A curse on LABEL=

[Alexander Dalloz]

Am Sa, den 10.04.2004 schrieb Timothy Murphy um 14:02:

> If I compile a kernel, and then say "make install",
> and the installed kernel does not work, I call that a bug.
> It's easy to get round - by changing root=LABEL=/ to root=/dev/hda?
> in grub.conf - so I would call it a cosmetic bug.

I do not agree to call this a bug of any kind. Do you call each and
everything where you have default settings you personally do not like
and want to change a bug? ;)

> The previous entry in grub.conf for 2.6.4 had root=/dev/hda6 .
> Admittedly there was an old entry with root=LABEL=/
> but it is not clear to me why the install process chose to copy this.

A close look at the Makefile inside the source directory could explain
that.

> That was just my point.
> I don't _want_ to use the "LABEL feature" -
> and neither, in my estimation, do the vast majority of Linux users -
> but it is forced on me unless I take positive steps to remove it.

Right, it is a default since several Redhat releases.

> > It is easy to avoid LABEL usage. 
> 
> Actually, it is not that easy, since it is used by default.
> It is clear from postings on the Linux newsgroups
> that this is a significant cause of kernel panic,
> with the root partition not being found.
> And it is clear that a significant number of Linux users
> do _not_ immediately diagnose the cause.

That shows me only the pitfall that users do not make efforts to read
documentation :( If you have a look at the Fedora release notes file
coming with your system:

/usr/share/doc/fedora-release-1/7.0/RELEASE-NOTES-i386

you are pointed to the fact of using partition labels. And only a short
look at the grub.conf should someone creating a new custom kernel be
thinking over the usage of LABEL in the default entries.

> > If you want to use the LABEL feature,
> > you need to have a correct labeled root partition, an initial ramdisk
> > image and BSD label support compiled into the kernel.
> 
> If it requires all these preconditions to work properly,
> that seems to me a very good reason not to make it the default.

No, not in my opinion. To build an own custom kernel requires a lot of
other reading and investigation too. If you do not understand the whole
process it would just be luck to get a working kernel.

Regards

Alexander


-- 
Alexander Dalloz | Enger, Germany | GPG key 1024D/ED695653 1999-07-13
Fedora GNU/Linux Core 1 (Yarrow) on Athlon CPU kernel 2.4.22-1.2174.nptl
Sirendipity 17:47:09 up 22 days, 1:28, load average: 1.24, 1.08, 1.07 
                   [ Γνωθι σ'αυτον - gnothi seauton ]
             my life is a planetarium - and you are the stars
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: signature.asc
Type: application/pgp-signature
Size: 189 bytes
Desc: Dies ist ein digital signierter Nachrichtenteil
URL: <http://listman.redhat.com/archives/fedora-list/attachments/20040410/fbd2d2b6/attachment-0001.sig>