Essentially what I want to know is whether or not "make-kpkg kernel_source" will apply the Debian cramfs patches to a vanilla kernel from kernel.org.

I want to know this because I need, specifically, a custom compiled kernel 2.6.13 for my laptop (to have all the hardware properly supported). However I can't find any Debian packages for this kernel source.

I downloaded the vanilla 2.6.13.5 kernel sources from kernel.org and compiled it using "make-kpkg kernel_image", however it gave me a warning about the Debian cramfs initrd patches.

So to get around this I disabled initrd in the kernel and compiled in the necessary disk drivers and root filesystems. But this leaves me without the initrd support for Bootsplash.

What I would like to be able to do is:

-download vanilla kernel 2.6.13.5 from kernel.org
-run "make-kpkg kernel_source" on it to produce a cramfs patched kernel
-install the debian patched 2.6.13.5 sources
-configure it with initrd support
-re-compiled and configure bootsplash

Thanks!

To add intrid add this option make-kpkg --initrd kernel_image

Yeah, I know how to build an initrd kernel image, the problem is if I am using vanilla kernel source from kernel.org (instead of a Debian kernel source package), it doesn't have the cramfs patches that are required by "make-kpkg" to make an initrd kernel image.

No, I don't think so. Last time I checked it makes a .deb package of the source as it is, including anything you have changed/removed/added. It will not apply any patches or change it in any way.

You have two options, both of which involve finding old packages somewhere. I have never done this myself but I am almost certain there are repositories of old, obsolete packages around but I don't know where, hopefully someone here will.

1. find the linux-source-2.6.13 deb. This package will have the cramfs patches and ALL of the other debian patches applied. Then continue compiling and installing. If you don't want all of the other patches, just the cramfs one then...

2. find the linux-patch-debian-2.6.13 deb. This will dump all of the debian patches for 2.6.13 in /usr/src/kernel-patches/. Find the cramfs patch and apply it to your vanilla sources and continue compiling and installing etc...

Hope this is what you looking for.

It is. Thanks.

I've also found some other information regarding the cramfs thing. It looks like if I edit /etc/kernel-img.conf, I can tell kernel-package to only use mkinitrd (instead of yaird or mkinitramfs) like so:

ramdisk = /usr/sbin/mkinitrd

and then edit the mkinitrd config to *not* use cramfs. Then I would be able to compile an initrd kernel from the vanilla source and would not require the cramfs patch.

Does that make sense or am I way off base?

Thanks again!