On 06/21/2010 01:23 PM, Dale wrote: >> The only thing that genkernel would add is your initrd. The kernel is >> exactly the same, whether you compile it with "make" or through >> "genkernel". Do a test and you'll see. (I'm assuming we're both talking >> about gentoo-sources, not vanilla-sources. Either way, they'd be the >> same.) Some might be confused about what happens in the steps if they >> haven't been down the "kernel compilation trail" more than once or >> twice, but for folks who just want to compile their kernel and plop it >> into place, along with a hands-off initrd, it's rather handy. >> >> > > But only if it works. When I compile my kernel, I KNOW for sure what is > in there. When genkernel does one, especially on a new install, I have > no idea what is in it or what is not. If something goes wrong, I don't > know where to start. Is it a kernel problem or is it something else? > Who knows. Then you have to go back and start from the bottom, usually > the kernel, and work your way back up to find out what is broken.
By "But only if it works," I assume the antecedent "it" refers to is a kernel that we're attempting to boot correctly. (In other words, you're not talking about genkernel failing to create a kernel for you. Is that correct?) If someone has trouble on an initial install, then that just means they didn't configure the kernel correctly, is what I interpret that to mean. The result of "make" and the result of "genkernel kernel" are exactly the same. If your "make menuconfig" creates an invalid .config file for you, no sort of magic is going to make its resultant kernel valid. Do you mean to say that you just grab a kernel, jump into the directory and say "make" without an mrproper and some sort of config? You do realize that genkernel has --menuconfig, --xconfig and --gconfig exactly for this purpose, don't you? What sort of things do you believe genkernel is adding to your kernel? If you use "genkernel --menuconfig --no-install kernel", you can look and see what it did. It's no different than running "make menuconfig" followed by a "make; make modules". Just look in /usr/share/genkernel at the gen_compile.sh and you'll see that it does a make. > Genkernel may work for you but that doesn't mean it does for everyone > else. Should I mention hal here? When someone comes for help, your > looking for the failure not the successes. If it was sucessful, they > wouldn't need help. Which is why I mentioned genkernel in the first place. Most times a hang after boot is due to components that were missed in the kernel build -- from where? -- from a missing or incorrectly created initrd if the required modules weren't compiled into the kernel. The easiest way that I've seen is to use genkernel and get back to work. Then later on you can find out what an initrd is and why it's needed with modules but at least you'd have a running system. No, I don't think you should mention hal because it's probably OT for a thread about a hung boot. But you should apply to yourself a similar logic you ask of me: if others can use genkernel successfully, why can't I? Bill
