[gentoo-user] system.map file in /boot. How to manage?

[gentoo-user] system.map file in /boot. How to manage?

[Dale]

Howdy,

The subject line pretty much describes this.  How does one manage the
system.map file in /boot?  Is it needed?  Should it be updated with each
kernel?  I tend to keep 2 to 3 kernels installed.  I tend to keep 2 that
I know are stable and one testing.  After a while, I may remove the
oldest one and only have two, just in case.  Should I version the
system.map file the same as kernels?  Does just one with no version get
the job done?  Update the file with each kernel upgrade or install one
and done?

While at it, what does it even do?  If it needs it, it doesn't matter
but just curious. 

Thanks for any tips on this.

Dale

:-)  :-) 

Re: [gentoo-user] system.map file in /boot. How to manage?

[William Kenworthy]

There is a lot online - basically its optional and needed just in case
(!) and should be versioned like its matching kernel and initrd.

BillK

one of many refs:
https://stackoverflow.com/questions/28936630/what-is-the-need-of-having-both-system-map-file-and-proc-kallsyms


On 1/7/21 2:59 pm, Dale wrote:
> Howdy,
>
> The subject line pretty much describes this.  How does one manage the
> system.map file in /boot?  Is it needed?  Should it be updated with each
> kernel?  I tend to keep 2 to 3 kernels installed.  I tend to keep 2 that
> I know are stable and one testing.  After a while, I may remove the
> oldest one and only have two, just in case.  Should I version the
> system.map file the same as kernels?  Does just one with no version get
> the job done?  Update the file with each kernel upgrade or install one
> and done?
>
> While at it, what does it even do?  If it needs it, it doesn't matter
> but just curious. 
>
> Thanks for any tips on this.
>
> Dale
>
> :-)  :-) 
>

Re: [gentoo-user] system.map file in /boot. How to manage?

[Dr Rainer Woitok]

Dale,

On Thursday, 2021-07-01 01:59:57 -0500, you wrote:

> ...
> 
> The subject line pretty much describes this.  How does one manage the
> system.map file in /boot?  Is it needed?  Should it be updated with each
> kernel?  I tend to keep 2 to 3 kernels installed.

Same here.   And whenever  I configure  a new kernel  my kernel managing
script makes sure both,  the kernel I'm currenty running on  and the one
just configured are in "@world".  That way "emerge --depclean" will nev-
er remove a kernel package.

When I finally decide  to explicitly remove a kernel  my kernel managing
script will basically execute this before calling "grub-mkconfig":

   # Argument 1 must contain slot number of kernel to be removed.

   emerge --deselect --quiet sys-kernel/gentoo-sources:$1
   rm -fr /lib/modules/$1-gentoo /boot/*-$1-gentoo{,.old} \
          /usr/src/linux-$1-gentoo

This is stuff I somewhere picked up  from the Gentoo Handbook when I did
my first Gentoo install.

> ...
>                                              Should I version the
> system.map file the same as kernels?

Not sure about that.   Mine ARE versioned.   That's probably what "grub-
mkconfig" is doing by default.

Sincerely,
  Rainer

Re: [gentoo-user] system.map file in /boot. How to manage?

[tastytea]

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On 2021-07-01 13:16+0200 Dr Rainer Woitok <rainer.woitok@gmail.com>
wrote:

> Dale,
> 
> On Thursday, 2021-07-01 01:59:57 -0500, you wrote:
> 
> > ...
> >                                              Should I version the
> > system.map file the same as kernels?  
> 
> Not sure about that.   Mine ARE versioned.   That's probably what
> "grub- mkconfig" is doing by default.

I compile kernels with `genkernel`, and it produces versioned files:
  System.map-5.4.97-gentoo-x86_64
  System.map-5.10.27-gentoo-x86_64
  initramfs-5.4.97-gentoo-x86_64.img
  initramfs-5.10.27-gentoo-x86_64.img
  vmlinuz-5.4.97-gentoo-x86_64
  vmlinuz-5.10.27-gentoo-x86_64

Kind regards, tastytea

-- 
Get my PGP key with `gpg --locate-keys tastytea@tastytea.de` or at
<https://tastytea.de/tastytea.asc>.

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Re: [gentoo-user] system.map file in /boot. How to manage?

[Dale]

tastytea wrote:
> On 2021-07-01 13:16+0200 Dr Rainer Woitok <rainer.woitok@gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
>> Dale,
>>
>> On Thursday, 2021-07-01 01:59:57 -0500, you wrote:
>>
>>> ...
>>>                                              Should I version the
>>> system.map file the same as kernels?  
>> Not sure about that.   Mine ARE versioned.   That's probably what
>> "grub- mkconfig" is doing by default.
> I compile kernels with `genkernel`, and it produces versioned files:
>   System.map-5.4.97-gentoo-x86_64
>   System.map-5.10.27-gentoo-x86_64
>   initramfs-5.4.97-gentoo-x86_64.img
>   initramfs-5.10.27-gentoo-x86_64.img
>   vmlinuz-5.4.97-gentoo-x86_64
>   vmlinuz-5.10.27-gentoo-x86_64
>
> Kind regards, tastytea
>


This info is helpful.  I tend to do mine by hand, I may only upgrade my
kernel once, maybe twice, a year.  I don't reboot very often so there is
no point in upgrading every time a new one comes out.  After reading
this, I've copied over the proper system.map files and versioned them to
match the kernel names.  I'll run grub-mkconfig just in case shortly. 
I've always had *A* file there but never copied newer versions over
before. Honestly, I didn't know if it was needed or not.  It has a lot
of info in it tho so I figured it wise to ask. 

Thanks to all for the info.  Now I have a better understanding of what I
need to do and how.

Dale

:-)  :-) 

P. S.  Back to the woods.  Putting out fertilizer for the trees. 
Supposed to rain in the next day or so.

Re: [gentoo-user] system.map file in /boot. How to manage?

[Neil Bothwick]

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On Thu, 1 Jul 2021 13:16:29 +0200, Dr Rainer Woitok wrote:

> Same here.   And whenever  I configure  a new kernel  my kernel managing
> script makes sure both,  the kernel I'm currenty running on  and the one
> just configured are in "@world".  That way "emerge --depclean" will nev-
> er remove a kernel package.

You can also do that with sets. Add this to sets.conf

[kernels]
class = portage.sets.dbapi.OwnerSet
world-candidate = False
files = /usr/src

add emerge -n @kernels once. Then depclean will never touch a kernel
source package.

> > ...
> >                                              Should I version the
> > system.map file the same as kernels?  
> 
> Not sure about that.   Mine ARE versioned.   That's probably what "grub-
> mkconfig" is doing by default.

grub-mkconfig only reads the files, it is the make install step of kernel
installation that takes care of copying the files to /boot with the
correct version numbers. ISTR Dale prefers to copy the kernel files
manually, which is why his System.map is not versioned.


-- 
Neil Bothwick

Suborbital Ballistic-Propulsion Engineer
Not Exactly A Rocket Scientist

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Re: [gentoo-user] system.map file in /boot. How to manage?

[Dale]

Neil Bothwick wrote:
> On Thu, 1 Jul 2021 13:16:29 +0200, Dr Rainer Woitok wrote:
>
>> Same here.   And whenever  I configure  a new kernel  my kernel managing
>> script makes sure both,  the kernel I'm currenty running on  and the one
>> just configured are in "@world".  That way "emerge --depclean" will nev-
>> er remove a kernel package.
> You can also do that with sets. Add this to sets.conf
>
> [kernels]
> class = portage.sets.dbapi.OwnerSet
> world-candidate = False
> files = /usr/src
>
> add emerge -n @kernels once. Then depclean will never touch a kernel
> source package.
>
>>> ...
>>>                                              Should I version the
>>> system.map file the same as kernels?  
>> Not sure about that.   Mine ARE versioned.   That's probably what "grub-
>> mkconfig" is doing by default.
> grub-mkconfig only reads the files, it is the make install step of kernel
> installation that takes care of copying the files to /boot with the
> correct version numbers. ISTR Dale prefers to copy the kernel files
> manually, which is why his System.map is not versioned.
>
>


I do copy mine manually.  It's how it was done when I first started
using Gentoo and I just stuck with it, it works.  It's just one
additional file.  Thing is, I may read up on the script way of doing
things.  It may help make dracut and grub-mkconfig happy.  Sometimes I
have to fiddle with names to get them both happy.  I suspect the script
tools handle that with ease. 

Now I got to go find that signature about the cat and free bagpipes.  I
want to send that to a friend.  She'll get a kick out of that.  lol 

Dale

:-)  :-) 

Re: [gentoo-user] system.map file in /boot. How to manage?

[Neil Bothwick]

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On Thu, 1 Jul 2021 09:41:27 -0500, Dale wrote:

> > grub-mkconfig only reads the files, it is the make install step of
> > kernel installation that takes care of copying the files to /boot
> > with the correct version numbers. ISTR Dale prefers to copy the
> > kernel files manually, which is why his System.map is not versioned.

> I do copy mine manually.  It's how it was done when I first started
> using Gentoo and I just stuck with it, it works.  It's just one
> additional file.  Thing is, I may read up on the script way of doing
> things.  It may help make dracut and grub-mkconfig happy.  Sometimes I
> have to fiddle with names to get them both happy.  I suspect the script
> tools handle that with ease. 

make install names the files in a way that dracut and grub-mkconfig
recognise. Just run make install after make modules install. You've let
the makefile copy all the other files, you may as well let it handle the
final two :)


-- 
Neil Bothwick

By the time you can make ends meet, they move the ends.

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Re: [gentoo-user] system.map file in /boot. How to manage?

[Dr Rainer Woitok]

Neil,

On Thursday, 2021-07-01 15:28:51 +0100, you wrote:

> On Thu, 1 Jul 2021 13:16:29 +0200, Dr Rainer Woitok wrote:
> 
> > Same here.   And whenever  I configure  a new kernel  my kernel managing
> > script makes sure both,  the kernel I'm currenty running on  and the one
> > just configured are in "@world".  That way "emerge --depclean" will nev-
> > er remove a kernel package.
> 
> You can also do that with sets. Add this to sets.conf
> 
> [kernels]
> class = portage.sets.dbapi.OwnerSet
> world-candidate = False
> files = /usr/src
> 
> add emerge -n @kernels once. Then depclean will never touch a kernel
> source package.

Nice trick, thank you :-).   This would slightly simplify my kernel man-
aging script.

Sincerely,
  Rainer

Re: [gentoo-user] system.map file in /boot. How to manage?

[antlists]

On 01/07/2021 15:41, Dale wrote:
> I do copy mine manually.  It's how it was done when I first started
> using Gentoo and I just stuck with it, it works.  It's just one
> additional file.

I copied my kernels manually to start with. Then I discovered "make 
install". (and "make modules_install"). Much simpler.

And you don't need to muck about with grub.cfg by hand either. I think 
I'm going to switch to grub-mkconfig, because you can always output it 
to a new file to sanity-check before you send it live (and back up the 
old one, so you can always recover ...).

Cheers,
Wol

[gentoo-user] Re: system.map file in /boot. How to manage?

[Grant Edwards]

On 2021-07-01, Neil Bothwick <neil@digimed.co.uk> wrote:

> make install names the files in a way that dracut and grub-mkconfig
> recognise. Just run make install after make modules install. You've let
> the makefile copy all the other files, you may as well let it handle the
> final two :)

IIRC, "make install" requiers /sbin/installkernel -- an executable
that's provided by one of installkernel-gentoo-3, debianutils, or
installkernel-systemd-boot. Back in the day, a base installation
didn't have /sbin/installkernel, and you needed to install it
manually. Has that changed?

--
Grant

Re: [gentoo-user] Re: system.map file in /boot. How to manage?

[Hayley]

On Thu, 2021-07-01 at 15:14 +0000, Grant Edwards wrote:
> On 2021-07-01, Neil Bothwick <neil@digimed.co.uk> wrote:
> 
> > make install names the files in a way that dracut and grub-mkconfig
> > recognise. Just run make install after make modules install. You've
> > let
> > the makefile copy all the other files, you may as well let it handle
> > the
> > final two :)
> 
> IIRC, "make install" requiers /sbin/installkernel -- an executable
> that's provided by one of installkernel-gentoo-3, debianutils, or
> installkernel-systemd-boot. Back in the day, a base installation
> didn't have /sbin/installkernel, and you needed to install it
> manually. Has that changed?
> 
> --
> Grant
> 
> 


The handbook says that sys-kernel/installkernel-gentoo should be
installed by default. [1]

Just throw in my 2 cents, I use genkernel to manage compiling and
installing the kernel. With a little configuring you can get it to
compile, install and run grub-mkconfig for you. That way I can't forget
to run grub-mkconfig or something.

Hayley

[1]
https://wiki.gentoo.org/wiki/Handbook:AMD64/Installation/Kernel#Installing_correct_installkernel

Re: [gentoo-user] system.map file in /boot. How to manage?

[Daniel Frey]

On 6/30/21 11:59 PM, Dale wrote:
> Howdy,
> 
> The subject line pretty much describes this.  How does one manage the
> system.map file in /boot?  Is it needed?  Should it be updated with each
> kernel?  I tend to keep 2 to 3 kernels installed.  I tend to keep 2 that
> I know are stable and one testing.  After a while, I may remove the
> oldest one and only have two, just in case.  Should I version the
> system.map file the same as kernels?  Does just one with no version get
> the job done?  Update the file with each kernel upgrade or install one
> and done?
> 
> While at it, what does it even do?  If it needs it, it doesn't matter
> but just curious.
> 
> Thanks for any tips on this.
> 
> Dale
> 
> :-)  :-)
> 

I never copy it over unless I have some kernel panic (so not for well 
over a decade.) So there's nothing for me to manage (I only copy the 
kernel and kernel config to /boot.)

Dan

Re: [gentoo-user] system.map file in /boot. How to manage?

[Dale]

Daniel Frey wrote:
> On 6/30/21 11:59 PM, Dale wrote:
>> Howdy,
>>
>> The subject line pretty much describes this.  How does one manage the
>> system.map file in /boot?  Is it needed?  Should it be updated with each
>> kernel?  I tend to keep 2 to 3 kernels installed.  I tend to keep 2 that
>> I know are stable and one testing.  After a while, I may remove the
>> oldest one and only have two, just in case.  Should I version the
>> system.map file the same as kernels?  Does just one with no version get
>> the job done?  Update the file with each kernel upgrade or install one
>> and done?
>>
>> While at it, what does it even do?  If it needs it, it doesn't matter
>> but just curious.
>>
>> Thanks for any tips on this.
>>
>> Dale
>>
>> :-)  :-)
>>
>
> I never copy it over unless I have some kernel panic (so not for well
> over a decade.) So there's nothing for me to manage (I only copy the
> kernel and kernel config to /boot.)
>
> Dan
>
>
>


So if it isn't there or something, it isn't going to break anything. 
That's good to know too. 

Dale

:-)  :-) 

Re: [gentoo-user] system.map file in /boot. How to manage?

[J. Roeleveld]

On Saturday, July 3, 2021 1:54:13 AM CEST Dale wrote:
> Daniel Frey wrote:
> > On 6/30/21 11:59 PM, Dale wrote:
> >> Howdy,
> >> 
> >> The subject line pretty much describes this.  How does one manage the
> >> system.map file in /boot?  Is it needed?  Should it be updated with each
> >> kernel?  I tend to keep 2 to 3 kernels installed.  I tend to keep 2 that
> >> I know are stable and one testing.  After a while, I may remove the
> >> oldest one and only have two, just in case.  Should I version the
> >> system.map file the same as kernels?  Does just one with no version get
> >> the job done?  Update the file with each kernel upgrade or install one
> >> and done?
> >> 
> >> While at it, what does it even do?  If it needs it, it doesn't matter
> >> but just curious.
> >> 
> >> Thanks for any tips on this.
> >> 
> >> Dale
> >> 
> >> :-)  :-)
> > 
> > I never copy it over unless I have some kernel panic (so not for well
> > over a decade.) So there's nothing for me to manage (I only copy the
> > kernel and kernel config to /boot.)
> > 
> > Dan
> 
> So if it isn't there or something, it isn't going to break anything. 
> That's good to know too. 

I only copy the kernel image (and initrd if required)
I haven't done anything with the System.map or config (apart from keeping it 
updated for compiling the kernel) in over a decade.

My boot-partition isn't even mounted unless I update the kernel, so a file 
there wouldn't even be visible to the system.

--
Joost