Guide to 2.6 kernel upgrade/recompile

makuyl · 08-12-2005, 09:56 AM

Well, something is missing. Check with "dpkg -l packagename" everyone of these:
gcc
make
binutils
util-linux
module-init-tools
e2fsprogs
jfsutils
reiserfsprogs
xfsprogs
procps
ncurses-dev
libqt3c102
libqt3-mt-dev
libc6-dev
linux-kernel-headers
fakeroot
tk8.3
libncurses5-dev

Not sure if everything is needed but you might as well give it a shot. I'm guessing on libc6-dev this time

czon · 08-13-2005, 02:26 PM

(newbiewarning)

got stuck at your "get source" part:
apt-get -t unstable install kernel-source-2.6.7 kernel-patch-debianlogo

opend aptitude and made a search.. could only find kernel-source's for 2.4...

since im using etch and wanna compile 2.6.11 i just switch the numbers.. or that cant be done? well didnt find that source anyway...

Worksman · 08-15-2005, 06:08 AM

WOW!!! This guide to upgrading to 2.6 kernel is BIG!
I read most of it and learned some stuff I didn't know.
I'm using Debian Sarge for quite a while(also Slackware but got bored) but I never thought about recompiling my kernel.
Until now! I installed Debian the fast way not the advanced way like this: boot: linux26 acpi=on.
All went well. Back when I was using Windoze I used to make music with FL Studio, ACID and SoundForge.
Now I found lmms - the linux multimedia studio and quite an impressive number of tools for audio editing on the Debian CD's.
But lmms needs ALSA and JACK to work and the kernel comes with OSS. I installed ALSA using APT-GET and I'm not sure but I think as a module.
I need some help and guidance to fully recompiling the kernel. I've googled a lot but I don't wanna just mess around with the kernel so I thought maybe I should ask somebody else that uses Deb how to successfuly recompile the kernel.

Basicaly what I want to do is:
1. Have the same configuration as my current "2.6.8-2-386 #1 Thu May 19 17:40:50 JST 2005 i686 GNU/Linux" kernel to start with
2. Install the latest stable 2.6.12.4 kernel (is that ok?)
2. Remove OSS from the kernel and use ALSA's OSS emulation (or something like that :P)
3. Install ALSA to the kernel
4. Install JACK to the kernel (what bothers me is that I can't play multiple streams with ALSA nor OSS and JACK says it permits multiple apps to connect to it and play)
5. Install the ATi video driver (fglrx) because the last two times I tried the log said it couldn't compile/install the ati kernel module
6. Remove or add support/modules that I don't need/do need

Now what I want to know is:
1. What is initrd.img and why does Debian need/use it?
2. vmlinuz must be the kernel image?(sorry! I mentioned I didn't bother about recompiling before!)
3. the kernel image is what is loaded at boot-up?
4. why should I edit /etc/fstab and add /sys sysfs defaults 00 and mkdir /sys
5. really why should i turn off acpi? i thought it uses APIC for IRQ routing this way and it has more IRQ this way, don't wanna use PIC right?
6. what is win4lin? should i use it? is it big if i have to compile it in the kernel?
7. To compile a kernel I need the kernel source and headers? what are these headers? anything else i need?
8. how do i add modules that i don't have?

Any help is greatly appreciated!

Worksman · 08-15-2005, 06:56 PM

Well I found out what initrd is. What are those ramdisks that show up while i boot? What/by who are they used for?
Again I feel I have to say sorry for the newbie questions but I feel only u people can guide me thruw recompiling my kernel safely!
Please help a poor stupid linux addicted... linux user and windoze hater!

Some other questions:
a. patching the kernel? how does it work? does it modify code? recompile adding code?
b. which is the most stable 2.6.x kernel version?
c. who makes/modifies the kernels?
d. more to come...hope u're not mad

m_yates · 08-16-2005, 08:21 AM

The initrd is the INIal Ram Disk. You can find a detailed description of why it is used and how it works here: http://www.linuxforum.com/linux-filesystem/initrd.html

Patching the kernel adds code to the kernel source before it is compiled.

I do not know what 2.6 kernel version is most stable. The latest source version in Debian/unstable is 2.6.11, in Debian Stable/Testing it is 2.6.8. I use 2.6.11 and haven't had any problems.

Kernels are made by a lot of people collaborating. The original source is made available at http://kernel.org/ The latest stable version there is 2.6.12.5 The original source is patched and packaged as a Debian package by Debian package maintainers. I personally only use the Kernel source from Debian. It is usually one version older than that from kernel.org.

Worksman · 08-16-2005, 12:35 PM

ok i've done some googling and reading. i think i kindda understand compiling.
i dont understand ho can i compile the latest alsa with the kernel?
how can i start menuconfig with my current kernel's config state?
where can i find fulll in fo about what should i enable as module or comiled into the kernel in menuconf and all the stuff there?

thanks alot

czon · 08-16-2005, 02:55 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Worksman
how can i start menuconfig with my current kernel's config state?

start menuconfig and use the menu and choose "load an alternate config file"
then typ /boot/config-2.6.8-*-* or whatever your old "working" kernel is named

BTW read this, great guide. http://www.debian-administration.org/articles/202

Worksman · 08-16-2005, 05:02 PM

Thanks! I'm starting to learn more and more about Linux! I have you all to thank for that!
But I still am gonna ask a lot of questions that might make you guys angry and just send me to google.
I'm waiting for some answer on my previous post(the BIG one).

czon · 08-16-2005, 10:35 PM

well.. since this is my first week with linux im a newbie too but i can try answer your questions

1. What is initrd.img and why does Debian need/use it?
The initrd is the "initial ramdisk". It is enough files stored in a ramdisk to store needed drivers . You need the drivers so that the kernel can mount / and kick off init. The initrd is typically used for temporarily booting the hardware into a state, that the real kernel vmlinuz can than take over and continue the booting. For example - you can't read the kernel off the scsi hard disk until you have a scsi driver loaded in the kernel. (Solution: boot an initrd kernel that can read the real kernel and use initrd to fix scsi booting problems)

2. vmlinuz must be the kernel image?(sorry! I mentioned I didn't bother about recompiling before!)
The "vm" stands for "Virtual Memory". Linux supports virtual memory unlike old operating systems like DOS which have a hard limit of 640KB memory. Linux can use the hard disk space as "virtual memory" and hence the name "vm". The vmlinuz is the Linux kernel executable.

3. the kernel image is what is loaded at boot-up?
see 1

4. why should I edit /etc/fstab and add /sys sysfs defaults 00 and mkdir /sys
no idea. i followed the debian adminstrations guide and never made this change and my kernel seems ok

5. really why should i turn off acpi? i thought it uses APIC for IRQ routing this way and it has more IRQ this way, don't wanna use PIC right?
no idea...

6. what is win4lin? should i use it? is it big if i have to compile it in the kernel?
http://www.win4lin.com/

7. To compile a kernel I need the kernel source and headers? what are these headers? anything else i need?
Kernel-headers includes the C header files for the Linux kernel. The
header files define structures and constants that are needed for
building most standard programs and are also needed for rebuilding the
kernel.
(I didnt download source and headers.. i downloaded from www.kernel.org and made my own kernel-headers file..)

Code:

su root
apt-get install kernel-package fakeroot wget bzip2 libncurses5-dev
cd /usr/src/
wget http://www.kernel.org/pub/linux/kern...6.12.5.tar.bz2
tar xvfj linux-2.6.12.5.tar.bz2
cd linux-2.6.12.5
make menuconfig

that will give you the latest stable kernel, then just follow the guide i posted before

8. how do i add modules that i don't have?
apt-get install or download from site and read README :P

Worksman · 08-17-2005, 04:24 PM

Thanks! As I said before I'm not that new to linux but I never bothered recmpiling my kernel!
I ask all these questions 'cause I don't wanna end up with a non-bootable kernel.
I've did all that menuconfig but some stuff there i don't understand.
There is a documentation dir in the kernel source tree and i'm gonna read it.
But after I build it I wanna make sure i can backup with my old kernel.
So what do have to do is make a folder in /boot and copy the kern there and after do the grub config?
I also have to be sure I compile it to support SATA, anybody know what i have to include?
Can i remove all those by default selected stuff for 64bit, amd, specific cpu support and so on that i don't have?
So i need the headers? Or are they in the kernel source tree? they are C .h files right? (I'm thinking about learning C too, maybe python, perl a bit, cause pascal sucks).
One more question: why the f*** doesn't debian install with alsa included when i chose boot:linux26 as all other 2.6 kernels are?

kushalkoolwal · 08-17-2005, 09:10 PM

Hi.

This question may be stupid but I am curious to know. I understood the entire procedure except the first piece of code:

apt-get -t unstable install kernel-image-2.6.7-1-386

Why we need the above step when we are installing the kernel source by this command:

apt-get -t unstable install kernel-image-2.6.7-1-386

In short what is the difference between the 1 and 2 step.

Thanks

Royle · 08-22-2005, 05:28 PM

after following this guide, how would I uninstall a kernel?

m_yates · 08-22-2005, 07:32 PM

You can remove a kernel with:

Code:

dpkg -P <name>

where <name> is the name of the kernel. The "-P" option means "purge". Purging will also remove configuration files of packages. You can also remove kernels using apt-get or synaptic as you would other Debian packages.

Worksman · 08-24-2005, 06:59 PM

After doing some reading I think I should stay with my current kernel and actually recompile it, not the new one. So this way I can use the current config file and only modify what I need. I'm gonna try to do a recompile after I read the kernel DOCS. Meanwhile can someone tell me what i have to disable and what i have to enable to use ALSA? Wich is the best way, ALSA included in the kernel or as modules? To compile the kernel with ALSA support do I also need to download the ALSA source and driver? Can anyone give me some answers? Please! (i'm not desperate! i think i can find my way alone but someone with knowledge could be very helpfull.)

mithereal · 09-04-2005, 05:44 PM

i have a wierd problem when i build the kernel 2.6.13 as described here when it boots it kernel panic not in sync attempted to kill init.