Recompiling your kernel
(Quick tutorial)

Note: This document is very out of date. If anyone is willing to update this document, please do so and send your submission to the address below. Full credit will be given to the author.

This document is intended to only be a quick overview of compiling your kernel.
If someone wants to write a more in-depth tutorial please do so and send it to
drichardson@recompile.org Your submission would be greatly appreciated.

Step 1:
    Install your kernel source from RPM
   > rpm -i filename.rpm

Step 2:
    Go to your /usr/src/linux directory
    > cd /usr/src/linux
   
    Run a configuration program. There are 3 to choose from:

    config -> text only
    xconfig -> graphical (must be running X)
    menuconfig -> text baised, menu driven

    I personally prefer menuconfig. Whatever one you run, your options are saved
in the .config file.

Step 3:
    Make dependencies (trust me its important)
    > make dep
   
    Clean up old junk (you made a mess)
    > make clean
   
Step 4:
    Compile your kernel. (you have many options here)
    > make zimage
   
    If your kernel is too big for this
   
    > make bzimage
   
    Why didn’t you tell me you wanted it on disk!?

    > make zdisk

    If your kernel is too big for this    

    > make bzdisk

    You wanted to automatically update lilo?

    > make zlilo
   
    Guess what you do if your kernel is too big.

    > make bzlilo            

    There you have it, every way to compile your kernel I can think of.

Step 5:
    If your running an 80×86 system (and you probably are) go to your
/arch/i386/boot directory
   
    > cd /arch/i386/boot

    Now copy the zimage to your /boot directory

    > cp ./zimage /boot
   
    Now if your running a redhat baised distro    (i.e. redhat, mandrake, etc.)
and you didn’t use ‘make zlilo’ or ‘make bzlilo’ or lilo didn’t update properly.
run linuxconf.

    > linuxconf

    You can always check to see if lilo updated by running /sbin/lilo
   
    > /sbin/lilo
   
    This will show you a list of labels so you’ll be able to tell if lilo
updated properly.

    You could always skip linuxconf and just edit the /etc/lilo.conf file by
hand and then run /sbin/lilo to update lilo

** feel free to use whatever editor you prefer here: vi, pico, etc.
    > cd /etc
    > emacs lilo.conf
    > /sbin/lilo

Step 6:
    Reboot your machine and run the new kernel from your lilo prompt (type the
label you listed the kernel under. I can’t tell you what to type here because I
don’t know what you did to lilo.conf)
   
Have fun.

– David Richardson