map file (newbie)

[Douglas J Hunley]

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Tony Alfrey shocked and awed us all by speaking:
> Hi!
>
> I'm trying to clean up my understanding of the kernel compiling process.
> (for reference, still running Caldera and LILO)
> I'm trying to understand the purpose of the map file.  I have a file
> System.map in my kernel source directory that I think is
> created/updated when I compile my kernel.  I assume that it is supposed
> to go in /boot.  And O'Reilly "Running Linux" says that lilo should
> include a line
> map = /boot/map
> but I don't have this line.
> So what gives?
> a)  What is creating the file ~/kernel-build-directory/System.map?

compiling the kernel creates it

> b)  Is it called when I boot if LILO is not told where it is?

has nothing to do with lilo. different maps...

> c)  Do I need it?

not strictly. IIRC, the map file is used to convert a (s)trace or kernel dump 
from fairly meaningless machine-specific hex values to kernel symbols and 
such. make the dump "more usefull"

>
> Thanks!

de nada
- -- 
Douglas J Hunley (doug at hunley.homeip.net) - Linux User #174778
http://doug.hunley.homeip.net && http://www.linux-sxs.org

panic("kmem_cache_init(): Offsets are wrong - I've been messed with!"); -- 
2.2.16 /usr/src/linux/mm/slab.c
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