Newbie Guide To Compiling A Kernel!

irvken · 12-22-2003, 12:36 PM

Hello I've beem working through the kernel upgrade howto at the start of this thread and have a problem at one particular point with mkinitrd, wonder if anyone can help?

http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...826#post663826

Whitehat · 01-09-2004, 07:56 PM

I thought that I would bump this. It appears with the advent of all the 2.4.24 stuff people need to see this again and again

Maybe it could become a sticky

Peace,
Whitehat

vincebs · 01-09-2004, 08:48 PM

Why is it compiling:

/arch/i386/kernel/cpu/amd.o
/arch/i386/kernel/cpu/cyrix.o
/arch/i386/kernel/cpu/transmeta.o
/arch/i386/kernel/cpu/centaur.o
/arch/i386/kernel/cpu/rise.o

When I have none of these CPUs?

DrOzz · 01-09-2004, 08:59 PM

its one of the first options in make config (or whichever you picked), well if nothing changed it is the third menu ... its called processor types and features
did you change anything, or did you just leave defaults?

Whitehat · 01-09-2004, 09:00 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by vincebs
Why is it compiling:

/arch/i386/kernel/cpu/amd.o
/arch/i386/kernel/cpu/cyrix.o
/arch/i386/kernel/cpu/transmeta.o
/arch/i386/kernel/cpu/centaur.o
/arch/i386/kernel/cpu/rise.o

When I have none of these CPUs?

Did you explicitly tell it not to? If not, then that's why.

Did you do a menu config? or what?

Did you add/remove needed/unneeded stuff?

::edit::
Wow...........twice today I did this. Nice work Drozz....you got to it before I finished typing

Peace,
Whitehat

DrOzz · 01-09-2004, 09:03 PM

....and ususally i am the one that gets out-posted ...
i find i will type a response to someone and then i press submit, and there is like 4 ahead of me

trickykid · 01-09-2004, 11:05 PM

This has been made an almighty sticky as DrOzz rocks and this is quite a nice guide for the newbies. Now hopefully all questions in regards to "how do I compile my kernel" will cease from this day on..

Thanks Whitehat for bringing this thread to my attention.

Cheers.

SILVERPENGUIN · 01-11-2004, 05:11 PM

Quote:

..And create the new one:
/sbin/mkinitrd /boot/initrd-x.x.x.img x.x.x
(Note: )
The last set of x.x.x is the eqivalent to your new kernel version and it looks to /lib/modules for that version.

-----------------------------------
Use The Steps That Pertain To You
If You Use Grub Then Edit grub.conf
If You Use Lilo Then Edit lilo.conf
-----------------------------------

<-> And Finally Edit Your /etc/grub.conf file <->

title New Kernel
kernel /vmlinuz-x.x.x ro root=LABEL=/ hdd=ide-scsi
initrd /initrd-x.x.x.img
(Note: )
look at the previous parameters in the grub.conf file and note what "root=" and use what is existing.

Exit and Save grub.conf
type "/sbin/grub-install"

AND REBOOT!!!

Ok...I'm back....New install completed.....Now, I need to know how I got past the :

/sbin/mkinitrd /boot/initrd-x.x.x.img x.x.x I put in :

linux:/usr/src/linux # /sbin/mkinitrd /boot/initrd-2.6.1.img 2.6.1 and get out:

/boot/initrd-2.6.1.img/var/tmp is not a directory

I forget what I was doing wrong there. I think I fixed it once...Not sure now! Can't find that string we were on at the time.

SILVERPENGUIN · 01-11-2004, 05:31 PM

is this what is should have in etc/grub.conf file?

root (hd1,1) install --stage2=/boot/grub/stage2 /boot/grub/stage1 d (hd0) /boot/grub/stage2 0x8000
(hd1,1)/boot/grub/menu.lst quit

title New Kernel
kernel /vmlinuz-2.6.1 ro root=(hd1,1)=/ hdd=ide-scsi
initrd /initrd-2.6.1.img

??????????????????

vincebs · 01-14-2004, 12:59 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Whitehat
Did you explicitly tell it not to? If not, then that's why.

Did you do a menu config? or what?

Did you add/remove needed/unneeded stuff?

::edit::
Wow...........twice today I did this. Nice work Drozz....you got to it before I finished typing

Peace,
Whitehat

In the .config file, it says <Processor-name> is not set for all the processors I didn't select. Yet it still compiles.

linx win · 01-16-2004, 07:44 AM

Hellllllllllllllllllllllp please

I upgraded my Mandrake 9.2 system to kernel 2.6.1 but I cant mount the CDrome, the floppy and windows partition any more. I did exactly similar to what I used to do for the old kernel but I got the following:

[root@localhost mnt]# mount -t auto /dev/hdb7 /mnt/h:
mount: special device /dev/hdb7 does not exist

How can I solve it?

DrOzz · 01-16-2004, 11:14 AM

show us the output of the following...
fdisk -l

linx win · 01-16-2004, 11:47 AM

DrOzz

I asume you meant me so here is what you requested:

[dalal@localhost dalal]$ fdisk -I
bash: fdisk: command not found

Is there another way to do fdisk -I?

I can see all devices in the control center. It shows the CDrom, floppy and the hard drive. But can not mount them.

By the way I got this solution

http://www.redhat.com/archives/fedor.../msg03218.html

but unfortunately I couldn't find the grub.conf in Mandrake. In Red hat this file is in the boot directory. Does this solve my problem and if so, where is the grub.conf file is located in Mandrake?

DrOzz · 01-16-2004, 01:04 PM

k i didn't bother looking at that link, cause i want you to resolve the fdisk issue first ...
now the first problem you have is you are issueing the fdisk command as a non-root user, so first you have to su - to root and type your password, then issue the command ...
second, if you still get command not found, then that means /sbin is not in your PATH and you'll have to specify the whole command which would then be :
/sbin/fdisk -l, again as root ...
and last, grub.conf and lilo.conf are located in the /etc folder ..

linx win · 01-16-2004, 01:30 PM

DrOzz

It did work. Here is the data:

Disk /dev/hdd: 20.5 GB, 20520493056 bytes
16 heads, 63 sectors/track, 39761 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 1008 * 512 = 516096 bytes

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/hdd1 * 1 27952 14087776 83 Linux
/dev/hdd2 27953 39761 5951736 5 Extended
/dev/hdd5 27953 29668 864832+ 82 Linux swap
/dev/hdd6 29669 39761 5086840+ 83 Linux

I could not locate the grub.conf file in the whole PC using the find file tool. Is it hidden file?