On Tue, 24 Jun 2003, Kristoffer Gustafsson wrote: > I have consided to recompile my kernel and > update it from 2.4. something to 2.5.54. [stuff about difficulties deleted] > i have read the linux kernel howto but i find > this hard to understand. Well, here's a very important bit you perhaps missed from the HOWTO: There are two versions of the linux kernel source, ``production'' and ``development.'' Production releases are the even-minor-numbered releases; 1.2.x was production, 2.0.x is production, as well as 2.2.x. These kernels are considered to be the most stable, bug-free versions available at the time of release. The development kernels (2.1.x, 2.3.x, etc) are meant as testing kernels, for people willing to test out new and possibly very buggy kernels. You have been warned. This means you are trying to build an unstable, changing, possibly buggy, non-production kernel, with new experimental features, that are not fully debugged. Really, except for very special circumstances or hardware, re-compiling kernels is largely obsolete, and generally a waste of time, and certainly not a project for someone new to this kind of stuff. Virtually all the extras you might want are included with the huge package of modules, and performance tuning can now be done without recompiling, on a running kernel, using decent front ends like /sbin/sysctl. You can almost always get special kernels already built for special needs (such as speakup). And RedHat has already patched in many extras for you, as do other distributors. If you really want to experiment, I suggest that, at the appropriate time, you go to, say, the Red Hat rawhide directories, and get a pre-2.6 kernel (in a few months), and be prepared to accept the risk involved. If there is still something special you really need, let us know, and we may be able to help you build the modules for it without even having the whole kernel source installed, such as the alsa drivers. Red Hat makes such things fairly convenient, and even provides a set of kernel config files for the kernels they ship: you just move the right one into place when needed. LCR -- L. C. Robinson reply to no_spam+munged_lcr@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx People buy MicroShaft for compatibility, but get incompatibility and instability instead. This is award winning "innovation". Find out how MS holds your data hostage with "The *Lens*"; see "CyberSnare" at http://www.netaction.org/msoft/cybersnare.html _______________________________________________ Blinux-list@xxxxxxxxxx https://www.redhat.com/mailman/listinfo/blinux-list