Hi. I am just wondering where the initrd file in your /boot directory comes from. I have tried recompiling my kernel and it doesn't generate a new initrd. Could someone please explain where to find the initrd after compiling a kernel, so that I may copy it to my /boot folder. I would like to install kernel 2.6.8.1 onto SuSE 9.1 Pro. Anyways, this is the one thing that really confuses me about compiling a kernel so any help would be greatly appreciated. Also, I was told when I download the kernel source to save the tar file in /usr/src and then extract it there. Does this replace the /usr/src/linux link to your current linux source with a new link to your new kernel source? Or do you just change the link yourself?

I compile my own kernels, and I don't use
initrd at all ... there is none in my /boot


Cheers,
Tink

you generate a new one with 'mk_initrd'

I've never had the need to use initrd on any of my systems, as for installing new kernels I compile them from source.

Here is the process:

1. untar the source in /usr/src and re-adjust the sym link.
2. cd to /usr/src/linux
3. when u will build linux, it will not generate ram disk image. So , after u r done will making and installing kernel source and modules, use the following command to create initrd file
Note: installing modules is very important before you do this step

/sbin/mk_initrd -k "list of kernels" -i "list of initrd files"

in your case:
list of kernels: vmlinuz-2.6.8.1 (this would have got created in your /boot dierctory if you had used make to build the kernel, otherwise if you have used 'make bzImage', you'll have to cp the file from /usr/src/linux/arch/<arch>/boot/bzImage to /boot and rename it to 'vmlinuz-2.6.8.1')

list of initrd files: just type 'initrd-2.6.8.1"

this should create an initrd-2.6.8.1 in your /boot directory

4. Now you can modify your bootloader config file (/boot/grub/menu.lst or /etc/lilo.conf) to include the new kernel image and initrd

Ashish Jain

This is very confusing....On my FC2, if I don't have an initrd, my system won't boot (kernel panic). I compile it with making "make install" after compile the kernel and modules, under the same kernel source directory.

How can be some systems require it and other don't??