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-   -   kernel-2.6 compiling not for average users (https://www.linuxquestions.org/questions/linux-general-1/kernel-2-6-compiling-not-for-average-users-130837/)

demmylls 01-02-2004 09:48 AM

kernel-2.6 compiling not for average users
 
i am an average user of linux.
i know some c language, my 1st encounter of linux is from redhat version 6.2

now i am using redhat 9 but would like to upgrade my kernel from 2.4.22-8 (RH9 default) to kernel 2.6.

i have successfully compiled and installed kernel 2.4.22 for many times coz i keep reformating kernel after trying something destructive on my system.

in this long time of being linux users, i started to realize that linux is not for most desktop users because complicated and needed wide knowledge of computer inorder to really maintain it. even and expert windows users wouldnt be able to operate and maintain linux system. many terms in linux i just so alien to windows users.

i agree that linux is mature alot from the day Redhat 6.2 is.
most GUI interface are easy to use and stright forwared sometimes it is better then windows apps. there is time where i just wish that the apps can be ported ot windows but no one do that.

when it came to upgrade packages it is as easy as 123 using rpms. but many apps just dosent support rpms or rpms that support the system you have especially when there is so many distro out there. some rpms is specifically for mandrake and some for debian or redhat and etc.

when you dont get rpms you might just have to compiled yourself through source code but this is the things causes many problem espacially kernel2.6 which i compiled more then 15 times taken more 24 hour to that that.

none rpm for module-init-tools can be found so have to compile from source.

modutils has to be upgraded.

guide from migrate to kernel 2.6 wont do also. because of it i have to reformat my rh9 2 time because i messup module.conf, rc.init and etc file.

after successful compilation and installing kernel 2.6 hardware not detected became another problems. mouse wont move at all. soundcard module not loaded. trying ot load sound module using modprobe unsuccessfull so i try depmod but still wont do. ok fixed mouse module problem now usb mouse working fine after tuning the modprobe.conf file. other then this i got many services loaded with failure and error like iptable and etc.

now i conclude that just wait for distro that support the great 2.6 kernel that will takeover windows.

its not an easy task to upgrade kernel to a new version

trickykid 01-02-2004 09:55 AM

Re: kernel-2.6 compiling not for average users
 
Quote:

Originally posted by demmylls
its not an easy task to upgrade kernel to a new version
I only consider myself an average user, no programming skills whatsoever and I had no problems compiling the latest kernel. Kernel compiles are not as hard as some seem to make them to be.

Just a word to those who have never compiled a kernel, don't let it defeat you and wait for the distro to provide the latest kernel, if you so desire and need to update your kernel.

No pun intended but I just don't agree with your thread and many of your statements you've made regarding upgrading and compiling the new kernel.

My :twocents:

-trickykid

johnleemk 01-02-2004 10:16 AM

I still haven't managed to compile the 2.6 kernel because make keeps on segfaulting or complaining about missing files. I even redownloaded the source, but no luck. :(

acid_kewpie 01-02-2004 10:20 AM

Sure, compiling a kernel is a little more involved than tying your laces, but looking at it relatively, the changes made to the build process for 2.6 make is significantly nicer and easier than a 2.4 compile.

kev82 01-02-2004 10:42 AM

i am possibly biased because my first linux distribution was LFS, i had previous unix experience though. but i see no problem compiling 2.6 if you already have experience compiling software from source and compiling the 2.4 series of kernels you just need to make sure you have backups and that you read the instructions.

if you can afford it keep a spare hard disk then you can just dump your system onto that try out anything new and if all goes well then put it back on your main hd if it doesnt then you havnt lost anything.

a few points that i would disagree with

by demmylls
in this long time of being linux users, i started to realize that linux is not for most desktop users because complicated and needed wide knowledge of computer inorder to really maintain it.

i have not yet met an operating system that needs no more than average desktop user knowledge to maintain it properly.

by demmylls
i just wish that the apps can be ported ot windows but no one do that.

most of the major apps have been ported to windows

by demmylls
because of it i have to reformat my rh9 2 time because i messup module.conf, rc.init and etc file.

why did you not backup before attempting something like this, i do some sort of backup almost every time i su(a while ago i rm -rf * in the wrong directory, im more careful now)

as tricky says if you wanna upgrade your kernel or anything else in fact then as long as you make backups nothing disasterous can happen and whatever happens you'll learn something and can share it with the community so others dont have to go through the same thing.

demmylls 01-02-2004 11:38 AM

by kev82
as tricky says if you wanna upgrade your kernel or anything else in fact then as long as you make backups nothing disasterous can happen and whatever happens you'll learn something and can share it with the community so others dont have to go through the same thing.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

good point through this experience of compiling kernel 2.6 i learnt alot about the files related to booting and the way it really works. previously i jsut read those articles about booting but dont really know much about it.

just to tell you that eventhough modules-init-tools rpm packages descriptuan says it does the same thing that modutils do but in real world you have to upgrade your modutils and compile and install latest module-init-tools on redhat9.

try to configure your kernel in x window then bootup linux in runlevel 3 (that is non linux commad line only) then compile from there. i reboot into runlevel 3 by using startup disk by typing "inux 3" with that you'll save of 20% of compiling time.

in redhat 9 also have to upgrade procps also

and i know all the majour apps is ported and are currently porting to windows but there is still some dont (this issue isnt important to me coz i use linux more then windows. but sometime i have to use windows)

another problem of compiling from source is that there is some apps source code that dosent include descriptions about what to do and what is the minimal requirement to compile all they give is the generic compiling method.

how to upgrade an apps from that installed from rpms. should i uninstall the rpm package and then compile and install?
how about apps already installed using source code but you only get rpms upgrade. should i uninstall the old package and then install rpm?

negge 01-03-2004 12:55 AM

I have had many problems compiling the kernel. But I believe that you learn eventually if you want to. My only regret in Linux in general is the fact that I have been using it for an year more or less. I haven't had any success compiling 2.6.0, yet.

Maybe I'll wait for a decent guide. :) (Not Osnews for compiling 2.4.20)

bb_matt 01-03-2004 03:22 AM

After many hours, I've had limited success with the 2.6 kernel on SuSe 9

Eventually, it got down to compiling gcc 2.9.3 and compiling the kernel with that.

After many false starts, including setting reiser and ext3 as modules instead of compiling into the kernel, I finally got it to boot.

I still can't get hotplugging devices to work - it fails everytime and I can't find a fix for it.

I also cannot get my sound card working, possibly it's related to the above ?

I have noticed significant speed increases, noticable in Yast.

Yast used to take 20 seconds to start and each section about the same time to load, under 2.6 it zips along !

Still, there's problems with the new kernel and my system, mainly because I'm very much a Linux light-weight, so I'm back on 2.4

In fact, I'm back to RedHat 9 after a brief foray into the SuSe universe.

I'm going to attempt to compile the 2.6 kernel for RedHat 9.0 - I've seen a very useful tutorial on getting it up and running - it may of been here ?

:)

demmylls 01-03-2004 10:22 AM

i also got to boot into linux kernel 2.6 but many error on loading services.
soundcard just dont work although the compiled directly into the kernel or as modules. i'm very sure that the souncard driver that i compiled is the one for my soundcard.

going thorough many trial and error just to fix USB mouse to get it work.

yes it is easy to compile kernel 2.6 but it is not easy to tweak the system to load all the neccessary modules and other stuffs.

just wait for fedora core 2.

is there anyone out there successfully running kernel 2.6 under redhat9 with no error in loading iptable, and other services without error.?

kev82 01-04-2004 03:42 PM

ok, when i posted above i hadnt actually attempted a compile of 2.6 but i had compiled a few 2.5's so i did know what i was talking about, anyway ive just compiled 2.6 for myself, took me just over an hour to get everything working but heres a few things ive discovered that might help you.

by demmylls
soundcard module not loaded. trying ot load sound module using modprobe unsuccessfull so i try depmod but still wont do.

can you post the error, my sound didnt work initially - turned out the entries in /dev wernt correct even though i had used alsa in the 2.4 series perfectly fine, my sound worked after running MAKEDEV.snd in the scripts directory

by demmylls
i got many services loaded with failure and error like iptable

if you dont tell us what the services that dont work are we cant help you with them. my iptables works fine, did you compile in all the modules for the various targets you want to use? just in case its a version problem my iptables is 1.2.7a

as far as the speed increase goes booting isnt noticably faster but it boots in 11 seconds so i cant see much being shaved off that. X seems to take a little longer to load but i dont think ive configured the agp stuff in the kernel correctly yet. the only non-lightweight program i use is mozilla and it loads much faster(3x) and reacts slightly faster, also video4linux has new options cos my xawtv menu is much bigger, ive not tried videocapture yet but that will be interesting.

demmylls 01-07-2004 10:29 AM

actually i cant provide the error for you coz i have removed my kernel 2.6 and some error message i cant be reached such as error from the bootup message.

and about the sound error, it myself also dont know what the error is. i compiled the correct alsa sound driver but dont get sound.

linx win 01-26-2004 01:59 AM

trickykid

I tried recompiling the 2.6.0 kernel more that 30 times with limited success. I lost my cdrom , sound and USB. It always tells me that I may need to install the modules-init-tools even after I installing these tools and shows a modeprop problem during the bootup. I think the problem is with the installation of the modules-init-tools. The system (Fedora in my case) does not recognize them although the installation was successful with no errors. Can you tell me how I can force them on the system?

Thanks


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