SuSE should provide packages for an up-to-date glibc (libc) and likely an up-to-date kernel too. Are you using a SuSE from before they started including their automated updater tool?

I''m not particularly well read when it comes to GRUB, so I can''t give you any specific help. However, I can tell you to not remove your current kernel from it or your system. Instead, add another kernel entry (if you built it incorrectly, you''ll have something to fall back on that way).

If you want to build glibc by hand, you''d get it from gnu.org or one of its mirrors. Don''t worry about their saying it only works with GNU systems, SuSE is a GNU system, like most Linux distributions.

Maybe I''ve been spoiled by Debian, but I do recommend using the package manager to handle as much of the work as possible. Not only is it less time consuming and mistake prone, but it''ll be able to keep your system clean over time too.

My routine for kernel upgrades goes something like this:

cd /usr/src/linux-[version]make xconfigmakemake modules_installmount /bootcp arch/i386/boot/bzImage /boot/bzImage-[version]vi /boot/grub/grub.conf 

The lines to add to grub.conf look something like:

title Linux-[version]    root (hd0,0)    kernel /bzImage-[version] ro root=/dev/hda3 

Now, you''ll need to adapt that a bit. My system (Gentoo) uses a seperate /boot partition, which is the first partition on the first IDE disk. I''ve never used SuSE, so I don''t know whether it uses a seperate /boot partition. If you''re not sure, take a look at /etc/fstab. If there''s a line that looks like

/dev/hda1     /boot     ext2   defaults,noauto     1 1 

then you do have a partition for it. If it''s on /dev/hda1, then root (hd0,0) is correct. If not, you''ll have to substitute the right partition, but beware of Grub''s different naming scheme.

If you don''t have a partition for /boot, then those lines should look like:

title Linux-[version]    root (hd0,2)    kernel /boot/bzImage-[version] ro root=/dev/hda3 

Again, you''ll have to replace /dev/hda3 and (hd0,2) with the right partition, which likely won''t be hda3 if you don''t have a boot partition.

Also, take a look at the existing kernels in grub.conf, and see if there are any other options that your distribution needs passed to the kernel. If there are, add those onto the end of the kernel line.

quote:Original post by MDI
So you don''t need to rebuild the symbol table (or whatever it is, can''t check, back in Win2k) when using Grub, like the README says you have to with Lilo?

Nope. Grub can find a kernel without being reinstalled every time, since it has its own filesystem drivers. Lilo doesn''t, and needs to be reinstalled every time a kernel changes.

quote:Original post by MDI
The thing is, I can''t get the online update tool working. I''ve set my proxy up in the Control Panel utility with the correct information for the University LAN (the same settings work for Mozilla and all other internet apps), yet when I start the online update, a small box pops up and it stays there for ages, eventually saying suse.de cannot be reached.

I don''t know exactly how the update utility works, but if it uses FTP, you might want to set it to use "passive ftp", which you will need for all FTP if you are connected to the internet through a LAN.