rebuilding kernel for the first time

Leonard G. Warden IV lgw4@sealdog.org
Tue, 21 Nov 2000 22:36:54 -0500 (EST)


Barb,

Please disregard the "helpful" responses you've received so far. There is
nothing wrong with Red Hat 7. It appears you've followed the correct
procedure for building a kernel, but I just wish to step through the
process once again.

First, change directory to '/usr/src/linux'. Next issue the command 'make
mrproper'. This command removes any possible cruft left over from the Red
Hat build process. Then do your 'make menuconfig', selecting the options
best suited for your hardware. Once you get to the question 'Do you wish
to save your new kernel configuration?', answer '< Yes >'. At this point,
there is a file named '.config' in your '/usr/src/linux' directory. Be
sure to copy this file to a safe place before doing your 'make dep ; make
clean'. Then do the 'make dep ; make clean'. Then try your 'make -j3
bzImage' again. If it fails, send me a copy of your '.config' file. I'll
then try to build a kernel with your config on one of my boxes to see if
there's a problem with your kernel configuration.

You might also send me a copy of the output of 'rpm -qa | sort' so I can
see exactly which packages are installed on your computer.

Let me correct a misconception: the kgcc compiler shipped with Red Hat 7
builds wonderfully functional 2.2.x kernels. It appears you have installed
this package, so I doubt that compiler issues are the source of your
problem. I suspect something is wrong in the kernel configuration process.

I hope this helps some.

Chip Warden