Re: [SLE] Switching kernel at boot time for CIisco VPN usage?

On 5/21/06, Per Jessen wrote:

Hugo Garcia wrote:

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On 5/21/06, Per Jessen wrote:

...

Hugo Garcia wrote:

...

Hi

Just a wild idea but... I would like to use the Cisco VPN sofware but unfortunately it doesn't work with SMP kernels. It is possible to switch kernel at boottime to that I can use the Cisco VPN software and then switch bach to my SMP kernel when I do not need to connect via VPN?

Yep, this can be setup quite easily with lilo or grub.

/Per Jessen, Zürich

Thanks Per for the lead. I will do the required googling but if you or anybody else has the url for how to do this then I thank you in advance.

Hugo, it's not too complicated. Check out /etc/lilo.conf - there you will already see 2 entries for booting Linux - the normal and the failsafe. You just need to add a third entry for your nonsmp kernel for use with cisco VPN.

Copy the first entry:

image = /boot/vmlinuz label = Linux append = "splash=silent showopts" initrd = /boot/initrd root = /dev/hda3

and correct the name of the kernel image you wish to boot. If your nonsmp kernel is called "/boot/vmlinuz-nonsmp-4ciscovpn". you just correct the image= statement.

Allright... it should be similar with grub. Now for the kernel part.... If I go to YaST and check the file list for the SMP kernel that I have installed, I see: /boot/System.map-2.6.16.13-4-smp /boot/config-2.6.16.13-4-smp /boot/initrd /boot/initrd-2.6.16.13-4-smp /boot/initrd.previous /boot/symsets-2.6.16.13-4-smp.tar.gz /boot/symtypes-2.6.16.13-4-smp.gz /boot/symvers-2.6.16.13-4-smp.gz /boot/vmlinux-2.6.16.13-4-smp.gz /boot/vmlinuz /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.16.13-4-smp /boot/vmlinuz.previous ... in my box I have : rocinante:/boot # l total 6619 drwxr-xr-x 3 root root 560 May 13 10:10 ./ drwxr-xr-x 24 root root 568 May 21 05:10 ../ -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 702742 May 3 06:41 System.map-2.6.16.13-4-smp -rw------- 1 root root 512 May 13 10:10 backup_mbr lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 1 May 13 09:55 boot -> ./ -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 67576 May 3 06:53 config-2.6.16.13-4-smp drwxr-xr-x 2 root root 480 May 13 10:10 grub/ lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 22 May 13 10:10 initrd -> initrd-2.6.16.13-4-smp -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 2381397 May 13 10:10 initrd-2.6.16.13-4-smp -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 134144 May 13 10:10 message -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 98314 May 3 06:59 symsets-2.6.16.13-4-smp.tar.gz -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 334560 May 3 06:59 symtypes-2.6.16.13-4-smp.gz -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 92316 May 3 06:58 symvers-2.6.16.13-4-smp.gz -rwxr-xr-x 1 root root 1605076 May 3 06:53 vmlinux-2.6.16.13-4-smp.gz* lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 23 May 13 10:00 vmlinuz -> vmlinuz-2.6.16.13-4-smp -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 1332562 May 3 06:41 vmlinuz-2.6.16.13-4-smp rocinante:/boot # I gather I should make a note of the current symlinks in /boot : Then get the 'kernel-default' package from YaST, double check if there were changes in /boot, and fix to the previous state of /boot, and then write a new boot config in grub similar to the lili one that you presented above. sounds like a plan? -H