LinuxSA Mailing list archives

  From: Adam Hawes <adam.hawes@ace.net.au>
  To  : Big Fellow <bigfellow@cyberdude.com>
  Date: Sat, 21 Nov 1998 12:36:00 +0000

Re: Kernel for Beginners - VFAT???

> I'm trying to recompile my kernel to enable vfat and ESS688 support. I'm
> using the kernel config in the X11 server, which runs xmakeconfig or
> something like that. Anyway, after I do that I do a make clean and make dep,
> as it says there, and reboot, but vfat is still not supported and my sound
> card still doesn't work.

Hi. I had similar trouble as a newbie to compiling the kernel.

First, run 'make xconfig' to bring up the X configuration utility.
Set the options you want to add (try not to change too much as a 
beginner) and then save and exit.

Next, type 'make dep; make clean' to make the dependency trees and
to clean out any old builds and stuff.

After that, you have to run 'make boot' to actually build the 
kernel.

Now, here you have to back up your old modules (although not strictly
required) just in case the new kernel is broken. Issue the command
'mv /lib/modules/2.0.30 /lib/modules/2.0.30-working' where 2.0.30 is
the version of your kernel that is installed. you can check in the 
/lib directory if you like to see what dir the modules are in.

After that, issue the command 'make modules; make modules_install'
to build all the modules for the kernel.

Now you have a compiled kernel in /usr/src/linux/arch/i386/boot/zImage
Copy this file to '/boot/vmlinuz-bigfellow' and you can actually
call it anything you like.

The next step is to edit /etc/lilo.conf to add the new kernel to the
lilo menu.

My lilo.conf contains these entries:
---------
image = /boot/vmlinuz
  label = linux
image = /boot/vmlinuz-2.0.35-1
  label = old
other = /dev/hda1
  label = win
  table=/dev/hda
---------
You can see that each image has a file name after the image line,
and then the label for the lilo menu is there too. The first image
listed is the default.

Add the new kernel image to the file like above, adding
any options that you may require (see your own lilo.conf) and
then save the file.

Run '/sbin/lilo' to rebuild the lilo table in the boot sector and
reboot. Watch for any errors and hopefully the system should boot.
You can always restore the old kernel just by moving the backup
modules to the original location and then redoing the lilo steps.

Hope this helps. Please correct me if I am wrong anywhere, but this
is the procedure I follow and it works well for me :-)

-- 
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
  Adam Hawes                                 hawe0006@flinders.edu.au
  Flinders University                                stubbie@beer.com
                                                         ICQ: 2492016
                 WEB: http://www.overfiend.dyn.ml.org
-----------------------------------------------------------------------


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