i've decided to get a new kernel so maybe i can use some of your suggestions that wont work on older ones (currently i'm at 2.2.19)

i got the latest (2.4.19) full source and have tried using the below post to recompile

i logged out of x

and then i:

""
1) make menuconfig OR make xconfig
2) make dep
3) make clean
4) make bzImage
5) make modules
6) make modules_install

make sure to rename the old kernel image located in the /boot direcytory to something else, like vmlinuz.old, so that you can use it as a backup.

mv /boot/vmlinuz /boot/vmlinuz.old

then copy the bzImage file from arch/i386/boot to /boot directory, with the following command:

cp arch/i386/boot/bzImage /boot/vmlinuz
""

make menuconfig worked great i selected what i wanted and then exited but when i got to make dep i kept getting Error #2's stating no such file or directory! this will prolly fix my audio probs below but i wont work.

good thing nothing was damaged.

Help!

The full source for 2.4.19 should be about 30.8 MByte.

If you are receiving errors from "make dep" I would suspect an extraction problem. The following is what I would do. If the "rm linux" command below gives an error, then it is either because it is not there or it is a physical directory and not a link. If it exists then use the "mv" command to rename it something else, like "mv linux linux.old".

cd /usr/src
rm linux
tar -xzvf /path/to/kernel/linux-2.4.19.tar.gz
ln -s linux-2.4.19 linux
cd linux
make menuconfig
make dep
make modules
make modules_install
make bzImage

Following that I install my new kernel /usr/src/linux/arch/i386/boot/bzImage as I desire using the "cp" command. Currently, under Slack 8.1 that would be to /boot/vmlinuz. If Slack 8.0 or prior then /vmlinuz. Config lilo as required and run "lilo" I also copy /usr/src/linux/System.map to the /boot directory.

I always install the new kernel manually and test it first. Look in /etc/lilo.conf file for your current settings.

I would highly suggest that that you make a test config in lilo first. When you copy the bzImage file use a name like vmlinuz-2.4.19. Then use that name it in the lilo.conf file. Copy the last section between the remark lines and change the label and the kernel image name as required. I use "Linux" and "Maint" for my two load sections. But "Test" would also be good for the new label. You may need to add a global config line like "default = Linux" and you will probably want a delay setting as well, "delay = 60" should work OK. After all your changes are made, run the "lilo" command. It should respond with both image sections added reporting the label names and no error messages. When you reboot, press the CTRL key when you see the "LILO" prompt. Then enter your label for your test section, like "Maint" or "Test". That kernel should then boot.

Test your system good and make sure everything works as desired before making the new kernel the default. There can be several package upgrades that need to done for the 2.4.x kernel. Some of them can effect your internet connection. Like the pppd package and ipchains versus iptables, etc.

Please ask if I wasn't clear enough on anything.

well that almost did it

all went fine until "make bzImage"

aaarrgghhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
AARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

damn...any ideas?

forgot to say it was working for some time but then got ERROR 1's and ERROR 2's

ok an update: i read the errors and fouund it to be some Firewire thing. i dont need 1394 (firewire) so i unselected that from the "make menuconfig" (i redid everything). Then i got similar errors but this time they were for some Audio thing-so i unselected all the audio except the one i need (Ensonique). Once more i did everything (3rd time). Now i got an ERROR 1 in media.o. Where is this? (so that i can study that section and take out what I don't need)
TH><Z

k fixed that and then i got errors in net.o fixed that and now i get errors in kymos.o. what the hell is that?????

when i say fixed i mean i looked in say...multimedia for media.o and selected ONLY what i need (not everything as i originally did)...networking for net.o. i have no idea what to do for kymos.o

any ideas?

tell me if i'm being confusing-i tend to explain things poorly.

ok i've decided to try 2.4.18

i did this:

cd /usr/src
rm linux
tar -xzvf /path/to/kernel/linux-2.4.19.tar.gz
ln -s linux-2.4.19 linux
cd linux
make menuconfig
make dep
make modules
make modules_install
make bzImage

#no problems!

then i did this:

cp /usr/src/linux/arch/i386/boot/bzImage /vmlinuz
cp /usr/src/linux/System.map /boot
lilo
#no problems!

yep everything worked fine but it still sez "Welcome to Linux 2.2.19"

how come?

Check the contents of the /etc/issue file. It should look like the foolowing

Welcome to \s \r (\l)

If it doesn't, then change it as required. If it does look like the above, then you are still booting the 2.2.19 kernel. But if you desire to verify from an alternate source use

cat /proc/version

It should respond with the version at the beginning and then date/time of the compile at the end. If it verifies the 2.2.19 then check to see what the contents of the lilo.conf file are. You may need to recopy the bzImage to the destination that Lilo is instructed in the conf file. The section is toward the end of the file.

err yeah i'm still booting 2.2.19
but why?????

lilo.conf says:

image = /vmlinuz
root = /dev/hda6
label = Linux
read-only

ain't what i did correct???

Well, I can only suggest that you verify each step backwards as being completed as desired. For instance, is the date/time stamp of /vmlinuz today? To verify that it was copied. Then verify the source file bzImage, etc. All the way back to the actual tar source file if required. Make sure that the /usr/src/linux is the link to the linux-2.4.18 source. If that stage was not correct and you had the 2.2.19 source in the linux directory to begin with then you probably recompiled the 2.2.19 source. If you run the make menuconfig from inside the linux directory, the version should be reported in the upper left corner.

Perhaps the above will help isolate what happened.

actually the stamp on /vmlinux is "Modified: Today" meaninig it was created today. So is system.map. and the source bzImage is also today.


yeah i com piled 2.4.18

/me is getting annoyed at the kernels not working!

well that was strange. neways something went haywire and i just reformated the whole system with Slackware 8.1 2.4.18

thx 4 ur helpz

Well that is one way to get to a 2.4 kernel!

Fastpath_to_new_kernel:

make menuconfig && \
make dep && \
make clean && \
make modules && \
make bzlilo && \
make modules_install && \
shutdown -r now.

'make bzlilo' will save you from the grief of renaming vmlinuz and calling lilo manually. Make dep && make clean is not really necessary, especially if it's not the first new kernel on a specific machine. But doesn't hurt either.

If you're upgrading (using the patch instead of the full kernel), 'make oldconfig' will save you a lot of pondering and clicking.

--Ben