Essential System Administration Pocket Reference

Kernel Configuration

Default kernel location

AIX:	/unix (a link to /usr/lib/boot)
FreeBSD:	/kernel	HP-UX:	/stand/vmunix
Linux:	/boot/vmlinuz	Solaris:	/kernel/genunix

Kernel build directory

FreeBSD:	/usr/src/sys/arch/conf
HP-UX:	/stand/build
Linux:	/usr/src/linux

Building a custom kernel

We assume here that the kernel sources are installed and that any required patches have been applied.

FreeBSD:	cd /usr/src/sys/arch/confcp GENERIC NAMEchmod +w NAMEEdit NAMEconfig NAMEcd ../../compile/NAMEmake dependmakemv /kernel /kernel.savemake install
HP-UX:	Use SAM.
Linux:	cd /usr/src/linuxcp arch/arch/config.in{,.save}cp .config .config.savemake mrpropermake xconfigmake depmake cleanedit Makefile, modify EXTRAVERSION settingmake bzImagemake installmake modulesmake modules_install

View kernel parameters

AIX:	lsattr -E -H -l sys0
FreeBSD:	sysctl -a
HP-UX:	sysdef
Linux:	cat /proc/sys/kernel/*

Modify kernel parameters

AIX:	chdev -l sys0 -a attribute=value
FreeBSD:	sysctl param=new-value
HP-UX:	Use SAM

Configuring Boot Loaders

FreeBSD boot loader

boot0cfg -B [-m 0xmask] disk

Install the FreeBSD boot loader on the specified disk. mask is a bit mask that includes (1) or excludes (0) each successive partition.

disklabel -B partition

Install the boot program into the specified partition within the FreeBSD slice.

lilo (Linux)

lilo [-C config-file] [-r alternate-root] [-b partition]

By default, lilo installs /etc/lilo.conf into the partition table on the ...