On Monday 02 February 2009, Eric H. Johnson wrote: > I guess I am not asking the right questions and getting hung up in details > rather than asking what I need to do to get to my ultimate objective.
You are asking the right questions most of the time, however, you are getting varying degrees of advice. You asked how to generate a kernel package - Three answers: 1) Use kernel-package - A reasonable solution if you intend to install on more than one system. 2) Use the Ubuntu source package - Poor advice. Ubuntu's source package (and Debian's) should only be used IF you are building multiple flavours for distribution OR debugging the build system. It should not be used if you are expecting a "clean" source tree, or are building a single flavour. 3) Build from a kernel.org virgin source tarball - Reasonable answer if you don't mind managing install manually. You asked which kernel source to use - Two answers, one good, the other, bad. 1) Use a virgin kernel.org tarball - Good advice, particularly if you need to seek support from the RTAI team[1]. 2) Use an Ubuntu source package - Poor advice. You have absolutely no idea what "patches" have been applied or how they will interact with the RTAI patch. IF you are lucky, you will get a bit of fuzziness, or you will get failed hunks that will need to be applied by hand. Using the distro supplied kernel source is always a bad choice because of the patches that might have been used (at least with Debian, it is possible to roll back to a "clean" source). You asked about patching... As you found out, depending on the kernel you select, the correct patch might be in base/arch/i386 (pre 2.6.24) or base/arc/x86 (2.6.24 and later). Using a $random patch downloaded directly from the Adeos project has to be about the worst piece of "advice" given - The RTAI patches are based on the Adeos work, but they are NOT the same. Sure, the Adeos patch can be used with the relevant kernel, but you can not compile the RTAI stuff against it. IF you try this, don't expect any support from either the Adeos team or RTAI, and I don't expect anyone here will take responsibilty.... You then asked about kernel options - Selecting a P4 processor and some of the APIC/APM options are reasonable. There are a few others that Ubuntu/Debian use that could cause problems. Having a fast computer dedicated to kernel compiles speeds up the build/test cycle. > That goal is to get a kernel + rtai running under my minimal xubuntu > install and supporting both / all processors of the Atom 330. Which means > that I ultimately need binary installable packages of the kernel, rtai and > EMC. It also makes it easy to provide to other users wanting to use this > same motherboard. Just because someone suggests Ubuntu is the "best" distro, you are free to use what ever distro you want (even LFS). Anyone that claims Ubuntu is a totally different "operating system" from any other GNU/Linux flavour needs a good dose of tar & feathers. > At this point, is it possible, and would it be easiest to build EMC on > Debian Lenny, where all the appropriate libraries are installed, then > generate the necessary binary packages from there? Could those packages > then be installed on various versions of Ubuntu for example, without the > need to recompile? Ubuntu is little more than a snapshot of Debian's testing branch, bugs and all. So it should be possible to compile a package on one and install it on another - You do need to be aware of what library versions are used and need to be willing to do a bit of package "backporting". If you don't want to go down that route (and it can get messy), stick with one or the other unless you know what you are doing. Any Ubuntu release older than Intrepid will provide you with a kernel-package that produces a disfunctional linux-headers package with 2.6.24 or later. Debian's stable branch (Etch) also suffers from the same problem, but this has been fixed in Lenny/Sid. > While my frustration may be starting to show through, I really appreciate > all of the help everyone has provided. Not suprising based on the quality of some of the advice given - I hope you didn't try mixing $random patches with $random kernel sources.... Now.... If you want to try a selection of precompiled 2.6.27[2] kernel packages patched with the correct RTAI patch set, I have a number sitting in my repository (complete with RTAI packages) - These have been built on a fresh Lenny install, so should work with Ubuntu's Intrepid. Ask me off-list, and I will provide you with a URL for Apt. [1] When seeking support, it helps to include the full output from dmesg and the configs used by both the kernel and RTAI - A partial segfault line and/or "unresolved symbol" quote will get a short answer (if at all). [2] Flavours include 586. 686. 686-smp, Athlon, P4, and others. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Create and Deploy Rich Internet Apps outside the browser with Adobe(R)AIR(TM) software. With Adobe AIR, Ajax developers can use existing skills and code to build responsive, highly engaging applications that combine the power of local resources and data with the reach of the web. Download the Adobe AIR SDK and Ajax docs to start building applications today-http://p.sf.net/sfu/adobe-com _______________________________________________ Emc-developers mailing list [email protected] https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-developers
