is there a program that will automatically configure the kernel before i install it

baronobeefdip · 11-05-2011, 10:44 AM

i want to be able to have a program that will automatically configure the kernel tarball to accommodate itself to my hardware, in other words i want the program to probe for all hardware my system has and when modules (or drivers) are available for it's hardware in the kernel archive it will add it to the .config file. this will make everything a lot easier since i hate having to wait a couple hours to see if everything installed correctly, i'm tired of guessing

ButterflyMelissa · 11-05-2011, 10:59 AM

Yes there is, it's called ... configure. Here are the simple steps to get where you may want to go...

- get the tarbal
- unpack
- enter the folder
- issue "./configure" or "make menuconfig"
- make the thing with 'duh" "make"
- then - "make modules"
- and finally - "make install...

Luck!

Thor

macemoneta · 11-05-2011, 11:05 AM

This is the purpose of building modules. Your system dynamically loads the modules it needs to support your hardware.

catkin · 11-05-2011, 11:06 AM

configure is not automatic though -- it's a time-consuming manual process. IIRC there was such a tool, newish with the 2.6.33 kernel; I tried it and found it was "in need of further development".

baronobeefdip · 11-05-2011, 11:06 AM

i am using it the debian way, i have never seen the ./configure in the linux kernel tarball but i'll give it a shot. also when you build it with the commands

Code:

# make oldconfig
# make xconfig
# make pkg-deb
# cd ..
# dpkg -i *.deb

where would the ./configure fit in there. plus what about the modules i am not sure that the modules install themselves after installing the kernel the way i just listed so what do you think

---------- Post added 11-05-11 at 11:06 AM ----------

i am using it the debian way, i have never seen the ./configure in the linux kernel tarball but i'll give it a shot. also when you build it with the commands

Code:

# make oldconfig
# make xconfig
# make pkg-deb
# cd ..
# dpkg -i *.deb

where would the ./configure fit in there. plus what about the modules i am not sure that the modules install themselves after installing the kernel the way i just listed so what do you think

baronobeefdip · 11-05-2011, 11:09 AM

just tried to run the ./configure in the linux tarball root directory and this is what came up

Code:

root@debian:/home/baronobeefdip/Desktop/linux-3.0.8# ./configure
bash: ./configure: No such file or directory

it's not that easy i guess so is there another way that will automatically configure the kernel source for installation on the machine with all of the right modules and drivers installed plus the new versions of them so they can perform batter than they did on previous kernels

baronobeefdip · 11-05-2011, 11:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by macemoneta

This is the purpose of building modules. Your system dynamically loads the modules it needs to support your hardware.

so how do you automatically load them because thor's suggestion about the ./configure command didn't work in fact the script is non exsistent so how do you do it

and i am configuring the 3.0.8 version kernel

ButterflyMelissa · 11-05-2011, 11:25 AM

Ehrm, my apologies to the OP, ./configure is NOT used to configure a kernel, you need make menuconfig for that...sorry :/

baronobeefdip · 11-05-2011, 12:47 PM

well how do you get it to configure the kernel automatically

TobiSGD · 11-05-2011, 12:57 PM

1. Start your system with the generic standard kernel of your distribution.
2. Plugin all the hardware that you want to be supported from your new kernel, so that all the needed modules are loaded.
3a.

Code:

make localmodconfig

to configure the kernel to compile all currently loaded drivers as modules,

or
3b.

Code:

make localyesconfig

to configure the kernel to compile all currently loaded drivers into the kernel.
4. Continue the standard procedure of kernel building.

Juako · 11-05-2011, 01:01 PM

Yes there's a tool to include in the config all the modules that are currently loaded, I've used it as a base to start my own customized kernel. Don't recall right know what whas called it, but I'll update as soon I find it.

Nevertheless it will save you only the work of figuring out some of the modules for your hw, it's not a complete "autokernel" thing. That's something impossible.

baronobeefdip · 11-05-2011, 02:42 PM

well at least it will seek out the modules that need to be installed as for everything else i can configure them myself since they are sort of optional since they aren't really necessary

Juako · 11-05-2011, 03:29 PM

Still can't recall, too bad I didn't take note

. I did remember it was oddly hard to find.

This thread might have something to do with it (check post #3): http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...ssible-752872/

Post #2 links to a script I didn't know of.