I have built the 2.4.36 kernel. I want to know how to boot it and connect to the internet. What Vanilla stuff can I build to get it to boot? This is new to me. Can you explain what to do to get it to boot. I want a Vanilla kernel boot. Not a distribution.

http://www.kroah.com/lkn/

http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/linuxkernel/

You need a bootloader pointing to the kernel. Configuring and installing the bootloader is no different for a vanilla kernel than for a distribution kernel. (This is not difficult. It also isn't really part of a kernel compile.)

You do not need an initrd. By compiling your own kernel you can avoid having an initrd altogether. Instead you make sure that every module that you need to boot is part of the kernel and not a loadable module.

To connect to the internet be sure that you have compiled pppd into the kernel.

Then after you boot you configure pppd and start pppd (which is not trivial but it really isn't part of a kernel compile).

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Steve Stites

Thank you so much. I had no idea that you can get a free book about Linux that is published by OReilly.

After my parents found out I got accepted to art school and am not going to study biology like they want me to, they ditched their promise to pay for my college. They also want to make my behind raw for telling them that my computer stopped working and that M$crosoft Vista is needed. I better get this Linux thing to work!

Thank you for your comment.

"You need a bootloader pointing to the kernel. Configuring and installing the bootloader is no different for a vanilla kernel than for a distribution kernel. (This is not difficult. It also isn't really part of a kernel compile.)

You do not need an initrd. By compiling your own kernel you can avoid having an initrd altogether. Instead you make sure that every module that you need to boot is part of the kernel and not a loadable module.

To connect to the internet be sure that you have compiled pppd into the kernel.

Then after you boot you configure pppd and start pppd (which is not trivial but it really isn't part of a kernel compile)."

1) Where can I get a bootloader? Which one is easier to build and use for a vanilla kernel?

2) I want to connect via the ethernet and not a dial up modem. Would I still use pppd?

You can use either grub or lilo for a boot loader. If you want to acquire the software for your new system without using anything from a distribution then you should look at Linux From Scratch.

http://www.linuxfromscratch.org/

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Steve Stites

Thank you for your comment. That is what I was asking. You put it in the words that I did not know how to do. I was asking about making a Linux from scratch system. That link had a book about it.

Smedley, Thank you for the link to the book about the kernel. I did help me with some things.

On page 29, it says that you should use "sudo", and that depending on how sudo is set up that you will either enter in your password or the root password. I am new to using "sudo", and want to have it so that you enter the user password and not the root password. When I tried to use "sudo", then I get it asking me for: Enter root password:

How can I change it so that it will be only asking for the user password? I already tried to edit the /etc/sudouser file and added the user name to it, but it still asks for the root password. This is on KDE 3.5, Opensuse.