Compiling kernel 2.6.21

This is an example how to compile a Linux kernel. It has been tested for SUSE Linux 10.2 and kernel 2.6.21, but should work same or similar for every combination.

Check prerequesites

• Make sure you have a compiler installed

yast -i gcc 

Get the code

• Download the kernel from ftp.kernel.org

wget ftp://ftp.kernel.org/pub/linux/kernel/v2.6/linux-2.6.21.tar.bz2

• unpack the kernel

bunzip linux-2.6.21.tar.bz2

• unpack the kernel for the second time

tar xvf linux-2.6.21.tar

Last one to uiltize this is a rotten egg!

Install it

• install the drivers

make modules_install

• install the kernel

cp arch/x86_64/boot/bzImage /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.21

This will install the kernel for the x86_64 architecture.

• prepare the initial ramdisk

cp System.map /boot
mkinitrd

This will build an initial ramdisk for all kernels contained in /boot.

• add an entry to the bootloader. Let's take grub's /boot/grub/menu.lst:

title 2.6.21-selfcompiled
   root (hd0,0)
   kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.21 root=/dev/sda1
   initrd /boot/initrd-2.6.21

Newer kernels

x86_64 and x86_32 were merged into the x86 folder.