I'm compiling a kernel, and in my /linux-2.4.20/ directory I found these commented lines in the makefile :

# If you want the RAM disk device, define this to be the size in blocks.
# This is i386 specific.
#

#export RAMDISK = -DRAMDISK=512


I am using Reiser, and from what I understand you need the ramdisk at boot.

Does this line in the makefile affect that ? Also, if I need to uncomment those lines, is 512 blocks going to do it, or do I need to increase -DRAMDISK= ?

JC

I can guess at what the replies might be here. I believe that I may be advised to compile ext2, ext3, and reiser into the kernel, thus eliminating the need for a ramdisk.
Hm, that sounds good.

I am still curious about the part of the makefile show above, so if anyone knows the answer, lay it on me.

JC

No you don't need a ramdisk at boot if you are booting from a harddisk. And you only need to enable the filesystems you will use in the kernel. Ofcourse most people enable lots of filesystem types in case they ever encounter a different filesystem on floppy or cd or there could be many other reasons why you need it.

And about the RAMDISK variable in the Makefile this is what the file Documentation/kbuild/makefiles.txt says about it:

End users edit these variables to specify certain information
about the configuration of their kernel. These variables
are ancient! They are also specific to the i386 architecture.
They really should be replaced with CONFIG_* options.

So you can leave this as it is in the Makefile and go to sleep peacefully. And by the way it's the blocksize used for the ramdisk not the size of the ramdisk. If you decide to add ramdisk support in the kernel you can specify a ramdisk size much larger then that.

Thanks alot ! That puts that to rest. As a linux newb I find myself diving deep into it right away. The reason is, unfortunately, that my motherboard is not supported in the present Linux kernel (2.4.20). I'm a little hesitant to try the beta kernel, but might do it anyway.

After alot of trial and error, I have managed to compile a 2.4.20 kernel with the options that I need, but my motherboard is still not properly supported. There are lots of items in the 'Unknown' branch in the KDE control module.Mainly, the heart of the IO (ICH4 chip) is not properly recognized.

Anyway, I got a crash course in Linux. I somehow manage to always find myself in a trial-by-fire situation. It's good for learning, but frustrating when you can't get the desired results.

BTW : mobo = Asus P4B533 (Intel 845E)

JC