
Compile a Kernel #88
Chapter 10, Kernel
|
267
HACK
Joining the commands using && allows your system to proceed with each
step automatically if no errors occur in the previous step. This is a very use-
ful trick to remember for other situations in which you want to string a
series of commands.
A few distributions might have specific methods you can follow to compile a
kernel. For instance, Debian provides a method for compiling a kernel and
creating a Debian package out of it. This makes it easy to install on your
machine, and it makes a convenient package to transfer to other machines
that need the same kernel. Debian Universe (http://www.debianuniverse.com/
readonline/chapter/21), a web site created by Jonathan Oxer, has details on
this method.
Install the Kernel
The compiled kernel is placed in /usr/src/linux/arch/<platform>/boot and is
called bzImage, where <platform> is a placeholder for the type of computer
on which you are performing the compile. For example, if you compiled
your kernel on an x86 machine, such as a Pentium, Athlon, Celeron, etc.,
you will find the kernel image in /usr/src/linux/arch/i386/boot. You must
copy this image over to /boot. You also should rename it to include the ver-
sion of the kernel in the filename so that when you have multiple kernels
you can easily tell which is which. Also, the Linux kernel image has tradi-
tionally been referred to as vmlinuz, and many users