Re: appropriate compiler for kernel

[cjw44@flatline.org.uk (Colin Watson)]

Stuart Marshall <stuart@igpp.ucllnl.org> wrote:
>I use some kernel patches that cause trouble for the standard
>debian compiler.  The particular errors are like:
>
>  utime.c: In function `update_jiffies_u':
>  /usr/src/linux/include/asm/mutime-M586.h:73: Invalid `asm'
>  statement:
>  /usr/src/linux/include/asm/mutime-M586.h:73: fixed or forbidden
>  register 0 (ax) was spilled for class AREG.
>
>I am told this is due to the standard gcc being more stringent in
>its handling of clobbers within inline asm statements than the old
>gcc (2.72).

I've seen the same thing in other packages (e.g. koules before I fixed
it ;)).

>I don't want to go back to 2.72 and I understand that there is a
>redhat package called kgcc which is billed as their standard 
>kernel compiler and it is based on egcs 1.1.2.  Does Debian have
>a similar package or some other recommended kernel compiler?

Try the gcc272 package. You can install it alongside the normal gcc
package, so you don't have to "go back" to 2.7.2 as such.

Is this a 2.2 or 2.4 kernel? For 2.2, you're best using the older gcc
(or so I'm told); for 2.4, you'd be best finding out how the patch
you're using could be fixed for the newer gcc.

-- 
Colin Watson                                     [cjw44@flatline.org.uk]