Well, for the most part. You can put in a Kernel update, then
reconfigure LILO to enable you to access it without the install
procedure, but you do of course have to restart the system to use the
new Kernel.
As for the software part, I guess that I am a creature of habit. So
often in Win31 and 32 I had to do a restart to insure that any new
drivers were properly installed, I guess that I still do it as much out
of habit as because I think that it is safer to restart any time I
change my system to insure that it will still start propoerly.
As for a complete version update of the OS, you must remember that the
operating system works with your hardware at a very fundamental level so
you don't have to. Often, it may use binary addresses to access hardware
drivers in memory, and the hardware must use these drivers as well, to
communicate back to the OS. Much of the system software is loaded and
unloaded as needed to and from memory to conserve resources. To do this
quickly, the system keeps track of where on the HD these software
components are located, and uses this info to do its work. When you
upgrade, all this info changes, and the OS cannot find what it needs to
do its work, and BANG! Nothing works, and the system is halted (Locked).
This last is not either complete or exact, but I think it is essentially
correct. This is why you must use a boot disk to do an upgrade, so that
the OS being upgraded is not the one running in memory, and the info
being used is not changed while the upgrade proceeds. I hope this helps
a little,
Ernie
Tymanthius Rune Speak wrote:
>
> That mostly makes sense, but I kinda thought that one of the great things
> about Linux was the 'no need to reboot on upgrades' part. Guess not system
> upgrades, just end user software?
>
> Ty
>
> "Ernest N. Wilcox Jr." <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> I'm still too new at Linux to help with the repair job, but I can
> explain why you need to do the installer. When you are running an
> installed Linux system, the files you want to replace in a version
> upgrade are being used by the system, and cannot be replaced. That is
> why you need a boot disk, so the files wil;l not be in use. If you watch
> the install screens, you will see one that gives you a choice of
> "Install" or "Update". When you get there, choose "Update". (could be
> "Upgrade"). This will not wipe out your existing stuff, and will still
> replace the existing version with the newer one. Hope all this makes
> sence,
>
> Ernie
>
> Tymanthius Rune Speak wrote:
> >
> > Ok, but I don't understand why I can't just grab the rpms, and then upgrade
> > what I have installed, using kpackage or rpm. Which is why I didn't read
> the
> > readme or install files - didn't think I had to do an install. That's what
> I
> > get for thunking . . .
> >
> > Anyhow I wrote down the error messages, and did some tracking:
> >
> > INIT: version 2.76 booting
> > sh: error in loading shared libraries: libreadline.so.4.0: cannot open
> shared
> > object file: no such file or directory
> > INIT: Entering runlevel: 5
> > bash: error in loading shared libraries: libreadline.so.4.0: cannot open
> > shared object file: no such file or directory
> > INIT cannot execute "/etc/X11/prefdm"
> > (it then goes into a respawning loop and eventually quits trying.)
> >
> > Now, using a Debian CD I have lying around I went in and mounted /usr/lib
> and
> > I found libreadline.so.4.0. I even cp'd it to / hoping that this would put
> it
> > unmistakably in the path. Guess not. So which file can I edit to make it
> > explicitly point to libreadline? I THINK (and that hurts!) it will fix my
> > problem.
> >
> > Thanks so much for the help!!
> >
> > Ty
> >
> > "Ernest N. Wilcox Jr." <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> > To do the upgrade, you will need to download the entire contents of the
> > /Mandrake folder. You will need to make a boot disk to run the
> > instalation program. From DOS or Windoz, you can do this with the
> > boot.img file from the Images folder on the FTP site, and rawrite (not
> > sure of the spelling of names) from the DOSUTILS folder. Run rawrite
> > while loged into the directory which contains the rawrite utility, and
> > folow the on screen prompts. With a floppy in drive A: , rawrite will
> > produce a boot disk for Linux. Boot from the boot disk you just made,
> > then when the install program runs, select the "update" option, not the
> > "install" one. This will update your current instalation, and hopefully
> > fix any errors you may now be encountering. Also note that the people at
> > Mandrake are kind enough to provide "readme" files. I make it a practice
> > to always read these things, as they usually keep me out of trouble, or
> > at least reduce the depth of trouble I get myself into. There is a
> > Readme file and a INSTALL file. Read 'em both. They may help.
> >
> > Good luck,
> >
> > Ernie
> >
> > Tymanthius Rune Speak wrote:
> > >
> > > Ok, I downloaded all the packages from 6.1. I then went thru and tried
> to
> > > install them all using kpackage. Some, no matter what I did, would
> always
> > > give me unsatisfied depends - even tho I JUST installed those depends!
> > >
> > > So I reboot, thinking that will wake up kpackage - Instead I get "Can't
> > start
> > > <something>" It was lookingin X11R6/.../predfm(?). I know, I know, I
> > don't
> > > have the whole error msg. This happened to me when I tried to use
> autorpm
> > > too. Same msg's.
> > >
> > > I'm using my web based email account from a Windoze machine so I don't
> have
> > > access to the errors. If anyone can tell me:
> > >
> > > A) What went wrong, and
> > >
> > > B) How to prevent it, and
> > >
> > > C) How to reinstall w/o losing anything, I'd Really Really love it!!
> > >
> > > Thanks,
> > >
> > > Ty
> > >
> > > ____________________________________________________________________
> > > Get free email and a permanent address at http://www.netaddress.com/?N=1
> >
> > ____________________________________________________________________
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>
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