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| Thread ID: 25056 | 2002-09-25 01:56:00 | wanting to recompile Linux Kernel - where to start? | JoGiles (1898) | Press F1 |
| Post ID | Timestamp | Content | User | ||
| 82856 | 2002-09-25 01:56:00 | Hey everyone, I've had Suse 8.0 installed for a week or so now, and find no need to restart into windows (other than to do some C programming - I think). I note on bootup I load heaps of junk, like ISDN support, etc. I want to learn how to recompile my kernel to take all of this unneccesary stuff out. the easiest way too please :) any help would be much appreciated, Cheers, Jonathan Giles |
JoGiles (1898) | ||
| 82857 | 2002-09-25 02:28:00 | You start by reading the manual :D It's not a big one . . . it's called "Kernel-HOWTO" . You'll have all this documentation installed (I hope) and accessible (probably at /usr/docs/HOWTO/ or somewhere like that . Your GUI will have an entry . (or find / Kernel-HOWTO or locate Kernel, or if all else fails, a local mirror ( . lug . net . nz/docs/ldp/HOWTO/Kernel-HOWTO . html" target="_blank">dunedin . lug . net . nz) . Have a browse in /usr/src/linux for any README files . . . It might be simplest/safest to just have a go, and not install the new kernel . . . there's probably still an option to "make" to a floppy . The file which is the result of a kernel make is a compressed image file which if written to a floppy is a self-extracting bootable . Have a play around and use that until you are sure about what you're doing . It's a good idea to keep the previous kernel selectable in lilo . . . it's for when you make a mistake (mistake? what's that?) . It takes a while . . . depending on the CPU speed, and how much memory you have . I would always do it from the command line . . . without a GUI running . You will see a huge quantity of messages --- warnings should not be problems . Errors are usually fatal . Compiling the kernel is a thorough test for memory . It will find any hardware problems you may have . |
Graham L (2) | ||
| 82858 | 2002-09-25 07:57:00 | Most modern Linux distributions come with a modular kernel. This means that drivers can be loaded and unloaded whilst the system is running. Type 'lsmod' to see what modules your system is currently running. Thanks to the emergence of modular kernels, there is really no longer any need for end users to recompile a kernel although, as the previous poster has stated, some people may want to try it to get a better feel for the inner workings of the OS. |
Alasta (1420) | ||
| 82859 | 2002-09-26 03:48:00 | It's still a good idea ... the distribution kernels still have to be able to boot from "any" hardware, and I've been annoyed by the delays while it checks for hardware which is not there. Also, as a rule, it's better to have some things compiled in rather than as a module. I agree that modules are brilliant, but I like to tune my systems ... because I use old machines, and I haven't got GBs and megaflops to spare. | Graham L (2) | ||
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