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Please what is the purpose of the /proc/config.gz file in my Linux server filesystem?

Is it some backup file, or it is an updated file by the Linux system? Can I change it?

SaveTheRbtz
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1 Answers1

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This enables you to get the kernel configuration, with which your kernel was compiled.

Usually you use it, if you want to build a new kernel, but you don't have the actual configuration of your running kernel. See Linux Kernel Configuration

Why you want to change it? Normally you can't, it should be read only from userspace view.

By the way, all files under /proc comes from the procfs which provides informations from the kernel to the userspace and backwards. The newer approach is the sysfs usually mounted under /sys, which provides a convenient way to communicate with the kernel from userspace.

Emii Khaos
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    It can also be useful to determine if your kernel was actually compiled with support for something. If you know you need a specific feature, you can look in /proc/config.gz to determine its status in your kernel. – Nex7 Sep 10 '13 at 23:44