<para>Why is my kernel so big (over 10MB)?</para></question><answer>

<para>Chances are, you compiled your kernel in <emphasis>debug

mode</emphasis>. Kernels built in debug mode contain many symbols that

are used for debugging, thus greatly increasing the size of the

kernel. Note that if you running a FreeBSD 3.0 or later system, there

will be little or no performance decrease from running a debug

kernel, and it is useful to keep one around in case of a system

panic.</para>

<para>However, if you are running low on disk space, or you simply

don't want to run a debug kernel, make sure that:</para>

<itemizedlist>

 <listitem><para>You do not have a line in your kernel configuration file

 that reads <emphasis>makeoptions DEBUG=-g</emphasis>,

 and</para></listitem>

 <listitem><para>You are not running <command>config</command> with the

 <option>-g</option> option.</para></listitem>

</itemizedlist>

<para>Both of the above situations will cause your kernel to be built

in debug mode. As long as you make sure you follow the steps above,

you can build your kernel normally, and you should notice a fairly

large size decrease; most kernels tend to be around 1.5MB to 2MB.</para>

</answer></qandaentry>  

<qandaentry><question>