Dear all.

I have read and successfully tried the very usefull
http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...hreadid=49035.

However, I wonder what should we remove/add when we do "make menuconfig" ?

For the first trial, I was removing every modules which is not in my computer (video driver, sound driver, network cards, etc).
But the result was not working when I reboot it (just hung, blank screen).
The original kernel image was also not working anymore.
I guess the new compilation has cleaned some necessary modules.

So I reinstalled the slack.
The second trial I only change the processor type, remove math emulation, and add some networking options (multicasting). It was working.

Everybody, please share, until what extends can we streamlined the kernel ?

Thanks.

The simple answer to your question is that there is no simple answer to your question. A slightly better answer would be, 'it depends.'

What must be compiled into your kernel depends on (at least) two factors. The first factor is what hardware you have in your computer. Personally, I always remove everything in the SCSI Support section because my computer has no SCSI, only IDE.

The second factor to consider is what purpose(s) your computer will serve. For example, if you're building a webserver, you may want to leave out all sound support.

A good practice to follow while you're trying to figure out if you need a specific item, would be to click on 'HELP' and read what that option does before you eliminate it. Very often, the description there will tell you 'If you don't know what this option does, chances are you don't need it' (or words to that effect). Other times it may tell you 'You need this option' even if you don't think you do (for instance, with loopback support under Networking). This may actually be what was wrong with your first trial.

Another suggestion I'd make is to not cut out several options at a time (at least until you've gained some more experience). That way you'll have a better idea of which option you eliminated that you shouldn't have if the kernel doesn't boot.

In time you'll become more comfortable with the process and through trial and error, you'll find what you can cut.

Enjoy!
--- Cerbere

Have a look at the output of lsmod and the kernel log.That should give you an idea what is needed for your hardware to work.All the other stuff like network options and so on depends on your specific needs.

>> Personally, I always remove everything in the SCSI Support section because my computer has no SCSI, only IDE.

Cool. What else ?
How about APM ? My friends always remove it for their PC, but I'm on a laptop.

A general question.
There are a lot of modules for a certain device, for example video cards. If I certainly know which video card I have,
Does removing the unnecessary modules increase the performance ?
Does promoting the necessary module to static give better performance ?

Thank you.

Basically the kernel options and modules vs. static is way overrated IMHO.If you got a decent box it shouldn't make much of a difference if the kernel is a couple bytes bigger or smaller -we're talking about around 1 MB of RAM.The patches that are available are way more interesting for increasing performance.

I compiled APM into the kernel for my laptop and it works great. It allows the computer to suspend and all of that as well as letting kde give a readout on the charge in the battery.

soup

Thanks.
Then I'll leave the unused modules.
IMHE (In my humble experience),
I agree that it don't hurt the performance too much.

But what patches do you mean ?

There are all kinds of patches available for the kernel - even got their own here.Some are geared towards faster response others toward security,and,and,and.
The most popular are probably Alan Cox's and Andrea Arcangeli's versions of the kernel.I am playing around with Con Koliva's kernel right now.
If you want stability you might want to go there.

Where ?

You wander to the top of this page - use the 'home' button - then on the that page look towards the right side.There is a kernel section that includes a patched lq-kernel.Or go http://sourceforge.net/projects/linuxquestions

Thanks all.
That's a wonderfull help for me.

Wish you a happy hacking.