Booting with different kernels -- what am I missing?

[Doug Sutherland]

 >> modules in /lib/modules
 > Is this why I'm unable to even access network devices when I try
 > running a 2.4.26 kernel on Slackware 9.1?

If you compile a 2.4.26 kernel, there will be /lib/modules/2.4.26
If you didn't compile it, then a binary/precompiled kernel would
have to provide both the kernel image file and the associated
modules in /lib/modules/2.4.26.

If you have some time to muck around, try getting the 2.4.26 source
from ftp.kernel.org and

extract it in /usr/src
make a new symbolic link for linux
cd /usr/src
rm linux
ln -s linux-2.4.26 linux

Then configure the kernel
cd /usr/src/linux
make mrproper
make config OR make menuconfig

Then compile the kernel
make dep
make bzImage

Then compile and install the modules
make modules modules_install

That last command make modules_install puts the modules in
/lib/modules/2.4.26

The compiled kernel will be in /usr/src/linux/arch/i386/boot/bzImage
You need to copy that to /boot (usually renaming it vmlinuz-2.4.26)
and then update the bootloader.

Things are different with 2.6 kernels, I don't recommend using one
yet unless you really need some feature or like to hack around.

   -- Doug