Hi,

I am trying to compile a kernel for an IBM thinkpad iSeries 1400 Type 2611-411. This thinkpad is pretty old, and has limited resources. <#4 in sig>

I'm just going to turn it into a digital picture frame. so I didn't install much more than a base linux system. (I did install X and run fluxbox just to make sure video was working with my kernel, but have since removed it) But now for compiling/making packages I'm doing everything on #2 in my sig.

First I want to optimize the kernel for it (mouse+vga doesn't work with stock slack11 2.4 kernel)

svgalib that comes with slack is built for the 2.4 series kernels, and so I'm using linux-2.4.34.4 so I don't have to rebuild svgalib (which is needed by seejpeg)

anyways.. I can compile the kernel (on machine#2), move it to the thinkpad and it 'works' (boots up and once modprobe'd everything works) but I can't seem to capture the built kernel in a package type format to install properly. hence I get a bunch of modules.dep errors during bootup.

so I reread my favorite compile guide and found that for 2.4 series the make dep command is needed. which seems to generate a bunch of *.dep files in /lib/modules/'uname -r'

if I try to do this:
the destdir setting is completely ignored. and it just puts everything in /lib & /boot on machine #2

so I:
1. copied the files (bzImage and System.map and everything in /lib/modules/'uname -r' to a /tmp directory.
2. 'makepkg linux2.4.34.4.tgz' to make an install package.
3. mv the package to a usb drive
4. on the thinkpad do 'installpkg linux2.4.34.4.tgz' which seems to work fine.
5. edit lilo & run /sbin/lilo (no errors)

however on reboot using the new kernel it seems a module can't be found and it keeps looping around that error and never progresses.

any help?

The target machine could probably handle recompiling the kernel if you give it a couple of 64MB swap partitions to work with. You might even want to retain this virtual memory for manipulating images (resizing, etc) on your picture frame.

I agree. You really should be building the kernel for a machine on said machine.

thanks for the replies.
actually I'm going to script all the resizing using imagemagic and do it on a faster machine.


it seems to me that I should be able to create the kernel on (nearly) any machine. unless I'm missing something, because most distributions come with at least a couple of kernels to install with...

I really don't want to install all the stuff required to compile a kernel on the thinkpad, then try and compile it and have it go tits up on me, or best case have to remove a bunch of junk later.

btw- I have since gotten a 64MB stick for it (now up to a whopping 96MB RAM