Configuring the Linux kernel

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AMD64 Handbook
Installation
About the installation
Choosing the media
Configuring the network
Preparing the disks
The stage file
Installing base system
Configuring the kernel
Configuring the system
Installing tools
Configuring the bootloader
Finalizing
Working with Gentoo
Portage introduction
USE flags
Portage features
Initscript system
Environment variables
Working with Portage
Files and directories
Variables
Mixing software branches
Additional tools
Custom package repository
Advanced features
OpenRC network configuration
Getting started
Advanced configuration
Modular networking
Wireless
Adding functionality
Dynamic management


Optional: Installing firmware and/or microcode

Firmware

Linux Firmware

Before getting to configuring kernel sections, it is beneficial to be aware that some hardware devices require additional, sometimes non-FOSS compliant, firmware to be installed on the system before they will operate correctly. This is often the case for wireless network interfaces commonly found in both desktop and laptop computers. Modern video chips from vendors like AMD, Nvidia, and Intel, often also require external firmware files to be fully functional. Most firmware for modern hardware devices can be found within the sys-kernel/linux-firmware package.

It is recommended to have the sys-kernel/linux-firmware package installed before the initial system reboot in order to have the firmware available in the event that it is necessary:

root #emerge --ask sys-kernel/linux-firmware
Note
Installing certain firmware packages often requires accepting the associated firmware licenses. If necessary, visit the license handling section of the Handbook for help on accepting licenses.

It is important to note that kernel symbols that are built as modules (M) will load their associated firmware files from the filesystem when they are loaded by the kernel. It is not necessary to include the device's firmware files into the kernel's binary image for symbols loaded as modules.

SOF Firmware

Sound Open Firmware (SOF) is a new open source audio driver meant to replace the proprietary Smart Sound Technology (SST) audio driver from Intel. 10th gen+ and Apollo Lake (Atom E3900, Celeron N3350, and Pentium N4200) Intel CPUs require this firmware for certain features and certain AMD APUs also have support for this firmware. SOF's supported platforms matrix can be found here for more information.

root #emerge --ask sys-firmware/sof-firmware

Microcode

In addition to discrete graphics hardware and network interfaces, CPUs also can require firmware updates. Typically this kind of firmware is referred to as microcode. Newer revisions of microcode are sometimes necessary to patch instability, security concerns, or other miscellaneous bugs in CPU hardware.

Microcode updates for AMD CPUs are distributed within the aforementioned sys-kernel/linux-firmware package. Microcode for Intel CPUs can be found within the sys-firmware/intel-microcode package, which will need to be installed separately. See the Microcode article for more information on how to apply microcode updates.

Kernel configuration and compilation

Now it is time to configure and compile the kernel sources. For the purposes of the installation, three approaches to kernel management will be presented, however at any point post-installation a new approach can be employed.

Ranked from least involved to most involved:

Full automation approach: Distribution kernels
A Distribution Kernel is used to configure, automatically build, and install the Linux kernel, its associated modules, and (optionally, but enabled by default) an initramfs file. Future kernel updates are fully automated since they are handled through the package manager, just like any other system package. It is possible provide a custom kernel configuration file if customization is necessary. This is the least involved process and is perfect for new Gentoo users due to it working out-of-the-box and offering minimal involvement from the system administrator.
Hybrid approach: Genkernel
New kernel sources are installed via the system package manager. System administrators may use Gentoo's genkernel tool to configure, build, and install the Linux kernel, its associated modules, and (optionally, but not enabled by default) an initramfs file. It is possible provide a custom kernel configuration file if customization is necessary. Future kernel configuration, compilation, and installation require the system administrator's involvement in the form of running eselect kernel, genkernel, and potentially other commands for each update.
Full manual approach
New kernel sources are installed via the system package manager. The kernel is manually configured, built, and installed using the eselect kernel and a slew of make commands. Future kernel updates repeat the manual process of configuring, building, and installing the kernel files. This is the most involved process, but offers maximum control over the kernel update process.

The core around which all distributions are built is the Linux kernel. It is the layer between the user's programs and the system hardware. Although the handbook provides its users several possible kernel sources, a more comprehensive listing with more detailed descriptions is available at the Kernel overview page.

Distribution kernels

Distribution Kernels are ebuilds that cover the complete process of unpacking, configuring, compiling, and installing the kernel. The primary advantage of this method is that the kernels are updated to new versions by the package manager as part of @world upgrade. This requires no more involvement than running an emerge command. Distribution kernels default to a configuration supporting the majority of hardware, however two mechanisms are offered for customization: savedconfig and config snippets. See the project page for more details on configuration.

Installing a distribution kernel

Before installing the kernel package the dracut USE flag needs to be added for the package sys-kernel/installkernel in /etc/portage/package.use:

FILE /etc/portage/package.use/installkernelEnable dracut support
sys-kernel/installkernel dracut

Users may also wish to enable additional sys-kernel/installkernel USE flags at this stage. See the Installation/Kernel#Installkernel section for details.

To build a kernel with Gentoo patches from source, type:

root #emerge --ask sys-kernel/gentoo-kernel

System administrators who want to avoid compiling the kernel sources locally can instead use precompiled kernel images:

root #emerge --ask sys-kernel/gentoo-kernel-bin
Optional: Signed kernel modules

The kernel modules in the prebuilt distribution kernel (sys-kernel/gentoo-kernel-bin) are already signed. To sign the modules of kernels built from source enable the modules-sign USE flag, and optionally specify which key to use for signing in /etc/portage/make.conf:

FILE /etc/portage/make.confEnable module signing
USE="modules-sign"

# Optionally, to use custom signing keys.
MODULES_SIGN_KEY="/path/to/kernel_key.pem"
MODULES_SIGN_CERT="/path/to/kernel_key.pem" # Only required if the MODULES_SIGN_KEY does not also contain the certificate.
MODULES_SIGN_HASH="sha512" # Defaults to sha512.

If MODULES_SIGN_KEY is not specified the kernel build system will generate a key, it will be stored in /usr/src/linux-x.y.z/certs. It is recommended to manually generate a key to ensure that it will be the same for each kernel release. A key may be generated with:

root #openssl req -new -nodes -utf8 -sha256 -x509 -outform PEM -out kernel_key.pem -keyout kernel_key.pem
Note
The MODULES_SIGN_KEY and MODULES_SIGN_CERT may be different files. For this example the pem file generated by OpenSSL includes both the key and the accompanying certificate, and thus both variables are set to the same value.

OpenSSL will ask some questions about the user generating the key, it is recommended to fill in these questions as detailed as possible.

Store the key in a safe location, at the very least the key should be readable only by the root user. Verify this with:

root #ls -l kernel_key.pem
 -r-------- 1 root root 3164 Jan  4 10:38 kernel_key.pem 

If this outputs anything other then the above, correct the permissions with:

root #chown root:root kernel_key.pem
root #chmod 400 kernel_key.pem
Optional: Signing the kernel image (Secure Boot)

The kernel image in the prebuilt distribution kernel (sys-kernel/gentoo-kernel-bin) is already signed for use with Secure Boot. To sign the kernel image of kernels built from source enable the secureboot USE flag, and optionally specify which key to use for signing in /etc/portage/make.conf. Note that signing the kernel image for use with secureboot requires that the kernel modules are also signed, the same key may be used to sign both the kernel image and the kernel modules:

FILE /etc/portage/make.confEnable custom signing keys
USE="modules-sign secureboot"

# Optionally, to use custom signing keys.
MODULES_SIGN_KEY="/path/to/kernel_key.pem"
MODULES_SIGN_CERT="/path/to/kernel_key.pem" # Only required if the MODULES_SIGN_KEY does not also contain the certificate.
MODULES_SIGN_HASH="sha512" # Defaults to sha512.

# Optionally, to boot with secureboot enabled, may be the same or different signing key.
SECUREBOOT_SIGN_KEY="/path/to/kernel_key.pem"
SECUREBOOT_SIGN_CERT="/path/to/kernel_key.pem"
Note
The SECUREBOOT_SIGN_KEY and SECUREBOOT_SIGN_CERT may be different files. For this example the pem file generated by OpenSSL includes both the key and the accompanying certificate, and thus both variables are set to the same value.
Note
For this example the same key that was generated to sign the modules is used to sign the kernel image. It is also possible to generate and use a second separate key for signing the kernel image. The same OpenSSL command as in the previous section may be used again.

See the above section for instructions on generating a new key, the steps may be repeated if a separate key should be used to sign the kernel image.

To successfully boot with Secure Boot enabled, the used bootloader must also be signed and the certificate must be accepted by the UEFI firmware or Shim. This will be explained later in the handbook.

Upgrading and cleaning up

Once the kernel is installed, the package manager will automatically update it to newer versions. The previous versions will be kept until the package manager is requested to clean up stale packages. To reclaim disk space, stale packages can be trimmed by periodically running emerge with the --depclean option:

root #emerge --depclean

Alternatively, to specifically clean up old kernel versions:

root #emerge --prune sys-kernel/gentoo-kernel sys-kernel/gentoo-kernel-bin

Post-install/upgrade tasks

Distribution kernels are capable of rebuilding kernel modules installed by other packages. linux-mod-r1.eclass provides the dist-kernel USE flag which controls a subslot dependency on virtual/dist-kernel.

Enabling this USE flag on packages like sys-fs/zfs and sys-fs/zfs-kmod allows them to automatically be rebuilt against a newly updated kernel and, if applicable, will re-generate the initramfs accordingly.

Manually rebuilding the initramfs or Unified Kernel Image

If required, manually trigger such rebuilds by, after a kernel upgrade, executing:

root #emerge --ask @module-rebuild

If any kernel modules (e.g. ZFS) are needed at early boot, rebuild the initramfs afterward via:

root #emerge --config sys-kernel/gentoo-kernel
root #emerge --config sys-kernel/gentoo-kernel-bin

Installing the kernel sources

Note
This section is only relevant when using the following genkernel (hybrid) or manual kernel management approach.

When installing and compiling the kernel for amd64-based systems, Gentoo recommends the sys-kernel/gentoo-sources package.

Choose an appropriate kernel source and install it using emerge:

root #emerge --ask sys-kernel/gentoo-sources

This will install the Linux kernel sources in /usr/src/ using the specific kernel version in the path. It will not create a symbolic link by itself without the symlink USE flag being enabled on the chosen kernel sources package.

It is conventional for a /usr/src/linux symlink to be maintained, such that it refers to whichever sources correspond with the currently running kernel. However, this symbolic link will not be created by default. An easy way to create the symbolic link is to utilize eselect's kernel module.

For further information regarding the purpose of the symlink, and how to manage it, please refer to Kernel/Upgrade.

First, list all installed kernels:

root #eselect kernel list
Available kernel symlink targets:
  [1]   linux-6.1.38-gentoo

In order to create a symbolic link called linux, use:

root #eselect kernel set 1
root #ls -l /usr/src/linux
lrwxrwxrwx    1 root   root    12 Oct 13 11:04 /usr/src/linux -> linux-6.1.38-gentoo

Alternative: Genkernel

Note
In case it was missed, this section requires the kernel sources to be installed. Be sure to obtain the relevant kernel sources, then return here for the rest of section.

If an entirely manual configuration looks too daunting, system administrators should consider using genkernel as a hybrid approach to kernel maintenance.

Genkernel provides a generic kernel configuration file and will compile the kernel and initramfs, then install the resulting binaries to the appropriate locations. This results in minimal and generic hardware support for the system's first boot, and allows for additional update control and customization of the kernel's configuration in the future.

Be informed: while using genkernel to maintain the kernel provides system administrators with more update control over the system's kernel, initramfs, and other options, it will require a time and effort commitment to perform future kernel updates as new sources are released. Those looking for a hands-off approach to kernel maintenance should use a distribution kernel.

For additional clarity, it is a misconception to believe genkernel automatically generates a custom kernel configuration for the hardware on which it is run; it uses a predetermined kernel configuration that supports most generic hardware and automatically handles the make commands necessary to assemble and install the kernel, the associate modules, and the initramfs file.

Binary redistributable software license group

If the linux-firmware package has been previously installed, then skip onward to the to the installation section.

As a prerequisite, due to the firwmare USE flag being enabled by default for the sys-kernel/genkernel package, the package manager will also attempt to pull in the sys-kernel/linux-firmware package. The binary redistributable software licenses are required to be accepted before the linux-firmware will install.

This license group can be accepted system-wide for any package by adding the @BINARY-REDISTRIBUTABLE as an ACCEPT_LICENSE value in the /etc/portage/make.conf file. It can be exclusively accepted for the linux-firmware package by adding a specific inclusion via a /etc/portage/package.license/linux-firmware file.

If necessary, review the methods of accepting software licenses available in the Installing the base system chapter of the handbook, then make some changes for acceptable software licenses.

If in analysis paralysis, the following will do the trick:

root #mkdir /etc/portage/package.license
FILE /etc/portage/package.license/linux-firmwareAccept binary redistributable licenses for the linux-firmware package
sys-kernel/linux-firmware @BINARY-REDISTRIBUTABLE

Installation

Explanations and prerequisites aside, install the sys-kernel/genkernel package:

root #emerge --ask sys-kernel/genkernel

Generation

Compile the kernel sources by running genkernel all. Be aware though, as genkernel compiles a kernel that supports a wide array of hardware for differing computer architectures, this compilation may take quite a while to finish.

Note
If the root partition/volume uses a filesystem other than ext4, it may be necessary to manually configure the kernel using genkernel --menuconfig all to add built-in kernel support for the particular filesystem(s) (i.e. not building the filesystem as a module).
Note
Users of LVM2 should add --lvm as an argument to the genkernel command below.
root #genkernel --mountboot --install all

Once genkernel completes, a kernel and an initial ram filesystem (initramfs) will be generated and installed into the /boot directory. Associated modules will be installed into the /lib/modules directory. The initramfs will be started immediately after loading the kernel to perform hardware auto-detection (just like in the live disk image environments).

root #ls /boot/vmlinu* /boot/initramfs*
root #ls /lib/modules

Alternative: Manual configuration

Introduction

Note
In case it was missed, this section requires the kernel sources to be installed. Be sure to obtain the relevant kernel sources, then return here for the rest of section.

Manually configuring a kernel is commonly seen as one of the most difficult procedures a system administrator has to perform. Nothing is less true - after configuring a few kernels no one remembers that it was difficult!

However, one thing is true: it is vital to know the system when a kernel is configured manually. Most information can be gathered by emerging sys-apps/pciutils which contains the lspci command:

root #emerge --ask sys-apps/pciutils
Note
Inside the chroot, it is safe to ignore any pcilib warnings (like pcilib: cannot open /sys/bus/pci/devices) that lspci might throw out.

Another source of system information is to run lsmod to see what kernel modules the installation CD uses as it might provide a nice hint on what to enable.

Now go to the kernel source directory and execute make menuconfig. This will fire up menu-driven configuration screen.

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

The Linux kernel configuration has many, many sections. Let's first list some options that must be activated (otherwise Gentoo will not function, or not function properly without additional tweaks). We also have a Gentoo kernel configuration guide on the Gentoo wiki that might help out further.

Enabling required options

When using sys-kernel/gentoo-sources, it is strongly recommend the Gentoo-specific configuration options be enabled. These ensure that a minimum of kernel features required for proper functioning is available:

KERNEL Enabling Gentoo-specific options
Gentoo Linux --->
  Generic Driver Options --->
    [*] Gentoo Linux support
    [*]   Linux dynamic and persistent device naming (userspace devfs) support
    [*]   Select options required by Portage features
        Support for init systems, system and service managers  --->
          [*] OpenRC, runit and other script based systems and managers
          [*] systemd

Naturally the choice in the last two lines depends on the selected init system (OpenRC vs. systemd). It does not hurt to have support for both init systems enabled.

When using sys-kernel/vanilla-sources, the additional selections for init systems will be unavailable. Enabling support is possible, but goes beyond the scope of the handbook.

Enabling support for typical system components

Make sure that every driver that is vital to the booting of the system (such as SATA controllers, NVMe block device support, filesystem support, etc.) is compiled in the kernel and not as a module, otherwise the system may not be able to boot completely.

Next select the exact processor type. It is also recommended to enable MCE features (if available) so that users are able to be notified of any hardware problems. On some architectures (such as x86_64), these errors are not printed to dmesg, but to /dev/mcelog. This requires the app-admin/mcelog package.

Also select Maintain a devtmpfs file system to mount at /dev so that critical device files are already available early in the boot process (CONFIG_DEVTMPFS and CONFIG_DEVTMPFS_MOUNT):

KERNEL Enabling devtmpfs support (CONFIG_DEVTMPFS)
Device Drivers --->
  Generic Driver Options --->
    [*] Maintain a devtmpfs filesystem to mount at /dev
    [*]   Automount devtmpfs at /dev, after the kernel mounted the rootfs

Verify SCSI disk support has been activated (CONFIG_BLK_DEV_SD):

KERNEL Enabling SCSI disk support (CONFIG_SCSI, CONFIG_BLK_DEV_SD)
Device Drivers --->
  SCSI device support  ---> 
    <*> SCSI device support
    <*> SCSI disk support
KERNEL Enabling basic SATA and PATA support (CONFIG_ATA_ACPI, CONFIG_SATA_PMP, CONFIG_SATA_AHCI, CONFIG_ATA_BMDMA, CONFIG_ATA_SFF, CONFIG_ATA_PIIX)
Device Drivers --->
  <*> Serial ATA and Parallel ATA drivers (libata)  --->
    [*] ATA ACPI Support
    [*] SATA Port Multiplier support
    <*> AHCI SATA support (ahci)
    [*] ATA BMDMA support
    [*] ATA SFF support (for legacy IDE and PATA)
    <*> Intel ESB, ICH, PIIX3, PIIX4 PATA/SATA support (ata_piix)

Verify basic NVMe support has been enabled:

KERNEL Enable basic NVMe support for Linux 4.4.x (CONFIG_BLK_DEV_NVME)
Device Drivers  --->
  <*> NVM Express block device
KERNEL Enable basic NVMe support for Linux 5.x.x (CONFIG_DEVTMPFS)
Device Drivers --->
  NVME Support --->
    <*> NVM Express block device

It does not hurt to enable the following additional NVMe support:

KERNEL Enabling additional NVMe support (CONFIG_NVME_MULTIPATH, CONFIG_NVME_MULTIPATH, CONFIG_NVME_HWMON, CONFIG_NVME_FC, CONFIG_NVME_TCP, CONFIG_NVME_TARGET, CONFIG_NVME_TARGET_PASSTHRU, CONFIG_NVME_TARGET_LOOP, CONFIG_NVME_TARGET_FC, CONFIG_NVME_TARGET_FCLOOP, CONFIG_NVME_TARGET_TCP
[*] NVMe multipath support
[*] NVMe hardware monitoring
<M> NVM Express over Fabrics FC host driver
<M> NVM Express over Fabrics TCP host driver
<M> NVMe Target support
  [*]   NVMe Target Passthrough support
  <M>   NVMe loopback device support
  <M>   NVMe over Fabrics FC target driver
  < >     NVMe over Fabrics FC Transport Loopback Test driver (NEW)
  <M>   NVMe over Fabrics TCP target support

Now go to File Systems and select support for the filesystems that will be used by the system. Do not compile the file system that is used for the root filesystem as module, otherwise the system may not be able to mount the partition. Also select Virtual memory and /proc file system. Select one or more of the following options as needed by the system:

KERNEL Enable file system support (CONFIG_EXT2_FS, CONFIG_EXT3_FS, CONFIG_EXT4_FS, CONFIG_BTRFS_FS, CONFIG_XFS_FS, CONFIG_MSDOS_FS, CONFIG_VFAT_FS, CONFIG_PROC_FS, and CONFIG_TMPFS)
File systems --->
  <*> Second extended fs support
  <*> The Extended 3 (ext3) filesystem
  <*> The Extended 4 (ext4) filesystem
  <*> Btrfs filesystem support
  <*> XFS filesystem support
  DOS/FAT/NT Filesystems  --->
    <*> MSDOS fs support
    <*> VFAT (Windows-95) fs support
  Pseudo Filesystems --->
    [*] /proc file system support
    [*] Tmpfs virtual memory file system support (former shm fs)

If PPPoE is used to connect to the Internet, or a dial-up modem, then enable the following options (CONFIG_PPP, CONFIG_PPP_ASYNC, and CONFIG_PPP_SYNC_TTY):

KERNEL Enabling PPPoE support (PPPoE, CONFIG_PPPOE, CONFIG_PPP_ASYNC, CONFIG_PPP_SYNC_TTY
Device Drivers --->
  Network device support --->
    <*> PPP (point-to-point protocol) support
    <*> PPP over Ethernet
    <*> PPP support for async serial ports
    <*> PPP support for sync tty ports

The two compression options won't harm but are not definitely needed, neither does the PPP over Ethernet option, that might only be used by ppp when configured to do kernel mode PPPoE.

Don't forget to include support in the kernel for the network (Ethernet or wireless) cards.

Most systems also have multiple cores at their disposal, so it is important to activate Symmetric multi-processing support (CONFIG_SMP):

KERNEL Activating SMP support (CONFIG_SMP)
Processor type and features  --->
  [*] Symmetric multi-processing support
Note
In multi-core systems, each core counts as one processor.

If USB input devices (like keyboard or mouse) or other USB devices will be used, do not forget to enable those as well:

KERNEL Enable USB and human input device support (CONFIG_HID_GENERIC, CONFIG_USB_HID, CONFIG_USB_SUPPORT, CONFIG_USB_XHCI_HCD, CONFIG_USB_EHCI_HCD, CONFIG_USB_OHCI_HCD, (CONFIG_HID_GENERIC, CONFIG_USB_HID, CONFIG_USB_SUPPORT, CONFIG_USB_XHCI_HCD, CONFIG_USB_EHCI_HCD, CONFIG_USB_OHCI_HCD, CONFIG_USB4)
Device Drivers --->
  HID support  --->
    -*- HID bus support
    <*>   Generic HID driver
    [*]   Battery level reporting for HID devices
      USB HID support  --->
        <*> USB HID transport layer
  [*] USB support  --->
    <*>     xHCI HCD (USB 3.0) support
    <*>     EHCI HCD (USB 2.0) support
    <*>     OHCI HCD (USB 1.1) support
  <*> Unified support for USB4 and Thunderbolt  --->

Optional: Signed kernel modules

To automatically sign the kernel modules enable CONFIG_MODULE_SIG_ALL:

KERNEL Sign kernel modules CONFIG_MODULE_SIG_ALL
[*] Enable loadable module support  
  -*-   Module signature verification    
    [*]     Automatically sign all modules    
    Which hash algorithm should modules be signed with? (Sign modules with SHA-512) --->

Optionally change the hash algorithm if desired.

To enforce that all modules are signed with a valid signature, enable CONFIG_MODULE_SIG_FORCE as well:

KERNEL Enforce signed kernel modules CONFIG_MODULE_SIG_FORCE
[*] Enable loadable module support  
  -*-   Module signature verification    
    [*]     Require modules to be validly signed
    [*]     Automatically sign all modules
    Which hash algorithm should modules be signed with? (Sign modules with SHA-512) --->

To use a custom key, specify the location of this key in CONFIG_MODULE_SIG_KEY, if unspecified the kernel build system will generate a key. It is recommended to generate one manually instead. This can be done with:

root #openssl req -new -nodes -utf8 -sha256 -x509 -outform PEM -out kernel_key.pem -keyout kernel_key.pem

OpenSSL will ask some questions about the user generating the key, it is recommended to fill in these questions as detailed as possible.

Store the key in a safe location, at the very least the key should be readable only by the root user. Verify this with:

root #ls -l kernel_key.pem
 -r-------- 1 root root 3164 Jan  4 10:38 kernel_key.pem 

If this outputs anything other then the above, correct the permissions with:

root #chown root:root kernel_key.pem
root #chmod 400 kernel_key.pem
KERNEL Specify signing key CONFIG_MODULE_SIG_KEY
-*- Cryptographic API  ---> 
  Certificates for signature checking  --->  
    (/path/to/kernel_key.pem) File name or PKCS#11 URI of module signing key

To also sign external kernel modules installed by other packages via linux-mod-r1.eclass, enable the modules-sign USE flag globally:

FILE /etc/portage/make.confEnable module signing
USE="modules-sign"

# Optionally, when using custom signing keys.
MODULES_SIGN_KEY="/path/to/kernel_key.pem"
MODULES_SIGN_CERT="/path/to/kernel_key.pem" # Only required if the MODULES_SIGN_KEY does not also contain the certificate
MODULES_SIGN_HASH="sha512" # Defaults to sha512
Note
The MODULES_SIGN_KEY and MODULES_SIGN_CERT may be different files. For this example the pem file generated by OpenSSL includes both the key and the accompanying certificate, and thus both variables are set to the same value.

Optional: Signing the kernel image (Secure Boot)

When signing the kernel image (for use on systems with Secure Boot enabled) it is recommended to set the following kernel config options:

KERNEL Lockdown for secureboot
General setup  --->
  Kexec and crash features  --->   
    [*] Enable kexec system call                                                                                          
    [*] Enable kexec file based system call                                                                               
    [*]   Verify kernel signature during kexec_file_load() syscall                                                        
    [*]     Require a valid signature in kexec_file_load() syscall                                                        
    [*]     Enable ""image"" signature verification support  

[*] Enable loadable module support  
  -*-   Module signature verification    
    [*]     Require modules to be validly signed
    [*]     Automatically sign all modules
    Which hash algorithm should modules be signed with? (Sign modules with SHA-512) --->  

Security options  ---> 
[*] Integrity subsystem   
  [*] Basic module for enforcing kernel lockdown                                                                       
  [*]   Enable lockdown LSM early in init                                                                       
        Kernel default lockdown mode (Integrity)  --->            

[*]   Digital signature verification using multiple keyrings                                                            
  [*]     Enable asymmetric keys support                                                                                     
  -*-       Require all keys on the integrity keyrings be signed                                                              
  [*]       Provide keyring for platform/firmware trusted keys                                                                
  [*]       Provide a keyring to which Machine Owner Keys may be added                                                        
  [ ]         Enforce Machine Keyring CA Restrictions

Where ""image"" is a placeholder for the architecture specific image name. These options, from the top to the bottom: enforces that the kernel image in a kexec call must be signed (kexec allows replacing the kernel in-place), enforces that kernel modules are signed, enables lockdown integrity mode (prevents modifying the kernel at runtime), and enables various keychains.

On arches that do not natively support decompressing the kernel (e.g. arm64 and riscv), the kernel must be built with its own decompressor (zboot):

KERNEL zboot CONFIG_EFI_ZBOOT
Device Drivers --->                                                                                                                           
  Firmware Drivers --->                                                                                                                       
    EFI (Extensible Firmware Interface) Support --->                                                                                               
      [*] Enable the generic EFI decompressor

After compilation of the kernel, as explained in the next section, the kernel image must be signed. First install app-crypt/sbsigntools and then sign the kernel image:

root #emerge --ask app-crypt/sbsigntools
root #sbsign /usr/src/linux-x.y.z/path/to/kernel-image --cert /path/to/kernel_key.pem --key /path/to/kernel_key.pem --out /usr/src/linux-x.y.z/path/to/kernel-image
Note
For this example the same key that was generated to sign the modules is used to sign the kernel image. It is also possible to generate and use a second sperate key for signing the kernel image. The same OpenSSL command as in the previous section may be used again.

Then proceed with the installation.

To automatically sign EFI executables installed by other packages, enable the secureboot USE flag globally:

FILE /etc/portage/make.confEnable Secure Boot
USE="modules-sign secureboot"

# Optionally, to use custom signing keys.
MODULES_SIGN_KEY="/path/to/kernel_key.pem"
MODULES_SIGN_CERT="/path/to/kernel_key.pem" # Only required if the MODULES_SIGN_KEY does not also contain the certificate.
MODULES_SIGN_HASH="sha512" # Defaults to sha512

# Optionally, to boot with secureboot enabled, may be the same or different signing key.
SECUREBOOT_SIGN_KEY="/path/to/kernel_key.pem"
SECUREBOOT_SIGN_CERT="/path/to/kernel_key.pem"
Note
The SECUREBOOT_SIGN_KEY and SECUREBOOT_SIGN_CERT may be different files. For this example the pem file generated by OpenSSL includes both the key and the accompanying certificate, and thus both variables are set to the same value.
Note
When generating an Unified Kernel Image with systemd's ukify the kernel image will be signed automatically before inclusion in the unified kernel image and it is not necessary to sign it manually.


Architecture specific kernel configuration

Make sure to select IA32 Emulation and 32-bit time_t if 32-bit programs should be supported (CONFIG_IA32_EMULATION and CONFIG_COMPAT_32BIT_TIME). Gentoo installs a multilib system (mixed 32-bit/64-bit computing) by default, so unless a no-multilib profile is used, these options are required.

KERNEL Selecting processor types and features
Processor type and features  --->
   [ ] Machine Check / overheating reporting 
   [ ]   Intel MCE Features
   [ ]   AMD MCE Features
   Processor family (AMD-Opteron/Athlon64)  --->
      ( ) Opteron/Athlon64/Hammer/K8
      ( ) Intel P4 / older Netburst based Xeon
      ( ) Core 2/newer Xeon
      ( ) Intel Atom
      ( ) Generic-x86-64
Binary Emulations --->
   [*] IA32 Emulation
General architecture-dependent options  --->
   [*] Provide system calls for 32-bit time_t

Enable GPT partition label support if that was used previously when partitioning the disk (CONFIG_PARTITION_ADVANCED and CONFIG_EFI_PARTITION):

KERNEL Enable support for GPT
-*- Enable the block layer --->
   Partition Types --->
      [*] Advanced partition selection
      [*] EFI GUID Partition support

Enable EFI stub support, EFI variables and EFI Framebuffer in the Linux kernel if UEFI is used to boot the system (CONFIG_EFI, CONFIG_EFI_STUB, CONFIG_EFI_MIXED, CONFIG_EFI_VARS, and CONFIG_FB_EFI):

KERNEL Enable support for UEFI
Processor type and features  --->
    [*] EFI runtime service support 
    [*]   EFI stub support
    [*]     EFI mixed-mode support
 
Device Drivers
    Firmware Drivers  --->
        EFI (Extensible Firmware Interface) Support  --->
            <*> EFI Variable Support via sysfs
    Graphics support  --->
        Frame buffer Devices  --->
            <*> Support for frame buffer devices  --->
                [*]   EFI-based Framebuffer Support

To enable the Kernel options for the use of SOF Firmware covered earlier:

KERNEL Enabling SOF Firmware support (CONFIG_SND_SOC_SOF_TOPLEVEL, CONFIG_SND_SOC_SOF_PCI, CONFIG_SND_SOC_SOF_ACPI, CONFIG_SND_SOC_SOF_AMD_TOPLEVEL, CONFIG_SND_SOC_SOF_INTEL_TOPLEVEL)
Device Drivers --->
  Sound card support --->
    Advanced Linux Sound Architecture --->
      <M> ALSA for SoC audio support --->
        [*] Sound Open Firmware Support --->
            <M> SOF PCI enumeration support
            <M> SOF ACPI enumeration support
            <M> SOF support for AMD audio DSPs
            [*] SOF support for Intel audio DSPs


Compiling and installing

With the configuration now done, it is time to compile and install the kernel. Exit the configuration and start the compilation process:

root #make && make modules_install
Note
It is possible to enable parallel builds using make -jX with X being an integer number of parallel tasks that the build process is allowed to launch. This is similar to the instructions about /etc/portage/make.conf earlier, with the MAKEOPTS variable.

When the kernel has finished compiling, copy the kernel image to /boot/. This is handled by the make install command:

root #make install

This command will copy the kernel image to /boot. If sys-kernel/installkernel is installed it will call /sbin/installkernel instead and delegate the kernel installation. Instead of simply copying the kernel to /boot, Installkernel installs each kernel with its version number in the file name. Additionally, installkernel provides a framework for automatically accomplishing various tasks relating to kernel installation, such as: generating an initramfs, building an Unified Kernel Image, and updating the bootloader configuration. See the next section for more details on installkernel.


Kernel installation

Installkernel

Installkernel may be used to automate, the kernel installation, initramfs generation, unified kernel image generation and/or bootloader configuration among other things. sys-kernel/installkernel implements two paths of achieving this: the traditional installkernel originating from Debian and systemd's kernel-install. Which one to choose depends, among other things, on the system's bootloader. By default systemd's kernel-install is used on systemd profiles, while the traditional installkernel is the default for other profiles.

If unsure, follow the 'Traditional layout' subsection below.

systemd-boot

When using systemd-boot (formerly gummiboot) as the bootloader, systemd's kernel-install must be used. Therefore ensure the systemd and the systemd-boot USE flags are enabled on sys-kernel/installkernel, and then install the relevant package for systemd-boot.

On OpenRC systems:

FILE /etc/portage/package.use/systemd-boot
sys-apps/systemd-utils boot kernel-install
sys-kernel/installkernel systemd systemd-boot
root #emerge --ask sys-apps/systemd-utils

On systemd systems:

FILE /etc/portage/package.use/systemd
sys-apps/systemd boot
sys-kernel/installkernel systemd-boot
root #emerge --ask sys-apps/systemd

GRUB

Users of GRUB can use either systemd's kernel-install or the traditional Debian installkernel. The systemd USE flag switches between these implementations. To automatically run grub-mkconfig when installing the kernel, enable the grub USE flag.

FILE /etc/portage/package.use/installkernel
sys-kernel/installkernel grub
root #emerge --ask sys-kernel/installkernel

Traditional layout, other bootloaders (e.g. lilo, etc.)

The traditional /boot layout (for e.g. LILO, etc.) is used by default if the grub, systemd-boot and uki USE flags are not enabled. No further action is required.


Building an initramfs

In certain cases it is necessary to build an initramfs - an initial ram-based file system. The most common reason is when important file system locations (like /usr/ or /var/) are on separate partitions. With an initramfs, these partitions can be mounted using the tools available inside the initramfs. The default configuration of the Project:Distribution Kernel requires an initramfs.

Without an initramfs, there is a risk that the system will not boot properly as the tools that are responsible for mounting the file systems require information that resides on unmounted file systems. An initramfs will pull in the necessary files into an archive which is used right after the kernel boots, but before the control is handed over to the init tool. Scripts on the initramfs will then make sure that the partitions are properly mounted before the system continues booting.

Important
If using genkernel, it should be used for both building the kernel and the initramfs. When using genkernel only for generating an initramfs, it is crucial to pass --kernel-config=/path/to/kernel.config to genkernel or the generated initramfs may not work with a manually built kernel. Note that manually built kernels go beyond the scope of support for the handbook. See the kernel configuration article for more information.

Installkernel can automatically generate an initramfs when installing the kernel if the dracut USE flag is enabled:

FILE /etc/portage/package.use/installkernel
sys-kernel/installkernel dracut

Alternatively, dracut may be called manually to generate an initramfs. Install sys-kernel/dracut first, then have it generate an initramfs:

root #emerge --ask sys-kernel/dracut
root #dracut --kver=6.1.38-gentoo

The initramfs will be stored in /boot/. The resulting file can be found by simply listing the files starting with initramfs:

root #ls /boot/initramfs*

Optional: Building an Unified Kernel Image

An Unified Kernel Image (UKI) combines, among other things, the kernel, the initramfs and the kernel command line into a single executable. Since the kernel command line is embedded into the unified kernel image it should be specified before generating the unified kernel image (see below). Note that any kernel command line arguments supplied by the bootloader or firmware at boot are ignored when booting with secure boot enabled.

An unified kernel image requires a stub loader, currently the only one available is systemd-stub. To enable it:

For systemd systems:

FILE /etc/portage/package.use/systemd
sys-apps/systemd boot

For OpenRC systems:

FILE /etc/portage/package.use/systemd-utils
sys-apps/systemd-utils boot kernel-install

Installkernel can automatically generate an unified kernel image using either dracut or ukify, by enabling the respective flag. The uki USE flag should be enabled as well to install the generated unified kernel image to the $ESP/EFI/Linux directory on the EFI system partition (ESP).

For dracut:

FILE /etc/portage/package.use/installkernel
sys-kernel/installkernel dracut uki
FILE /etc/dracut.conf
uefi="yes"
kernel_cmdline="some-kernel-command-line-arguments"

For ukify:

FILE /etc/portage/package.use/installkernel
sys-apps/systemd ukify          # For systemd systems
sys-apps/systemd-utils ukify    # For OpenRC systems
sys-kernel/installkernel dracut ukify uki
FILE /etc/kernel/cmdline
some-kernel-command-line-arguments

Note that while dracut can generate both an initramfs and an unified kernel image, ukify can only generate the latter and therefore the initramfs must be generated separately with dracut.

Generic Unified Kernel Image

The prebuilt sys-kernel/gentoo-kernel-bin can optionally install a prebuilt generic unified kernel image containing a generic initramfs that is able to boot most systemd based systems. It can be installed by enabling the generic-uki USE flag, and configuring installkernel to not generate a custom initramfs or unified kernel image:

FILE /etc/portage/package.use/generic-uki
sys-kernel/gentoo-kernel-bin generic-uki
sys-kernel/installkernel -dracut -ukify uki

Secure Boot

The generic Unified Kernel Image optionally distributed by sys-kernel/gentoo-kernel-bin is already pre-signed. How to sign a locally generated unified kernel image depends on whether dracut or ukify is used. Note that the location of the key and certificate should be the same as the SECUREBOOT_SIGN_KEY and SECUREBOOT_SIGN_CERT as specified in /etc/portage/make.conf.

For dracut:

FILE /etc/dracut.conf
uefi="yes"
kernel_cmdline="some-kernel-command-line-arguments"
uefi_secureboot_key="/path/to/kernel_key.pem"
uefi_secureboot_cert="/path/to/kernel_key.pem"

For ukify:

FILE /etc/kernel/uki.conf
[UKI]
SecureBootPrivateKey=/path/to/kernel_key.pem
SecureBootCertificate=/path/to/kernel_key.pem

Rebuilding external kernel modules

External kernel modules installed by other packages via linux-mod-r1.eclass must be rebuilt for each new kernel version. When the distribution kernels are used this may be automated by enabling the dist-kernel flag globally.

FILE /etc/portage/package.use/module-rebuild
*/* dist-kernel

External kernel modules may also be rebuilt manually with:

root #emerge --ask @module-rebuild

Kernel modules

Listing available kernel modules

Note
Hardware modules are optional to be listed manually. udev will normally load all hardware modules that are detected to be connected in most cases. However, it is not harmful for modules that will be automatically loaded to be listed. Modules cannot be loaded twice; they are either loaded or unloaded. Sometimes exotic hardware requires help to load their drivers.

The modules that need to be loaded during each boot in can be added to /etc/modules-load.d/*.conf files in the format of one module per line. When extra options are needed for the modules, they should be set in /etc/modprobe.d/*.conf files instead.

To view all modules available for a specific kernel version, issue the following find command. Do not forget to substitute "<kernel version>" with the appropriate version of the kernel to search:

root #find /lib/modules/<kernel version>/ -type f -iname '*.o' -or -iname '*.ko' | less

Force loading particular kernel modules

To force load the kernel to load the 3c59x.ko module (which is the driver for a specific 3Com network card family), edit the /etc/modules-load.d/network.conf file and enter the module name within it.

root #mkdir -p /etc/modules-load.d
root #nano -w /etc/modules-load.d/network.conf

Note that the module's .ko file suffix is insignificant to the loading mechanism and left out of the configuration file:

FILE /etc/modules-load.d/network.confForce loading 3c59x module
3c59x

Continue the installation with Configuring the system.