kernel compilation and yum
 

Im new to fedora and yum. So bare with me.

I'm using the latest kenel (2.6.15-1.1831_FC4) on my laptop. Seeing as my hardware with regards to network cards and stuff is set in stone my goal was to compile a new kernel, minus all the drivers, and other junk I did not need. So I compiled a new 2.6.15 kernel from the source rpm of my current kernel (2.6.15-1.1831_FC4). I call it 2.6.15-toshiba, and save it as an rpm for future install, or to share with other toshiba M30 laptop users.

Everything worked beautiful. My laptop boots quicker, kernel is smaller, no boot errors. Im a happy camper. Then I go to add in the nvidia, and ntfs driver modules from livna...

kernel-module-ntfs-2.6.15-1.1831_FC4.i68 2.1.25-0.lvn.1.4
kernel-module-nvidia-2.6.15-1.1831_FC4.i 1.0.8178-0.lvn.3.4

However I encouter errors. I do some more reading on the Livna web site and see this
If I rename my new toshiba kernel to 2.6.15-1.1831_FC4 will this trick yum into installing the modules??

OR

Can I re-compile my 2.6.15-1.1831_FC4 kernel, and minus the options I dont need. It seems like yum wont install anything kernel related unless its installing it against the generic FC4 kernel.

Will any of this trick it, or does the fact the change in kernel configuration make it impossible to install the modules with yum???

Since your building you own kernel build the ntfs modules yourself, it is one of the options that you can change in the configuration. The same holds true for the nvidia driver download the source and build your own.

Yum is a binary designed to assist you with using rpm and repositories, you do not really need it. As long as you know exactly where a certian rpm file is you can download directly with rpm, please see 'man rpm' minus the single quotes for the informational details and options. For example (I choose something that should install [not installed normally] or be updated [if installed] as a single item);

rpm -Uvh http://download.fedora.redhat.com/pu...4.FC4.i386.rpm

but if i install the nvidia driver manually with the source rpm form one of the repos, will it be able to update via yum, and tell me when I have a new one... or will I have to check from time to time, and always install a newer version manually???

also will I lose the abiltiy for yum to upgrade my recompiled kernel when a newer version comes out??? So I will have to install manually install a new kernel everytime one comes out (if there is some functionality i need)

You build you install. The custom kernels and other binary packages are not upgradable via yum, think about it. Have you ever seen an update for 2.6.XX-toshiba???? I think not, you built it so you have to supply the update.

Its compiled from the exact same kernel source, just with different options, either added or deleted. If I left the name the same as the FC4 version of the kernel, could yum not update the kernel with whatever is new.

I dont quite know what happens when yum updates your kernel to a newer version. I'm assuming the automated process just recompiles the new kernel from the old kernels .config ??? So what makes what Im doing any different?

Yum can install a newer kernel then the one you custom built but it will not rebuild the new kernel to fit your custom config file. Yum will install a new binary (pre-compiled) kernel nothing more, nothing less.

If you make changes to the kernel (apply patches for example) then the kernel is not a Fedora/Red Hat kernel , it your own custom kernel. Attempting to install some packages (like the two mentioned) which are specially built for a specific kernel will not work.

If as you state just changing the configuration for your hardware only then you need to edit the kernel Makefile, Fedora/Red Hat normally adds custom (or something like that) to the EXTRAVERSION line. In other words you need to keep the exact same name as an already built and supplied kernel. Changing the name breaks yum ability to install compiled binary packages that rely on the exact kernel that the package (and yum therefore) is expecting.

thx, I think I'll stick with the generic kernel for now. To many hassles, and the kernel seems to get upgraded once or twice a month, plus FC5 is due out soon.