> >From: "[email protected]" <[email protected]> >To: P.V.Anthony <[email protected]> >Cc: SIN Linux User Groups Mailing List <[email protected]> >Sent: Wed, October 21, 2009 6:44:00 PM >Subject: Re: [Slugnet] Compile options for linux kernel 2.6 > > > >On Wed, Oct 21, 2009 at 5:55 PM, P.V.Anthony <[email protected]> wrote: > >P.V.Anthony wrote: >> >> >>>>>Was going to compile the latest 2.6 kernel and noticed that I do not know >>>>>what all the options mean. Especially the "General Setup" and "Processor >>>>>Type and Features". >>> >> >>Thank you all for the advice. Here are more details of my situation. >> >>>>Currently using Gentoo Linux 64bit as servers. Have already done kernels >>>>and they work. I wanted to recompile the kernel but this time to know what >>>>I am activating in the menuconfig. >> >>>>In the past it was just to get the server up. Now I want to know more and >>>>activate only stuff that is really needed. >> >>>>That is the reason for asking for more information. The help in menuconfig >>>>is too deep for me. Need more simple help notes about each option in >>>>"General Setup" and "Processor Type and Features" and their implications. >> >> > > >I suppose what Anand wanted to know is why you want to pick and choose amongst >the options. Activating only the stuff that is needed is a noble endeavour, >but usually there's an underlying reason behind that. > > >Is it like wanting to eke out every last cpu cycle, reduce kernel memory >consumption or wanting to improve security by having a monolithic kernel and >stripping all unnecessary parts? My thinking is that unless you have a farm of >servers and a team of sysadmins managing them, it is not productive to do >these. Performance gains, even if measurable, are not worth the time it takes >me to do so for each kernel release. I'm not sure how much security >improvement there is in making things monolithic these days, but I'd sooner >see the effort+resource spent on other aspects (applications, infrastructure, >selinux/apparmor, etc), and make the kernel monolithic only after exhausting >most other avenues. > > >There may be specific kernels options that could make a dramatic difference >depending on your usage scenarios. Eg, scheduler, io elevator, etc. I think >these are valid and worthwhile options to explore if you know that your usage >scenario is special, or if you have been advised to do so by a group of >like-minded hackers running similar workloads. > > >If you do have a business or technical objective, do let us know - maybe >someone will be able to help you focus on a smaller set of kernel options that >affect that objective. If you're doing this purely for personal knowledge, it >appears that the available documentation isn't up to the level a layperson can >read and easily understand. But if you are keen to research what each option >means and you're willing to pen the wisdom down, I'm sure it'll be well >received. > > > >
Hi, If anyone is still looking for a resource on kernel configuration options, these 2 guides will be useful. http://www.linuxtopia.org/online_books/linux_kernel/kernel_configuration/ http://howto.wikia.com/wiki/Howto_configure_the_Linux_kernel Cheers, Luther _______________________________________________ LUGS Mailing list - [email protected] List FAQ: http://wiki.lugs.org.sg/LugsMailingListFaq Info page: http://www.lugs.org.sg/mailman/listinfo/slugnet To unsubscribe send an empty email to: [email protected]
