LinuxQuestions.org - [SOLVED] Re-compiling Kernel

Here's what I did recently to do something similar (EDAC rather than HIMEM) and building a kernel for the first time -- so I am no expert and others may correct the steps below or have better ideas. The most helpful web page was Alien BOB's WIKI.

The key step is zcat /proc/config.gz > .config to create a config file that will replicate your current kernel. My user name is c, the old kernel had CONFIG_LOCALVERSION="-smp" and the new CONFIG_LOCALVERSION="-smp-c1".

Code:

root:/usr/src# cp -pR linux-2.6.29.6 ~c/src

root:/usr/src# cd ~c/src

root:/home/c/src# chown -R c:users linux-2.6.29.6/



c:~/src/linux-2.6.29.6$ cp -p .config .config.org

c:~/src/linux-2.6.29.6$ make mrproper

c:~/src/linux-2.6.29.6$ zcat /proc/config.gz > .config

c:~/src/linux-2.6.29.6$ cp -p .config .config.from_running_kernel

c:~/src/linux-2.6.29.6$ make oldconfig

c:~/src/linux-2.6.29.6$ make menuconfig &

[GUI stuff to change .config]



# Review changes mad in menuconfig

c:~/src/linux-2.6.29.6$ diff .config .config.from_running_kernel



# Build

c:~/src/linux-2.6.29.6$ make bzImage modules



# Check for any extra modules

c:~/src/linux-2.6.29.6$ cd /var/log/packages

c:/var/log/packages$ grep -l "lib/modules/$(uname -r)" *

[That identified kernel-modules-smp-2.6.29.6_smp-i686-2 but I had no

idea what -- if anything -- had to be done to replicate it for the new

kernel so I ignored it, planning to fix any breakage later.  Never did 

encounter any breakage but have not used the new kernel much]



root:/home/c/src/linux-2.6.29.6# make modules_install

root:/home/c/src/linux-2.6.29.6# cp arch/x86/boot/bzImage /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.29.6-smp-c1

root:/boot# cd /boot

root:/boot# rm System.map

root:/boot# ln -s System.map-2.6.29.6-smp-c1 System.map



# No modules changed so can use old rc.modules but make a backup "in case ..."

root:/etc/rc.d# mv rc.modules rc.modules.aside

root:/etc/rc.d# cp -p  rc.modules-2.6.29.6-smp  rc.modules-2.6.29.6-smp-c1



# Back up old modules "in case ..." 

root:~# cp -pR /lib/modules/2.6.29.6-smp /lib/modules/2.6.29.6-smp.bu



# Added stanza to GRUB's menu (some system-specific details here)

title      Slackware 13.0 (-c1, with EDAC kernel)

root        (hd0,1)

kernel      /vmlinuz-huge-smp-2.6.29.6-smp-c1 root=/dev/sda6 vga=791 ro

Changed default run level in /etc/inittab from 4 to 3.

After booting the new kernel for the first time, reinstalled the nvidia driver by running the nividia *.run file as root and the VirtualBox modules by /etc/rc.d/rc.vboxdrv setup as root.

Used startx after boot and logon as c to get GUI. After testing GUI OK, Changed default run level in /etc/inittab from 3 to 4.

On reverting to the old kernel, found /lib/modules/2.6.29.6-smp/kernel/drivers/video/nvidia.ko was missing (why?) so restored it from /lib/modules/2.6.29.6-smp.bu/kernel/drivers/video/nvidia.ko.