Why I don?t have to reboot Linux after the install?

[mikeshn]

I used the Win98, Win200 pro. Every time I installed some program I had to reboot the system. It was kind of rule for me, every other time to reboot win. Why I don?t have to do that in Linux?

 

[CTho9305]

In windows, programs might need to copy over files that are in use, or load a device driver. Both of these require rebooting. In linux, generally programs don't overwrite anything, and if they do, you can just stop & restart whatever process is using the file. Linux also allows for "kernel modules", which are parts of the operating system kernel that can be added and removed on the fly, no reboot. There is actually very little in linux (or any *nix) that really requires a reboot.

Windows is moving towards drivers that don't require a reboot - for example, my sound card drivers don't require a reboot.

 

[jkukowsk]

What version were you using? I always have to restart after installing Red Hat, Slackware, Open BSD, or Free BSD.

 

[CTho9305]

<< What version were you using? I always have to restart after installing Red Hat, Slackware, Open BSD, or Free BSD. >>


redhat 5.2, 7.0, 7.1, 7.2, mandrake 8.2, debian stable. i dont recall rebooting after any of their installs, but i might be wrong
for installing: anything... the only linux thing that I can remember required a reboot was vmware, but you could probably get by by manaully running its init scritps.

to be honest, I went 2 days without rebooting XP from the first boot in which the install completed

 

[J.Zorg]

Well Linux is not like Windows
If you install Linux you reboot it only when you:
1. Install new kernel
2. Installl new Hardware
3. Have a power loss
4. want to clean the fans and the case from all the dust...
5. don´t understand how it works

And this is what happens:


<< 2:24am up 122 days, 23:40, 1 user, load average: 1.00, 1.00, 1.00 >>


and no problems at all.

 

[Derango]

<< What version were you using? I always have to restart after installing Red Hat, Slackware, Open BSD, or Free BSD. >>



He was talking about a program install, not a distro.

 

[manly]

<< What version were you using? I always have to restart after installing Red Hat, Slackware, Open BSD, or Free BSD. >>


He's referring to installation of applications. However, the same general rule also somewhat applies to device drivers, and even OS installation.

For example, since you install SuSE on a running Linux kernel, once the installation is complete, it simply mounts the filesystems and enters the correct runlevel. It doesn't need to reboot the OS kernel, since it's already running properly.

 

[Nothinman]

The main reason is you can delete files that are in use in Linux, all it does is remove the directory entry but leaves the data on the disk for the file still using it (this is one way of adding security to temp files, open it then immediately delete it, you can still write to the open file descriptor, but noone else can see the file and it's deleted as soon as your program exits, even if it crashes.), something Windows can't' do.

 

[CTho9305]

<< And this is what happens:


<< 2:24am up 122 days, 23:40, 1 user, load average: 1.00, 1.00, 1.00 >>


and no problems at all. >>



BAH. my 486dx33 had an uptime of 55 days until the power went out last night (there was also a power out 55 days ago ). my new box should reach similar uptimes, except i have to play with the hardware on that one still. my main box gets uptimes of a few days between me shorting the PSU playing with fans and pelts

edit: fixed link