Kernel/Configuration

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This article describes the manual configuration and setup of the Linux kernel. For an automatic method see the genkernel article.

Set symlink

The symlink /usr/src/linux should always point to the kernel sources that is currently being used. This can be done in one of three ways:

1. Installing the kernel sources with active symlink USE flag

This will make the /usr/src/linux point to your newly installed kernel sources. If necessary, it can still be modified later with the following two methods:

2. Setting the symlink with eselect

root # eselect kernel list

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Available kernel symlink targets:
  [1] linux-3.3.8-gentoo *
  [2] linux-3.4.9-gentoo

This outputs the available kernel sources. The asterisk indicates the chosen sources. To change the kernel sources, e.g. to the second entry, do:

root # eselect kernel set 2

3. Setting the symlink manually

root # ln -sf /usr/src/linux-3.4.9-gentoo /usr/src/linux
root # ls -l /usr/src/linux

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lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 11 Aug 29 22:10 /usr/src/linux -> /usr/src/linux-3.4.9-gentoo

Configuration tools

The kernel offers several tools to configure itself:

make config

Text based configuration. The options are prompted one after another. All options need to be answered, and out-of-order access to former options is not possible.

make menuconfig

Graphical menu (only text input). You can navigate through the menu and change the options you want.

make nconfig

Graphical menu based on ncurses. Requires sys-libs/ncurses to be installed.

make xconfig

Graphical menu using Qt4. Requires dev-qt/qtgui to be installed.

make gconfig

Graphical menu using GTK+. Requires x11-libs/gtk+, dev-libs/glib and gnome-base/libglade to be installed.

make oldconfig

Review changes between kernel versions and update to create new .config for kernel.

There are also several scripts to create miscellaneous default configurations. See:

root # make help

Configuration

This article describes the configuration using make menuconfig, but the procedure is similar for the other menus.

root # cd /usr/src/linux
root # make menuconfig

Usage

In the shown menu the blue bar indicates your position. With the arrow keys up and down you can change the position. The arrow keys left and right traverse the menu bar in the bottom and define, what happens, when you hit the Enter key. Select switches to a sub menu - the menu entries ending with ---> - , while Exit exits a sub menu. Alternative you can hit the Esc key twice.

Menu entries, which start with brackets, are drivers or features which can be activated:

[ ], [*]

Options in square brackets can be activated or deactivated. The asterisk marks the menu entry as activated. You change the value with the space key or press Y (Yes) to activate or N (No) to deactivate the entry.

Is the option is activated, the chosen driver will be built into the kernel and will always be available at boot time.

< >, <M>, <*>

Options in angle brackets can be activated or deactivated, but also activated as module (indicated by a M). You change the value as before and press key M for activate as module.

See the Kernel Modules article for differentiation.

{M}, {*}

Options in curly brackets can be activated or activated as module but not be deactivated, because another driver needs this activated in either way.

-M-, -*-

Options between hyphens are activated in the shown way by another driver. There is no choice.

Furthermore some menu entries have a tag at the end:

(NEW)

This driver is new in the kernel and is maybe not stable enough.

(EXPERIMENTAL)

This driver is experimental and most likely not stable enough.

(DEPRECATED)

This driver is deprecated and not needed for most systems.

(OBSOLETE)

This driver is obsolete and should not be activated.

Most options have a description, which get by pressing the H key or choose in the menu bar Help.

Driver selection

See the hardware detection article and the articles in the Hardware category.

Search modules

Within menuconfig, you can use / to search modules by keyboards.

Build

After configuring the kernel you have to compile the kernel:

root # make

If you have a processor with multiple cores, you can let all the cores do the work. For this add the parameter -j(NUMBER_CORES +1). For a dual core processor:

root # make -j3

Setup

If activated drivers as modules, you have to install them:

root # make modules_install

The modules will be copied to a sub directory of /lib/modules.

To install the actual kernel:

root # make install

This command executes /sbin/installkernel, which is part of the sys-apps/debianutils package. The new kernel is installed into /boot//vmlinuz-{version}. If a symbolic link /boot/vmlinuz already exists, it is refreshed by making a link from /boot/vmlinuz to the new kernel, and the previously installed kernel is available as /boot/vmlinuz.old. (installkernel man page). The same for config and System.map files. These symlinks are handy, because they point always to the newest kernel without changing the file path (e.g. you can use them in the bootloader configuration).

Bootloader

Change your bootloader configuration to pick up at boot the new kernel.

Finally restart your system with the new kernel.