HOWTO: Kernel compilation

[skoal]

My only guess is that we have a bad hyphen somewhere in the filename.

edit: Changing custom to the kernel number (2.6.12) worked.

Yeah, I guess you figured it out already, but straight from the 'make-kpgk' man pages: 'Secondly, the version may contain only alphanumerics and the characters + . (full stop and plus) and must contain a digit.' -> no hyphens.

The general format for the kernal package naming scheme is this:
kernel-image-(kernel-version)(--append-to-version)_(--revision)_(arch).deb

for example, when I built my 2.6.12 kernel, I used the following command:
make-kpkg --rootcmd fakeroot --initrd --append_to_version -custom --revision $(date +'%d%m%y') kernel_image kernel_headers

which gives me:
skoal@morpheus:///usr/src $ ls *.deb
kernel-headers-2.6.12-custom_190605_i386.deb
kernel-image-2.6.12-custom_190605_i386.deb

\\//_

[Kyral]

Could you also do a make oldconfig to duplicate your current kernel?

[vaskark]

Could you also do a make oldconfig to duplicate your current kernel?

Would that keep all the config options the same? I compiled 2.6.12 successfully but it didn't boot. No error messages ... just a blank screen. All I really want is to get inotify working for Beagle.

I didn't know what to select at the xconfig stage

[skoal]

make oldconfig? Absolutely. That's what I did when moving from 2.6.10 to the vanilla 2.6.12 I downloaded off kernel.org. After you run that command, you will be presented with a few prompts (and their default y/n/m questions) for any differences between the 2 revisions. I just selected all the defaults and went back under 'make menuconfig' and started from the top anyway, slicing and dicing what I didn't need.

\\//_

[TheRealEdwin]

Is there a list of items that you MUST have? Looks like I goofed up and i get kernel panics.

[TheRealEdwin]

So after a bunch of different compiles, and all of them failing, is there a way to remove them from grub and the installed stuff? I know you install it with dpkg -i but how do I uninstall it?

edit: Nevermind, found it after looking around for a few hours.

If the filename is "kernel-image-2.6.12-custom_210605_i386.deb" the command would be

sudo dpkg -r kernel-image-2.6.12-custom

edit 2: Bah! Still getting "Kernel panic - not syncing: VFS: Unable to mount root fs on unknown-block(0,0)".

[luca_linux]

So after a bunch of different compiles, and all of them failing, is there a way to remove them from grub and the installed stuff? I know you install it with dpkg -i but how do I uninstall it?

edit: Nevermind, found it after looking around for a few hours.

If the filename is "kernel-image-2.6.12-custom_210605_i386.deb" the command would be

sudo dpkg -r kernel-image-2.6.12-custom

edit 2: Bah! Still getting "Kernel panic - not syncing: VFS: Unable to mount root fs on unknown-block(0,0)".

You have to compile the support for the file system you use (for example ext3) not as a module but built-in.
Plus, don't add the support for /dev, it's deprecated. Instead, enable tmpfs.

[luca_linux]

Yeah, I guess you figured it out already, but straight from the 'make-kpgk' man pages: 'Secondly, the version may contain only alphanumerics and the characters + . (full stop and plus) and must contain a digit.' -> no hyphens.

The general format for the kernal package naming scheme is this:
kernel-image-(kernel-version)(--append-to-version)_(--revision)_(arch).deb

for example, when I built my 2.6.12 kernel, I used the following command:
make-kpkg --rootcmd fakeroot --initrd --append_to_version -custom --revision $(date +'%d%m%y') kernel_image kernel_headers

which gives me:
skoal@morpheus:///usr/src $ ls *.deb
kernel-headers-2.6.12-custom_190605_i386.deb
kernel-image-2.6.12-custom_190605_i386.deb

\\//_

Yeah, you're right. I confused --append-to-version with --revision for awhile.
HowTo fixed.

[Kyral]

Is anyone else having problems downloading the 2.6.12 source tarball from Kernel.org, 'cause it never completes for me, and I can't wget it

[skoal]

I hesitate to post my kernel .config, but I will anyway. So before you post back with this .config don't work, please read my specs below (and make the appropriate changes with 'menuconfig' for any differences). - see attached -

My rig with relevant kernel config parameters:

• Pentium 4
• Intel motherboard chipsets
• All IDE host hardware
• Nvidia Ti-4600
• ALSA (only emu10k1 driver installed)
• only e100 for NIC driver
• only ACPI, no APM.
• USB and Filesystems all modules and should work for any rig.
• probably sumtin' sumtin' else impotant I'm missing here.

NOTES:

• I stripped this kernel like a true playa would. All my kernels are phat, not fat. You feelin' me?? Any driver I don't use, ain't using me?? You feelin' this??
• I do not use local APIC or any framebuffer devices -> not good with Nvidia cards and performance stability (in general). Those 2 cause more Nvidia related problems (outside of RenderAccel) than spilling crunk juice on some green fab marked with Nvidia TM.
• All (and everything) SCSI is stripped. I'm all IDE bay-bee - living large and in charge.
• All irrelevant networking (experimental) doohickeys only IT netadmins would remotely care about, have been pimp slapped to /dev/null. Don't even look for it in my configs.

howto Build:

1. copy attached config to /usr/src/linux/.config
2. * run 'make menuconfig' and change any subtle differences between my rig and yours. (note the asterisk).
3. make-kpkg --rootcmd fakeroot --initrd --append_to_version -custom --revision $(date +'%d%m%y') kernel_image kernel_headers
4. dpkg -i kernel-image-2.6.12-custom_190605_i386.deb
5. dpkg -i kernel-headers-2.6.12-custom_190605_i386.deb (for installing nvidia drivers after reboot)
6. reboot.
7. You'll see some 'warning' when your ramdisk starts, like missing dis or dat. Just ignore it like a true playa rollin' through stop signs while flippin' the switches on his '64. That's how we roll...
8. drop to custom init level for console, or /etc/init.d/gdm stop, or wait for gdm to puke on it's own. Compile nvidia drivers, startx, and off you go! weeeeeeeeee!!!!

If you want to fix the 'modules missing' stuff at startup when your ramdisk mounts, you can play with adding those particular ones to /etc/mkinitrd/modules. If you want to see what's missing from your ramdisk module startup:

skoal@morpheus://~ $ sudo mount -t cramfs -o loop /boot/initrd.img-2.6.12-custom /mnt && cd /mnt

check what filesystem/modules are missing...

skoal@morpheus:///mnt $ cat loadmodules
modprobe -k fan 2> /dev/null
[...]
modprobe -k ide-generic
modprobe -k ide-disk

add 'em to /etc/mkinitrd/modules (in the proper order), remake ramdisk, and drop it like it's hot. That's how we roll...

\\//_