Cargo Cult sysadmining

[Mikkel L. Ellertson]

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On 08/07/2012 01:19 PM, jdow wrote:
> On 2012/08/07 04:29, Mikkel L. Ellertson wrote:
>>
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>> On 08/06/2012 11:29 PM, jdow wrote:
>>> On 2012/08/06 19:17, Mikkel L. Ellertson wrote:
>>>>
>>>> Disabling it because the system you are compiling the kernel for
>>>> will not support the hardware. No need for SATA, PCI, or cardbus
>>>> stuff on a system that only has PCMCIA slots for expansion. You do
>>>> not need the USB drivers because it does not have, USB
hardware, and
>>>> you can not find PCMCIA USB cards. (I have a cardbus USB card, but
>>>> that does not help.) But this is not something most people run
into.
>>>>
>>>> Compiling a kernel for a laptop will let you eliminate a lot of
>>>> drivers because you only have limited hardware changes...
>>>>
>>>> A server that is not going to get hardware changes.
>>>>
>>>> ...
>>>>
>>>> Mikkel
>>>
>>> Mikkel, I have done this once or twice in antediluvian days gone by.
>>> Then I discovered a property of Windows. If your motherboard goes
>>> bad and you can't replace it with an exact replacement the
system and
>>> all other software installed on that disk are suddenly useless.
(Yes,
>>> you can at least recover the files. But you cannot recover the
>> installs.)
>>>
>>> It is far better to keep the OS flexible so that on boot it
adapts to
>>> the system you are running. The better the OS as installed on
the disk
>>> does this the easier the effort to get up and running becomes.
>>>
>>> I may recompile the kernel these days; but, the intent of the
>> recompile
>>> is to ADD features compiled out rather than the other way around.
>>>
>>> {^_^}
>>
>> The only problem with that argument is that if the hardware has
>> changed enough that you can not boot with your custom kernel, then
>> you will need a new initrd to boot with a generic kernel. So you
>> have to boot from some type of recovery media in any case.
>>
>> It can actually be easier to fix with a custom kernel - boot from
>> recovery media, do a chroot, and install the latest generic kernel
>> RPM. Let the post install script build the new initrd.
>>
>> Mikkel
>
> That is why adding things is better than subtracting them. Adding, for
> example, a seldom used filesystem can survive a transplant to a whole
> new computer and still work, modulo connecting a disk that uses that
> filesystem. Um, dongles that take PATA and convert it to USB are
REALLY
> nice to keep around for this reason.
>
> Removing PATA "because I'll never use it" leads to you discovering
> "never" is often not that far away. (PATA seems to still persist on
> certain classes of motherboard, I note. IMAO this is a good thing
> to keep old media readable. I also don't throw away old disks that
> still spin up and contain data. Well, OK, I'm a packrat. I don't
> throw ANY disks away. I have been known to convert their platters
> to ersatz wind chimes, though.)
>
> {^_-}
I have a couple of those. One only does PATA, and the second does
both PATA and SATA. Then I also have a SATA doc that will work a
eSATA or USB. I even have a couple of PATA to SATA and SATA to PATA
converters in my junk box for the few times I need them.

You are not the only packrat when it comes to old disks. I still
have a couple of 8" floppies yet, as well as some paper tape. I
think I still have an 8" drive around here somewhere, and a
controller to hook it to. But I don't know if I still have the
optical paper tape reader. If I do, I am not sure I have anything to
interface it to. I do still have DOS program and game disks. I
should see if they run in dosemu...

What I really should clean out is the old tape backups. I think I
still have a drive that will read (but not write) them. I am not
sure there is any usable information on them. Some are even DOS
backups, as well as some OLD Linux backups. I don't even remember
the backup program used to make them.

My desktop does use a generic kernel. I could probably get some
performance if I compiled a kernel for the AMD Phenom processor, but
it isn't worth it. But that is not the answer for all my hardware.
Why not build in the drivers you need to boot the system if you have
to compile your own kernel anyway?

Mikkel
- -- 
Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons, for thou art crunchy and
taste good with Ketchup!
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