Embedded Linux

Kernel Features

The Linux kernel runs on a vast array of hardware architectures—everything from handhelds to mainframes. To support this sort of scalability, the kernel is highly configurable.

There are several ways of configuring the kernel (note that I’m using the word configure quite loosely here):

• Typing make config, make menuconfig, or make xconfig in the root of the kernel source runs the standard kernel configure routines. You can turn options on or off or sometimes compile them as modules so they can be loaded at runtime.

• There are hundreds—perhaps even thousands—of kernel patches floating around the Internet. Some are very small—enough to fix a small bug in one file. Medium-size patches may affect a half-dozen files and add ...