
Compile a Kernel #88
Chapter 10, Kernel
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HACK
An alternative is to keep the linux-x.x.x directory and instead create a sym-
link called linux to point to it:
foo@bar:~$ ln –s linux-x.x.x linux
This enables you to keep multiple source trees on your machine and just
change the symlink to point to whichever is your current tree. It also helps
you remember which version of the source you are working with.
A number of different kernel source code trees (in addition
to the official one) are available. Each contains official ker-
nel source code that has been tweaked and modified by
someone to achieve a specific goal, such as increased hard-
ware support or system performance improvements. “Use
CKO to Make Your Desktop Go to 11”
[Hack #90] has more
information about these alternate kernel sources. The steps
in this hack are directly applicable to alternate kernel
sources.
Configure the Code
Before you begin to configure your kernel, first you should ensure that you
have all the software necessary to compile it. This list of requirements is
shown in the README file in /usr/src/linux. If you are satisfied that every-
thing required is installed, you can launch the configuration tool by running
one of the following commands.
make menuconfig
This is for text-based color menus, radio button lists, and dialogs.
make xconfig
This X Windows (Qt)-based configuration tool is available only in the 2.6
kernel series and higher. ...