Alan Mackenzie wrote: > Hi, > > On Sat, Nov 10, 2012 at 05:56:02AM -0600, Dale wrote: >> Alan Mackenzie wrote: >>> It would seem that configuring and building a kernel is an activity >>> for experienced users, not beginners. ;-( >> Not really. It just takes practice. If you never build one, you will >> never get the practice. ;-) > ;-) I've built quite a few in my time as a Gentoo user, and one or two > when I was still using Debian. > > Configuring a kernel is more difficult than the available documentation > might lead one to believe. > > There are many hundreds of options to be considered, a large part of > which are "irrelevant" (i.e. the kernel will work regardless of these > options). Distinguishing the critical options from the irrelevant ones > is difficult. Precisely such an error is what I made. > > Some options are relatively easy to set, for example, those under > "drivers", where you select drivers for all the hardware you've got. But > what about sections like "general setup"? Do I really need CONFIG_AUDIT? > On reading the help, I shouldn't, but some program (can't remember which) > complains if it's not there. What about "Checkpoint/restore support"? > About what? Reading the help for each of these mysterious options is > _hard work_. > > Normally, I can get through 'make menuconfig' in about an hour and a > half, with the help of a checklist I wrote in June 2011. I can't > remember how I managed when I was first installing Gentoo. > > >> Dale >> :-) :-)
I always start here: http://kmuto.jp/debian/hcl/ That tells me what hardware drivers I MUST have to boot. I admit that software is a outcast here. I guess taking notes is a good idea tho, although I must add that I never do. ;-) I do keep a kernel config file on a USB stick and on /boot and in /home to keep me from having to start from scratch, in case of a hard drive failure. /boot and /home are on separate drives. If it is a new build, then we have to start from the link above from scratch. When I built this new rig a couple years ago, it took me about 30 to 45 minutes to config the kernel and build it. It took I think three tries to get everything happy including software. When software will build without a driver, I just enable it in the config but wait about building the kernel. If it doesn't build without a option, I do the same but write down the name of the software to try again later. When I get as far as I can go, I build a new kernel and reboot into it. Then I go install the software that wouldn't build until something was there. Also, usually enabling something in the kernel will let the software build, some times. I built my first kernel when I was six months into Linux. I used Mandrake 9.1 then when the 9.2 upgrade came along, all heck broke lose. I switched to Gentoo. I tried genkernel and prefer not to even go there. I never got a genkernel to work, not once. It would even boot. I been making them from scratch ever since. Mine generally at least boots even if it is upset about something. lol Trust me tho, if you do them pretty regular, you will get good at it. I think you will end up with a better kernel too. You have the things you need and don't have the things you don't. All that said, do what works for you. Ask anyone here, I'm a weird person. ROFL How many +1's am I going to get on that one comment? O_O Dale :-) :-) -- I am only responsible for what I said ... Not for what you understood or how you interpreted my words!
