RE: Linux Newbie!! Help!!!!! 2

["Ronald Castillo" <ronaldace@coolmail.net>]

Thanks for your help!!!  Everything went fine, except when I did "make
zdisk".  I got an erorr message saying that my system was too big and I
should do make bzImage or make modules.  Does this affect anything?  I still
couldn't make my sound card to work.  Is there anything else I should do?

I had another problem...  I tries to format a disk using fdformat
/dev/fd0h1440, but I got an error saying that te device was unknown.  What
can I do to solve this?

Thanks for your assitance...

Ronald Castillo

-----Original Message-----
From: westk@nicanor.acu.edu [mailto:westk@nicanor.acu.edu]
Sent: Thursday, August 10, 2000 12:00 AM
To: Ronald Castillo
Subject: Re: Linux Newbie!! Help!!!!! 2


Ronald Castillo wrote:
>
> I also would like to know how can I recompile the kernel.  I installes
APMD
> but it asked me to recompile the kernel but I don't know how to do it.
> Thanks!!
>
> --
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>From the archives at:
http://lists.debian.org/debian-user-0007/msg02887.html


trent@ebox.tninet.se wrote:
>
> I do have one little thing that I am stuck on.  I am trying to
> recompile the kernel and I am trying to follow the
> /usr/doc/kernel-package Readme file but I am not understanding the
> first step.  I have kernel-source 2.2.12.tar.gz in /usr/src now.  Do I
> need to gunzip it then un-tar it and then do the make config.  The
> read me talk about where to unpack it but i am not sure about the
> unpacking part. Any help is greatly appreciated.
> Clyde

>From within the /usr/src directory, as root:

        gunzip kernel-source-2.2.12.tar.gz

this unzips the file

        tar -xvf kernel-source-2.2.12.tar

this breaks the one file into it's constitutuent parts, placing
them in
a directory named kernel-source-2.2.12

        ln -s kernel-source-2.2.12 linux

this creates a symbolic link (in MS-speak, a "shorcut" sort of,
but not
really) to the newly created directory.

        cd linux

change into the newly-created kernel-source-2.2.12 directory.

read the docs in this directory, particularly README

        make menuconfig

runs a text-based app to pick-and-choose what features your
kernel will
have, and what modules, if any, to compile. Can also use "make
config"
(older, uglier, text-based config) or "make xconfig" (X-based
graphical
config). Presents a lot of tough questions for a newbie, but you
can't
hurt anything (well, not much) as long as you keep some method of
booting off your old kernel.

        make clean

cleans out kruft from other compilation attempts.

        make dep

to set up dependencies.

Insert a blank floppy in the first floppy drive.

        make zdisk

to actually compile the kernel, placing it on the floppy. Can
also use
"make zImage" (not compressed) or "..bzImage" (for a compressed
kernel)
or "...zlilo", etc. These other methods require more work, but
make it
possible to boot straight from the hard drive. The floppy is
safer and
simpler for now. Tackle booting from the hard drive later.

        make modules

Compiles the modules that you marked during the "make menuconfig"
phase.
This is not necessary to have a functioning kernel, but is
necessary to
use the modules which add functionality to the kernel, such as
sound
support or AppleTalk support, etc, some of which may be necessary
for a
functioning system (NIC support for network connectivity, etc).
This
functionality can be compiled into the kernel directly instead of
using
modules, but modules make for a smaller kernel and easier
after-the-fact
tweakability. You can also get modules from other sources
(third-party
modules, etc), but for the modules you've specified, you need to
compile
them. This step does that.

        make modules_install

Copies the just-compiled modules to the appropriate locations on
the
system (/lib/modules/[kernel-version usually]) and I believe,
runs
"update modules" to create an appropriate /etc/modules.conf file,
but
I'm not sure about this.

Unless I've forgotten something, and I probably have, you can now
do a
"shutdown -r now", leaving the floppy in the drive, and on reboot
you'll
be running your new kernel. Now you can focus on getting it to
boot
directly off the hard drive.

Hope this has helped!

Kent
--
Kent West
kent.west@infotech.acu.edu