanet.hu/generations/linux/Changes2.html is an English-language HTML version. The most current version should always be available from http://cyberbuzz.gatech.edu/kaboom/linux/ as well. Also, don't forget http://www.linuxhq.com/ for all your Linux kernel needs. Last updated: May 5, 1998 Current Author: Chris Ricker (kaboom@gatech.edu). Current Minimal Requirements **************************** Upgrade to at *least* these software revisions before thinking you've encountered a bug! If you're unsure what version you're currently running, the suggested command should tell you. - Kernel modules modutils-2.1.85 ; insmod -V - Gnu C 2.7.2.3 ; gcc --version - Binutils 2.8.1.0.1 ; ld -v - Linux C Library 5.4.44 ; ls -l /lib/libc.so.* - Dynamic Linker (ld.so) 1.9.5 ; ldd --version - Linux C++ Library 2.7.2.8 ; ls -l /usr/lib/libg++.so.* - Procps 1.2.5 ; ps --version - Procinfo 13 ; procinfo -v - Mount 2.7l ; mount --version - Net-tools 1.41 ; hostname -V - Loadlin 1.6a - Sh-utils 1.16 ; basename --v - Autofs 0.3.11 ; automount --version - NFS 0.4.21 ; showmount --version - Bash 1.14.7 ; bash -version - Ncpfs 2.1.1 ; ncpmount -v - Pcmcia-cs 3.0.0 - PPP 2.3.5 ; pppd -v Upgrade notes ************* General Information =================== now performs a cold reboot instead of a warm reboot for increased hardware compatibility. If you want a warm reboot and know it works on your hardware, add a "reboot=warm" command line option in Lilo. A small number of machines need "reboot=bios" to reboot via the BIOS. Also, please remember that cua* devices are now obsolete. Switch to the corresponding ttyS* device instead (e.g., cua0 -> ttyS0, cua1 -> ttyS1, etc.). Libc ==== Linux-2.1.x is ELF-only. You can still compile a.out apps if you really want, but your kernel must be compiled ELF. If you can't currently compile ELF, consult the ELF howto at http://sunsite.unc.edu/mdw/HOWTO/ELF-HOWTO.html and upgrade your system accordingly. For modules to work, you need to be running libc-5.4.x or greater. Since updates to libc fix other problems as well (security flaws, for example) and since 5.4.7 is missing a few needed symbols, try to get the latest 5.4.x you can. Currently, libc-5.4.44 is the latest public release. If you upgrade to libc-5.4.x, you also have to upgrade your dynamic linker (ld.so) to at least 1.9.5, or all sorts of weirdness will happen. Actually, ld.so-1.8.2 and later will work, but 1.9.5 is widely available, so if you need to upgrade, use it. If you get a release later than 1.8.5, avoid 1.8.10 as it introduces a few bugs that are fixed in later releases. Please make sure you don't install ld.so-2.x unless you're running glibc2 / libc6. If you upgrade to libc-5.4.x, you may also need to upgrade ypbind if you're using NIS. If you upgrade to libc-5.4.44, please read and pay attention to its accompanying release notes. The section about it breaking make is not a joke. Modules ======= You need to upgrade to modutils-2.1.85 for kernels 2.1.85 and later. This version will also work with 2.0.x kernels. As of 2.1.90-pre1, kerneld has been replaced by a kernel thread, kmod. See Documentation/kmod.txt for more information. The main user-level change this requires is modification to your init scripts to check for the absence of /proc/sys/kernel/modprobe before starting kerneld. Binutils ======== If you upgrade binutils, please read its accompanying release notes to find out the proper way to upgrade it. No, the instruction to "rm `which encaps`" is not a joke. The last public release of the binutils 2.8.x series is 2.8.1.0.23. Binutils 2.8.1.0.25 to 2.9.1.0.2 are all very buggy; do not use them. Binutils 2.9.1 (note the absence of a suffix) is all right, and binutils 2.9.1.0.3 (and presumably later revisions) will probably work, too. Stick with 2.8.1.0.23 to be safe. Gnu C ===== You need at least GCC 2.7.2 to compile the kernel. If you're upgrading from an earlier release, you might as well get GCC 2.7.2.3, the latest stable public release. If you already have GCC 2.7.2 on your system, you don't have to upgrade just so the kernel will work (though feel free to upgrade if you want the gcc bug fixes). Note that the latest compilers (egcs, pgcc, gcc 2.8) may do Bad Things while compiling your kernel, particularly if absurd optimizations (like -O9) are used. Caveat emptor. Currently, the only C compiler available in a binary distribution is egcs. Version 1.0.2 seems okay; if you have to have a binary, you may be successful using that. In general, however, gcc-2.7.2.3 is known to be stable, while egcs and others have not been as thoroughly tested yet. Networking Changes ================== Please read Documentation/networking/routing.txt and Documentation/networking/policy-routing.txt for more information about changes in routing code. OSPF classes have been added, and interface routes are generated automatically. If for some reason you need to override this automatic default routing, you have to specify the complete route specification (netmask, device, etc.) for the kernel to accept it. Consequently, you need to either remove interface routes from your init scripts or add missing information to them if you need to replace the automatic routes. Also note that some routes, such as loopback routes, do not show up in some standard tools. Check in /proc/net/rt_local to verify their presence. To turn on IP forwarding, issue the following command: echo 1 > /proc/sys/net/ipv4/ip_forward To run bootpd, you'll need to issue the following command: echo 1 >/proc/sys/net/ipv4/ip_boot_agent Similar procedures are necessary to turn on other features. If something appears broken, check the /proc/sys/net/ipv4/ directory. "1" generally denotes enabled, while "0" generally denotes disabled. For support for new features like IPv6, upgrade to the latest net-tools. This will also fix other problems. For example, the format of /proc/net/dev changed; as a result, an older ifconfig will incorrectly report errors. Memory ====== As of 2.1.41, the format of /proc/meminfo has changed. This broke many memory utils, which have to be upgraded. Get the new procps-1.2 and you should be set. Mount and network file systems ============================== The NFS code in the kernel is currently being revised, resulting in much-improved performance. As a result, you'll need to upgrade mount to a recent 2.6 release. Also, amd is being phased out in favor of the much better autofs. You'll also have to get the appropriate utils to use autofs as well as the new NFS utils. RPM === If you run RedHat Linux or any other distribution that uses RPM, you need to upgrade RPM to version 2.2.7 or later. DOSEMU ====== A new "stable" version of DOSEMU is available for 2.1.x kernels. Upgrade to 0.66.7 or later. Loadlin ======= Linux 2.1.22 and later releases use a new method of memory size detection, requiring loadlin users to upgrade to loadlin-1.6a. Sh-utils ======== As of Linux-2.1.26, the Configure script ("make config") has been updated to be POSIX-compliant. As a result, your expr needs to be updated. Use sh-utils 1.16 or later. Parallel Ports ============== As of 2.1.33, parallel port support can now by handled by the parport driver. Be aware that with Plug-and-Play support turned on, your parallel port may no longer be where you expect it; for example, LPT1 (under DOS) was sometimes /dev/lp1 in Linux, but will probably be /dev/lp0 with the new Plug-and-Play driver. If printing breaks with the new driver, try checking your lpd configuration. Syncookies ========== When you build your kernel with Syncookie support (CONFIG_SYN_COOKIES) the syncookie code still defaults to off (unlike the 2.0.30+ behavior). You have to explicitly enable it by issuing the following command: echo 1 > /proc/sys/net/ipv4/tcp_syncookies Bash ==== Old versions of Bash fail to properly handle symlinks, which can cause problems when compiling modules. Upgrade to at least 1.14 to fix this problem. Ncpfs ===== To mount NetWare shares, you'll need to upgrade to a more recent version of the ncpfs utils. Pcmcia-cs ========= If you use pcmcia cards, you'll need to upgrade the daemon and support utils to the latest release of pcmcia-cs. PPP === Due to changes in the routing code, those of you using PPP networking will need to upgrade your pppd. Where to get the files ********************** Binutils ======== The 2.8.1.0.1 release: ftp://tsx-11.mit.edu/pub/linux/packages/GCC/binutils-2.8.1.0.23.bin.tar.gz ftp://sunsite.unc.edu/pub/Linux/GCC/binutils-2.8.1.0.23.bin.tar.gz Installation notes: ftp://tsx-11.mit.edu/pub/linux/packages/GCC/release.binutils-2.8.1.0.23 ftp://sunsite.unc.edu/pub/Linux/GCC/release.binutils-2.8.1.0.23 Gnu C ===== The 2.7.2.3 release: ftp://tsx-11.mit.edu/pub/linux/packages/GCC/gcc-2.7.2.3.bin.tar.gz ftp://sunsite.unc.edu/pub/Linux/GCC/gcc-2.7.2.3.bin.tar.gz Installation notes: ftp://tsx-11.mit.edu/pub/linux/packages/GCC/release.gcc-2.7.2.3 ftp://sunsite.unc.edu/pub/Linux/GCC/release.gcc-2.7.2.3 The egcs-1.0.2 release: ftp://tsx-11.mit.edu/pub/linux/packages/GCC/egcs-1.0.2-glibc.x86.tar.gz ftp://tsx-11.mit.edu/pub/linux/packages/GCC/egcs-1.0.2-libc5.x86.tar.gz ftp://sunsite.unc.edu/pub/Linux/GCC/egcs-1.0.2-glibc.x86.tar.gz ftp://sunsite.unc.edu/pub/Linux/GCC/egcs-1.0.2-libc5.x86.tar.gz Installation notes: ftp://tsx-11.mit.edu/pub/linux/packages/GCC/release.egcs-1.0.2 ftp://sunsite.unc.edu/pub/Linux/GCC/release.egcs-1.0.2 Gnu C 2.7.2.3 source: ftp://prep.ai.mit.edu/pub/gnu/gcc-2.7.2.3.tar.gz ftp://sunsite.unc.edu/pub/gnu/gcc-2.7.2.3.tar.gz Linux C Library =============== The 5.4.44 release: ftp://tsx-11.mit.edu/pub/linux/packages/GCC/libc-5.4.44.bin.tar.gz ftp://sunsite.unc.edu/pub/Linux/GCC/libc-5.4.44.bin.tar.gz Installation notes for 5.4.44: ftp://tsx-11.mit.edu/pub/linux/packages/GCC/release.libc-5.4.44 ftp://sunsite.unc.edu/pub/Linux/GCC/release.libc-5.4.44 Linux C++ Library ================= The 2.7.2.8 release: ftp://tsx-11.mit.edu/pub/linux/packages/GCC/libg++-2.7.2.8.bin.tar.gz ftp://sunsite.unc.edu/pub/Linux/GCC/libg++-2.7.2.8.bin.tar.gz Installation notes: ftp://tsx-11.mit.edu/pub/linux/packages/GCC/release.libg++-2.7.2.8 ftp://sunsite.unc.edu/pub/Linux/GCC/release.libg++-2.7.2.8 Dynamic Linker ============== The 1.9.5 release: ftp://tsx-11.mit.edu/pub/linux/packages/GCC/ld.so-1.9.5.tar.gz ftp://sunsite.unc.edu/pub/Linux/GCC/ld.so-1.9.5.tar.gz Modules utilities ================= The 2.1.85 release: ftp://ftp.kernel.org/pub/linux/kernel/v2.1/modutils-2.1.85.tar.gz Procps utilities ================ The 1.2 release: ftp://tsx-11.mit.edu/pub/linux/sources/usr.bin/procps-1.2.7.tar.gz ftp://sunsite.unc.edu/pub/Linux/system/status/ps/procps-1.2.7.tgz Procinfo utilities ================== The 13 release: ftp://ftp.cistron.nl/pub/people/svm/procinfo-13.tar.gz RPM utilities ============= The 2.2.7 release for Intel: ftp://ftp.redhat.com/pub/redhat/redhat-4.0/updates/i386/rpm-2.2.7-1.i386.rpm ftp://ftp.redhat.com/pub/redhat/redhat-4.0/updates/i386/rpm-devel-2.2.7-1.i386.rpm The 2.2.7 release for Alpha: ftp://ftp.redhat.com/pub/redhat/redhat-4.0/updates/axp/rpm-2.2.7-1.axp.rpm ftp://ftp.redhat.com/pub/redhat/redhat-4.0/updates/axp/rpm-devel-2.2.7-1.axp.rpm The 2.2.7 release for SPARC: ftp://ftp.redhat.com/pub/redhat/redhat-4.0/updates/i386/rpm-2.2.7-1.sparc.rpm ftp://ftp.redhat.com/pub/redhat/redhat-4.0/updates/i386/rpm-devel-2.2.7-1.sparc.rpm DOSEMU ====== The 0.66.7 release: ftp://tsx-11.mit.edu/pub/linux/ALPHA/dosemu/dosemu-0.66.7.tgz Loadlin ======= The 1.6a release: ftp://ftp.suse.com/pub/loadlin/update-1.6a/loadlin.exe.gz ftp://elserv.ffm.fgan.de/pub/linux/loadlin-1.6/update-1.6a/loadlin.exe.gz Sh-utils ======== The 1.16 release: ftp://sunsite.unc.edu/pub/gnu/sh-utils-1.16.tar.gz ftp://prep.ai.mit.edu/pub/gnu/sh-utils-1.16.tar.gz Mount ===== The 2.7l release: ftp://ftp.win.tue.nl/pub/linux/util/mount/mount-2.7l.tar.gz Autofs ====== The 0.3.11 release: ftp://ftp.kernel.org/pub/linux/daemons/autofs/autofs-0.3.11.tar.gz NFS === The 0.4.21 release: ftp://ftp.mathematik.th-darmstadt.de/pub/linux/okir/linux-nfs-0.4.21.tar.gz ftp://linux.nrao.edu/pub/people/okir/linux-nfs-0.4.21.tar.gz Net-tools ========= The 1.45 release: ftp://ftp.cs-ipv6.lancs.ac.uk/pub/Code/Linux/Net_Tools/net-tools-1.45.tar.gz http://www.tazenda.demon.co.uk/phil/net-tools/net-tools-1.45.tar.gz Ypbind ====== The 3.2 release: ftp://ftp.uni-paderborn.de/pub/linux/local/yp/ypbind-3.2.tar.gz Bash ==== The 1.14.7 release: ftp://prep.ai.mit.edu/pub/gnu/bash-1.14.7.tar.gz Ncpfs ===== The 2.1.1 release: ftp://ftp.gwdg.de/pub/linux/misc/ncpfs/ncpfs-2.1.1.tgz Pcmcia-cs ========= The May 4, 1998 release: ftp://hyper.stanford.edu/pub/pcmcia/NEW/pcmcia-cs.04-May-98.tar.gz PPP === The 2.3.5 release: ftp://cs.anu.edu.au/pub/software/ppp/ppp-2.3.5.tar.gz Other Info ========== Please remember that most of these utils are available on your favorite local linux mirror. If you can, please get them from a closer site before checking sunsite. You may also want to check for updated versions of this software in a package format for the distribution you use. For those of you running Red Hat (or RPM on a different distribution), most of these are available in RPM format. Check around your favorite Red Hat mirror site before installing the non-RPM version. Remember, you might need to use the -force option to get the upgrade to install. ftp://ftp.redhat.com/pub/contrib/ will have almost everything you need, as does RedHat 5.0. Those of you running Debian (or a different distribution that supports .deb packages) can look in the "unstable" and "project/experimental" directories of your favorite Debian mirror. The Debian 2.0 release should have most packages you need as well. For others, David Bourgin has put together a package of everything necessary to quickly and easily upgrade to 2.1.x. See ftp://ftp.wsc.com/pub/freeware/linux/update.linux/kernel-v2.1.x/ for more information and the files. Please send info about any other packages that 2.1.x "broke" or about any new features of 2.1.x that require extra or new packages for use to Chris Ricker (kaboom@gatech.edu).