Debian way kernel compilation question

kushalkoolwal · 03-02-2006, 07:44 PM

I generally compile the kernel the debian way. Here is the list of steps that I do:

Code:

1.cd /usr/src/linux
2.make clean
3.cp /boot/config /usr/src/linux/.config
4.make xconfig
5.make-kpkg clean
6.fakeroot make-kpkg --append-to-version=-myname kernel_image
7.dpkg -i kernel_image-<version>
8.mkinitrd -o /boot/initrd.img-<kernel-version> <kernel-version>
i.e. mkinitrd -o /boot/initrd.img-2.6.13 2.613

Now the above methods works fine. But I have seen some people giving command number 6 as
fakeroot make-kpkg --append-to-version=-myname kernel_image kernel_headers

What is the difference between the two commands(with and without kernel_headers)? What is the purpose of kernel_headers and how are they useful to us?

Also can I some how omit the step number 8? Does make-kpkg have the capibility to build the initrd image also and install it?

Thanks

pljvaldez · 03-02-2006, 07:50 PM

I don't know about the first couple, but I actually leave off the mkinitrd because I don't seem to need it by compiling my filesystem type into the kernel. When I recompiled the kernel, I included ext3 support and when I tried having the initrd image in my lilo.conf file, I got an error and it wouldn't boot. So I booted the old kernel and commented out the initrd= line lilo.conf, reran /sbin/lilo and just boot the kernel image.

dracae · 03-02-2006, 07:52 PM

kernel_headers builds the kernel-headers or linux-headers deb package, so that you can remove, update or otherwise change the kernel source and still compile against it.

Add --initrd to your make-kpkg command line and it will build the initrd during the install

kushalkoolwal · 03-02-2006, 08:12 PM

Thanks dracae for the effort!!!

Quote:

Originally Posted by dracae

kernel_headers builds the kernel-headers or linux-headers deb package, so that you can remove, update or otherwise change the kernel source and still compile against it.

I quite did not understood what do you mean by that. Sorry my bad. I really don;t know anything about kernel-headers. Whenever I have to compile new sources I just do
#apt-get install kernel-package linux-source-<uname -r>

and I am able to compile the kernel. Can you suggest anything good documentation which will explain the purpose of kernel_headers?

Quote:

Originally Posted by dracae

Add --initrd to your make-kpkg command line and it will build the initrd during the install

Thanks for the initrd tip. I will try that and see how it goes.

dracae · 03-02-2006, 08:47 PM

When you need to compile modules that are kernel specific, you need the kernel source. But you don't really need the kernel source, you just need the kernel headers, the *.h files. You might do something to the kernel source, as long as the versions.h reports the same make, will not complain, but modprobe might. With kernel headers this simply will not happen, because you should never be changing anything in them. There is a lots of documentation on how and why the kernel-headers package came to be.

I always build them, but I don't typically install them until I need them. Like when a new version of the nvidia driver becomes available. By that time there have been many changes inside my kernel-source dir.