Major problem after attempting re-compiling kernel...!
 

Hi,

I was trying to re-compile my kernel to give it a try. I 'make xconfig' and changed a few settings like supporting sound card and fs etc........I 'make bzImage' and it says kernel is too large for standalone floppy boot. But it still creates the 'bzImage' file so i assume it's just a warning. THen i tried 'make modules' and thats where errors began. It has errors like implicit declaration and undeclared stuff. Then at the end of the process i have the following:

make[2]: *** [eni.o] Error 1
make[2]: Leaving directory '/usr/src/linux-2.4.8/drivers/atm'
make[2]: *** [_modsubdir_atm] Error 2
make[1]: *** Leaving directory '/usr/src/linux-2.4.8/drivers'
make: *** [_mod_drivers] Error 2

and the same with 'make modules install'

Then i edited lilo and updated it and then restarted using the new kernel. But then the boot up process has more text in it, like i was used to using aurora for booting but then it just have text going 'OK' and 'FAILEd' on the left. And many things failed, like eth0 and VFAt support although i included VFAt support in the kernel config process. And then there's this hardware detection program of Redhat coming up. I ignored it and booted up. I couldn't go on the internet and stuff. I ran 'lsmod' and NO MODULES WERE LOADED.

At first i am not as panic, since web docs told me that my old kernel is still safe and intact. I rebooted using my old kernel but it was the same, no modules, no internet. Could'nt even config the internet, it says that some modules are not loaded.

Pls give a hand, i've read many docs before tring to compile my kernel, but still end up like this.

Thnx, urgent....

Re: Major problem after attempting re-compiling kernel...!
 

First, you need to do a make dep after make xconfig then make bzimage and make modules then make modules_install. The quote above says 'make modules install' without the underscore _
Is this a typo or how you are doing it? The order is this:
make xconfig or menuconfig
make dep
make bzImage
make modules
make modules_install
cp System.map /boot
cp arch/i386/boot/bzImage /boot/vmlinuz (or whatever you name it)
edit lilo if necessary
run: /sbin/lilo
then reboot
If this then does not work, you may be trying to compile something incorrectly as the error's may show as above.

if you've only changed a "few little things" from the kernel configuration, then there is very little chance of it working. the standard default config isn't a million miles from working, but you can't just expect it to happily go though it. and a warning that it won't fit on a disk is a bad thing implicitly. even a bloated rpm based kernel will fit on a boot disk, and your own one will typically be 200-300kb smaller after that.

I've tried 'make dep' and 'make clean' after 'make xconfig'. Doesn't work. I think all problems occurred because of the make modules process. I tried 'make modules_install' and 'make modules install' both hav the same error. And BTW they are the same whether w/o underscore or not i reckon.

To acid_kewpie:

Do you mean that that error is normal ? Or are you saying that i've included too much in my kernel config? And also, i don't know ALL the config options, so i just doin't touch the things i don't know.

Any ideas still? Pls

thnx

And also, i think the problem lies in the making modules process, if i can get that solved, i'll be done.

thnx

No they are not the same. These are two different targets, modules_install will do actual modules installation trick; on the other hand, make modules install, will compile modules andif it's successful the kernel will be installed, which means it'll attempt screw your lilo.conf (if you're using it), and place bzImage into /vmlinuz file, and it seems you cannot get past the make modules step.

Yes now i know the difference.

SO whats the solution?

thnx

the "solution" is generally to take the time to learn what is going on yourself. it's probably an incorrect configuration. you can' just ignre the stuff you don't know anything about. I'd suggest if you're having trouble with a compile, you simply wait until you understand linux a bit better than you currently do.

If there is anyway you can get external access with that machine, I would recommend downloading prisitine kernel source from www.kernel.org and compiling a newer kernel, say 2.4.18. I've always had a problem compiling the somewhat hybridized RedHat or Mandrake kernels. You could also re-install the kernel from the RH 7.2 CDs, and then re-run lilo.

Lastly, if you want to try compiling that beast again, follow the list of what Taz gave you, but first use:

make mrpropper

This will clean the source tree entirely. It's also going to zap your old config file, which was probably the problem anyway. You will have to select aspects of the kernel one by one from the ground up.

Also, as pointed out above, make modules_install... if something errors out, make clean or make mrpropper, and start over. Don't keep going as the mess will hardly ever work.

Cheers,

Finegan

suggestions and tutorial to help you
 

An update to the last post. The correct commamnd to type first is make mrproper NOT make mrpropper. Leaving the underscore out when typing make modules was one of your first mistakes as it is completely different than make_modules like the previous poster stated a few messages ago. I would recommend going to Decibel's Linux help site. It is great for beginners and has an excellent short tutorial written for the average person on how to recompile your kernel using the rpm-source. The link is here to the list of tutorials - http://webpages.charter.net/decibels...inuxIntro.html
Good Luck and keep trying, you will get it and it's a great way to learn about Linux.