Through some research on my own, I have determined that kernel-source isn't included with the SuSE 8.1 personal edition.
The kernel version is 2.4.19-GB. The kernel itself is listed on the cd as k_deflt-2.4.19-74.i586.rpm. I forget the command, but the kernel is also listed as k_deflt-2.4.19-329.

I did a search for kernel-source and only found files ending with the number up to 308. There is also a kernel-source file that is named just "kernel-source".

Can I use the 308 version? Can I use the "generic" version?

Or does anyone know where I can find kernel-source for SuSE 8.1?

As Yoda would say, "Go to THE SOURCE, you can, you can."

http://www.kernel.org

But do not forget that the kernel source distributed with SuSE has a lot of patches added, so going to kernel.org and downloading the kernel source and compiling it from there, will result in somethings going missing or not working, which were present and working previously on that SuSE system.

The best example of this is the fancy boot screen animation (if such a thing is important to you).

If the user cannot find his kernel source code on his CD-roms, then he should go to the www.suse.de site and download the latest SuSE customized kernel from there.

Compiling one's own kernel is a very good thing to do, but the version is important, and the options selected, so please be careful!

Does that mean I'll get the kernel-source files if I compile my own kernel?

I have been to the SuSE site which is why I asked the question in the first place. Will the 308 source work for me?

Will the "generic" source work?

"Does that mean I'll get the kernel-source files if I compile my own kernel?"

You download the kernel source from either SuSE or kernel.org. Then you compile the source into a running kernel.

"Will the "generic" source work?"

The generic source and the SuSE source are the same thing. All distributions get their source code from www.kernel.org. As long as the kernel version that you are compiling is as high or higher than the kernel version you are replacing then you can get your new kernel to work (eventually).

"Will the 308 source work for me?"

I don't use SuSE kernels. I compile my own. But SuSE is very good about keeping their dependencies straight. If 308 is grouped in with the other 8.1 packages then 308 will work with SuSE 8.1.

Thanks, jailbait, for the helpful info. I'd like to clarify a few things to make sure I'm understanding you correctly. At the SuSE site, or one of their mirrors, they have the following files:

kernel-source-2.4.19.SuSE-308.i586.rpm

kernel-source.rpm

These rpms come from an index of SuSE updates for SuSE 8.1/kernel 2.4.19

There is no compiling involved since these are rpms. I need to compile some nvidia modules to get the drivers to work since I upgraded my XFree86 to 4.3. I need the kernel-source to compile these modules.

Are either one of these rpms what I need?

"Are either one of these rpms what I need?"

You need the kernel source for the same kernel release as the kernel that you are running. SuSE 8.1 ships with kernel 2.4.19.

So kernel-source-2.4.19.SuSE-308.i586.rpm will work.

kernel-source.rpm will work if and only if it is release 2.4.19.

Any kernel source for 2.4.19 will work regardless of its origin.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by jailbait
The generic source and the SuSE source are the same thing.

Actually, they are not.

All distributions get their source code from www.kernel.org.

Indeed they do, but then different distributors (Debian, Redhat, SuSE) add patches and modifications to the kernel source, an example being SuSE adds the boot time animation patch, as I stated above.

Here is an example, from the Release Notes of RedHat 9 of something which RedHat added to their version of the kernel and then removed

------------

o Special Note: The ACL support added to the kernel in the first two public beta releases proved to be unstable and caused the kernel to regress. Red Hat has therefore removed that ACL support from the kernel for Red Hat Linux 9. Kernel engineers will continue work on improving the ACL support, which will be available in a future release. The attr and acl packages needed to support ACLs are still included to make it easier for users and developers who wish to test

------------

And another example is that SuSE have added support for numerous USB devices in the kernel which are not available in the equivalent kernel version at www.kernel.ORG. This is frequently done by patching the default kernel with code for these devices from the experimental version of the kernel.

So all of the distribution kernels are derived from the same source code at www.kernel.ORG, but they are NOT all the same.

The 308 kernel-source did the trick. Thanks to everyone who responded.