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This is a reply to an email that I accidentally deleted. COMPILING AND CONFIGURING A NEW KERNEL. Download a recent kernel from http://www.kernel.org/ I will use the kernel linux-2.6.20.tar.bz2 You will have to change details of the following to suit your purposes. Save it in /usr/src/ # mv linux-2.6.20.tar.bz2 /usr/src/ Unzip the kernel package # tar -jxf linux-2.6.20.tar.bz2 Copy the original kernel configuration file (that came with your distro) to .config # cp /boot/config-2.6.20 /usr/src/linux-2.6.20/.config Look at the available kernel building options # make help Run oldconfig to update the original kernel config to a current config # make oldconfig Use menuconfig (or xconfig or gconfig) to make any further changes # make menuconfig YOU SHOULD compile all the drivers necessary to boot your system, into the kernel (ie, such drivers should not be built as modules). This way you will NOT need an initrd file. Use rpm-pkg to create a Red Hat RPM kernel package. # make rpm-pkg Went built, the RPM package is put in /usr/src/packages/RPMS/*your*architecture* # cd /usr/src/packages/RPMS/x86_64 Install the package (you may have to un-install previous installs) # rpm -i kernel-2.6.20-1.x86_64.rpm Use deb-pkg to create a Debian .deb kernel package. # make deb-pkg Went built, the .deb package is put in /usr/src/ # cd /usr/src/ Install the package (you may have to un-install previous installs) # dpkg --install linux-2.6.20_2.6.20_amd64.deb If you were unable to determine which drivers you need (to boot), then you will need an initrd file. To build it use the command # mkinitrd -o /boot/initrd-2.6.20 IF YOU ARE CUSTOMIZING YOUR KERNEL, YOU SHOULD PUT IN THE EFFORT TO BUILD A KERNEL THAT DOES NOT NEED AN INITRD FILE. ------------------------------------------------------ Now you need to configure your kernel. Using GRUB you need to change the menu.lst file. # emacs /boot/grub/menu.lst & The grub entry that you boot with will look something like: ###Don't change this comment - YaST2 identifier: Original name: linux### title SUSE LINUX 10.0 root (hd0,2) kernel /boot/vmlinuz root=/dev/hda3 resume=/dev/hda5 vga=0x317 video=vesafb:nomtrr splash=silent initrd /boot/initrd Leave the old boot entry so you can boot it if things go wrong with the new kernel. Cut and paste a copy of it above the old one. Then adjust the copy for the new kernel. ###Don't change this comment - YaST2 identifier: Original name: linux### title MY NEW KERNEL root (hd0,2) kernel /boot/linux-2.6.20 root=/dev/hda3 resume=/dev/hda5 vga=0x317 video=vesafb:nomtrr splash=silent Of course, you don't need a initrd entry as you have compiled in all the vital drivers,... right? If you could not determine the vital drivers and needed to build an initrd file, then you need an entry, like initrd /boot/initrd-2.6.20 ------------------------------------------------------ If your new kernel is destined to have the same name as the old one, you need to do something about it (unless you do not mind the old one being overwritten). Use your favorite text editor to change the top level Makefile # emacs /usr/src/linux-2.6.20/Makefile & change the line EXTRAVERSION to EXTRAVERSION = something This will change the name of the new kernel to linux-2.6.20-something Your /boot/grub/menu.lst entry will now look something like: ###Don't change this comment - YaST2 identifier: Original name: linux### title MY NEW KERNEL root (hd0,2) kernel /boot/linux-2.6.20-something root=/dev/hda3 resume=/dev/hda5 vga=0x317 video=vesafb:nomtrr splash=silent and perhaps an entry initrd /boot/initrd-2.6.20-something ------------------------------------------------------ Now reboot and choose the "MY NEW KERNEL" entry from the GRUB boot menu, and see how you went. ------------------------------------------------------ On Thu, 05 Apr 2007 17:05:21 -0700, johnrobertbanks@fastmail.fm said:-- johnrobertbanks@fastmail.fm -- http://www.fastmail.fm - mmm... Fastmail... -
