How long will this kernel take to compile?
 

hi all,
im updating my kernel on my aao from 2.6.24 or2.6.25 to 2.6.29.4 so i can use my wifi card.
and i started make 1.75 maybe 2.25 hours ago how long till it should be compiles days hours week minutes what???

It depends on your system specs and the options you are compiling in.

As XavierP says, the length of time the kernel compile takes will depend on the options you selected in the config, and the specification of the machine. It shouldn't take days or weeks unless you are using a very old machine (or loading your system).

A few hours isn't unreasonable if you have selected a lot of options, or have an older system.

There are a number of things that can cause even a new machine to go slowly: a lack of available memory springs to mind, as does running other processor-intensive tasks alongside the compile. You can try running "top" in a new terminal while the compile is running and see the available memory and the amount of swap space available, as well as the processes consuming the most CPU.

The worst case scenario is that the compile freezes, which will be indicated by the output on the screen staying the same for a very long time (ten minutes or more). In this case, you can kill the compile with ctrl+c (usually) and then re-run the last "make" command and it will continue where it left off.

Also since you are interested in record keeping the time it took to compile, you can record the time it took for your kernel to compile by using time command. You can see an example here.

well its compiled now and it rocks like hell
but that is actually quite useful for things thanks i will look