User:Immolo/Sandbox/Kernel

Warning
Readers should not try to follow instructions directly from the Handbook:Parts namespace (which is THIS page!). The sections displayed below are used as a skeleton for transcluding information into the computer architecture specific handbooks and are therefore lacking critical information.

Please visit the Handbook list to read instructions for a relevant computer architecture.

Immolo 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

Suggested: Linux Firmware

On many systems, non-FOSS firmware is required for certain hardware to function. The sys-kernel/linux-firmware package contains firmware for many, but not all, devices.

Tip
Most wireless cards and GPUs require firmware to function.

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.

Firmware Loading

Firmware files are typically loaded when the associated kernel module is loaded. This means the firmware must be built into the kernel using CONFIG_EXTRA_FIRMWARE if the kernel module is set to Y instead of M. In most cases, building-in a module which required firmware can complicate or break loading.

sys-kernel/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.

Bootloader

Now is the time to think about which bootloader the user wants for the system, if unsure, follow the 'Traditional layout' subsection below.

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. (e)lilo, syslinux, etc.)

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

Initramfs

An initial ram-based file system, or initramfs, may be required for a system to boot. A wide of variety of cases may necessitate one, but common cases include:

• Kernels where storage/filesystem drivers are modules.
• Layouts with /usr/ or /var/ on separate partitions.
• Encrypted root filesystems.

Tip
Distribution kernels are designed to be used with an initramfs, as many storage and filesystem drivers are built as modules.

In addition to mounting the root filesystem, an initramfs may also perform other tasks such as:

• Running file system consistency check fsck, a tool to check and repair consistency of a file system in such events of uncleanly shutdown a system.
• Providing a recovery environment in the event of late-boot failures.

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

FILE /etc/portage/package.use/installkernel

sys-kernel/installkernel dracut

root #emerge --ask sys-kernel/installkernel

Kernel configuration and compilation

Tip
It can be a wise move to use the dist-kernel on the first boot as it provides a very simple method to rule out system issues and kernel config issues. Always having a known working kernel to fallback on can speed up debugging and alleviate anxiety when updating that your system will no longer boot.

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.

Note
During the installation phase of Gentoo, only one kernel type should be installed i.e. either the sys-kernel/gentoo-kernel-bin or sys-kernel/gentoo-sources.

Ranked from least involved to most involved:

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.

Hybrid approach: Genkernel

We use the term hybrid here but, do note that the dist-kernel and manual sources, both include methods to achieve the same goal. 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. This option should only considered for users that know they have a need for genkernel

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.

Tip
Kernel installation tasks such as copying the kernel image to /boot or the EFI System Partition, generating an initramfs and/or Unified Kernel Image, updating bootloader configuration, can be automated with installkernel. Users may wish to configure and install sys-kernel/installkernel before proceeding. See the Kernel installation section below for more more information.

Installing the kernel sources

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

Choose an appropriate kernel source and install it using emerge:

root #emerge --ask sys-kernel/

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-

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-

Alternative: Manual configuration

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! There are two ways for a Gentoo user to manage a manual kernel system, both of which are listed below:

Modprobed-db process

A very easy way to manage the kernel is to first install sys-kernel/gentoo-kernel-bin and use the sys-kernel/modprobed-db to collect information about what the system requires. modprobed-db is a tool which monitors the system via crontab to add all modules of all devices over the system's life to make sure it everything a user needs is supported. For example, if an Xbox controller is added after installation, then modprobed-db will add the modules to be built next time the kernel is rebuilt. More on this topic can be found in the Modprobed-db article.

Manual process

This method allows a user to have full control of how their kernel is built with as minimal help from outside tools as they wish. Some could consider this as making it hard for the sake of it.

However, with this choice 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.

root #cd /usr/src/linux

Tip
To view the full list of make arguments available for the kernel, run make help.

The kernel has a method of autodetecting the modules currently being used on the installcd which will give a great starting point to allow a user to configure their own. This can be called by using:

root #make localmodconfig

It's now time to configure using nconfig:

root #make nconfig

Optional: Signed kernel modules and SecureBoot

For signing the kernel modules and setting up SecureBoot see Gentoo_Kernel_Configuration_Guide#Signed_kernel_modules_and_SecureBoot

Configuring by hand

The Linux kernel configuration has many, many sections and as configuring a kernel by hand is rarely needed thanks to the two tools listed above. The steps to do it by hand are now included at Kernel/Gentoo_Kernel_Configuration_Guide

Deprecated: Genkernel

Genkernel should only be considered by users with a required need that only Genkernel can meet. For others, it is recommended to use the Distribution kernel or manually compile their own as it will make maintaining a Gentoo system a lot more simple. An example of why genkernel is more difficult to manage is the lack of integration with sys-kernel/installkernel. This means a user will not get the same level of automation as provided by the other methods; for example, Unified Kernel Images will need to be created manually when using Genkernel.

Users still wishing to use Genkernel should see the Genkernel article for more information.

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.

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