kernel source

greg108 · 08-25-2004, 11:28 AM

I installed debian from a netinstall
but no kernel sources were installed
I need current kernel sources to install nvidia driver
uname -r shows:
2.6.7-1-386
apt-get can't locate this version

How do I get source for the kernel that was installed from netinstaller cdrom?

halo14 · 08-25-2004, 12:04 PM

check this link out... it'll tell you how to download the kernel source...

http://www.desktop-linux.net/debkernel.htm

greg108 · 08-25-2004, 12:23 PM

I had to download kernel-source-2.6.7
this was the closest I found.
But nvidia installer doesn't like. it says

/blah/blah/modversion.h not found. most likely linux/include have not been configured.

I know I could compile this kernel. But I want to avoid it for now.

I just want the same source that compiled my kernel during installation.

Any ideas?

m_yates · 08-25-2004, 12:25 PM

Code:

apt-get install kernel-source-2.6.7

Will install the kernel source. You probably want to also unpack the source and link it to /usr/src/linux:

Code:

cd /usr/src
tar -jxf kernel-source-2.6.7.tar.bz2
rm linux
ln -s kernel-source-2.6.7 linux
cd /usr/src/linux
cp /boot/config-2.6.7-1-386 .config

utanja · 08-25-2004, 12:30 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by greg108
I had to download kernel-source-2.6.7
this was the closest I found.
But nvidia installer doesn't like. it says

/blah/blah/modversion.h not found. most likely linux/include have not been configured.

I know I could compile this kernel. But I want to avoid it for now.

I just want the same source that compiled my kernel during installation.

Any ideas?

try this....
at root

#......apt-get install kernel-source-$(uname -r)
#.....apt-get install kernel-headers-$(uname -r)

then extract both and set a symbolic link to kernel-source-$(uname -r) and rename the link to linux

greg108 · 08-25-2004, 04:13 PM

I couldn't get the nvidia driver to work.
I had to recompile kernel.

thanks anyway

Clark Bent · 08-25-2004, 08:17 PM

Just curious...but can anybody tell me the advantage of installing the kernel the Debian way rather than just going over to kernel.org and downloading the source? I have never quite understood this...except perhaps maybe a person can upgrade to a newer kernel and not have to change their config?

greg108 · 08-25-2004, 10:53 PM

I think it is just easier, because kpkg copies kernel and other files like initrd.img automatically with just one command. It also edited grub for me.
Another thing it uses kernel-image. I think this means that kpkg compiles kernel in some kind of debianish preferred way. But I don't know any technical details.

Clark Bent · 08-25-2004, 11:11 PM

Thats interesting...the concept of compiling the kernel in a Debian type manner. I know Gentoo offers their own kernel as well. Matter of fact (I'm sorta new here so forgive me) but I think there is even a kernel associated with this site isn't there?

At any rate, I wonder what sort of optimizations could be passed?? I mean it's all the same code...is it not? Perhaps it is not. That would certainly be interesting. Doesn't Red Hat tweak the kernel as well? I guess that is the advantage of Open Source. I'll have to try it the Debian way one of these times. I have been compiling kernels for so long just downloading the source and rolling with it that anything else feels strange. It's like when Grub came out. I had used Lilo for so long that anything else was just irritating. I have grown to deal with Grub. Still like Lilo better though.

Termina · 08-26-2004, 12:56 AM

I'm having the same problem.

For some reason, debian didn't come with the kernel source (because, as everyone knows, that's never useful).

So now it looks like I'll have to compile the 2.4.26 kernel, etc. etc.

*sighs* Looks like I won't get this machine up and running tonight. =/

utanja · 08-26-2004, 04:40 AM

afaik.....Kpkg is just a script to automate the standard steps for compiling kernel images...

either way will work...but with kpkg....set it and forget it..

towjamb · 08-28-2004, 04:04 PM

Adding a few thoughts,

Installing the stock kernel image is quite easy and makes upgrading the kernel equally easy. You may wish to add hardware at a later date and, chances are, this will be added via discover. Make sure you have the matching source and headers, used for compiling 3rd party kernel modules, and you won't go wrong with the Nvidia installer, which makes graphics updates easy, too.

I have tried custom kernels, compiling from Debian sources, but haven't really noticed a huge speed difference from stock.

m_yates · 08-29-2004, 07:52 PM

The Debian kernel has patches applied to it. The patches are also available to download via apt-get. You can download the stock kernel from kernel.org and apply the Debian patches manually to get the same kernel that is available as source via apt-get.

One warning I received when upgrading the kernel is that the Debian patches enable the cramfs filesystem and initrd won't work without cramfs. If you want to use initrd, you are probably better off using the debian kernel source.