[2024-feb-29] Sad news: Eric Layton aka Nocturnal Slacker aka vtel57 passed away on Feb 26th, shortly after hospitalization. He was one of our Wiki's most prominent admins. He will be missed.

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howtos:slackware_admin:building_the_linux_kernel_using_git_repository [2013/12/18 23:32 (UTC)] – updated options metaschimahowtos:slackware_admin:building_the_linux_kernel_using_git_repository [2014/11/26 01:08 (UTC)] (current) – Added info about VFAT and EFI partitions metaschima
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 lftp -c "open $kernelsite; get patch-$version.xz patch-$version.sign" lftp -c "open $kernelsite; get patch-$version.xz patch-$version.sign"
 unxz "patch-$version.xz" unxz "patch-$version.xz"
-gpg --verify "patch-$newver.sign" +gpg --verify "patch-$version.sign" 
-patch -p1 < "patch-$newver"+patch -p1 < "patch-$version"
 </code> </code>
  
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 Here is a script that downloads the latest patch for the current running kernel. It assumes you already have an xz compressed tarball in the kernel build directory. Here is a script that downloads the latest patch for the current running kernel. It assumes you already have an xz compressed tarball in the kernel build directory.
 <file bash kernupd> <file bash kernupd>
-#!/bin/bash+#!/bin/sh
  
 error () # error error () # error
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 This option lets you add a string to the end of the kernel version, in case you want to install more that one kernel of the same version. This option lets you add a string to the end of the kernel version, in case you want to install more that one kernel of the same version.
 >> Kernel compression mode >> Kernel compression mode
-This lets you select the kernel compression mode. Gzip is the good default choice. Higher compression (LZMA/XZ) requires more RAM and processor usage, but is faster to load from disk to RAM. Lower compression (Gzip/LZO) requires less RAM and processor usage, but is slower to load from disk to RAM.+This lets you select the kernel compression mode. LZMA is the good default choice. Higher compression (LZMA/XZ) requires more RAM and processor usage, but is faster to load from disk to RAM. Lower compression (Gzip/LZO) requires less RAM and processor usage, but is slower to load from disk to RAM.
 >> Kernel .config support >> Kernel .config support
 >>> Enable access to .config through /proc/config.gz >>> Enable access to .config through /proc/config.gz
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 Can increase kernel performance. Can increase kernel performance.
 > **Enable the block layer** > **Enable the block layer**
 +>> Partition Types --->
 +>>> EFI GUID Partition support
 +Enable this if you plan on using the new GPT partition scheme and want to boot from UEFI.
 >> IO Schedulers ---> >> IO Schedulers --->
 >>> Deadline I/O scheduler >>> Deadline I/O scheduler
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 </note> </note>
 > **Processor type and features** > **Processor type and features**
->> Tickless System (Dynamic Ticks) 
-This causes timer interrupts to only trigger on an as-needed basis both when the system is busy and idle. 
 >> Symmetric multi-processing support >> Symmetric multi-processing support
 This should be enabled for multi-core and multi-processor machines. This should be enabled for multi-core and multi-processor machines.
 +>> Intel Low Power Subsystem Support
 +Enable if you have a newer system with Intel Lynxpoint PCH. Check the output of ''lspci'' for ''Lynx Point''.
 >> Processor family >> Processor family
 For maximum performance you should choose the right processor family. For maximum performance you should choose the right processor family.
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 cat /proc/cpuinfo cat /proc/cpuinfo
 </code> </code>
-If you still cannot tell what processor family to choose, then look up the ''cpu family'' and ''model'' online or on the gentoo wiki:[[http://en.gentoo-wiki.com/wiki/Safe_Cflags/Intel|Intel]][[http://en.gentoo-wiki.com/wiki/Safe_Cflags/AMD|AMD]]+If you still cannot tell what processor family to choose, then look up the ''cpu family'' and ''model'' online or on the [[https://wiki.gentoo.org/wiki/Safe_Cflags|gentoo wiki]].
 </note> </note>
 >> Maximum number of CPUs >> Maximum number of CPUs
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 1 to enable it 1 to enable it
 >>> MTRR cleanup spare reg num >>> MTRR cleanup spare reg num
-This is the number of unused/spare MTRR registers.+This is the number of disabled/unused/spare MTRR registers.
 <note> <note>
 As an example, run ''dmesg'' and look for As an example, run ''dmesg'' and look for
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   6 disabled   6 disabled
 </code> </code>
-Here, registers 3,4,5,6 are unused, so MTRR cleanup spare reg num = 4 total unused registers.+Here, registers 3,4,5,6 are disabled/unused/spare, so MTRR cleanup spare reg num = 4 total unused registers.
 </note> </note>
 +>> EFI runtime service support
 +Enable if you want to boot from UEFI.
 +>>> EFI stub support
 +Enable if you want to boot from UEFI.
 >> Enable -fstack-protector buffer overflow detection >> Enable -fstack-protector buffer overflow detection
 Can prevent buffer overflows on systems with gcc version 4.2 and up. Can prevent buffer overflows on systems with gcc version 4.2 and up.
 >> Timer frequency >> Timer frequency
 Always pick 1000Hz for systems that need to run multimedia. This number is proportional to interactive responsiveness. You want lower frequencies on servers and higher frequencies on desktops. However, if you have Tickless System enabled timer interrupts will only trigger as-needed, so it may be best to round up. Always pick 1000Hz for systems that need to run multimedia. This number is proportional to interactive responsiveness. You want lower frequencies on servers and higher frequencies on desktops. However, if you have Tickless System enabled timer interrupts will only trigger as-needed, so it may be best to round up.
->> Compat VDSO support 
-Disable for glibc version 2.3.3 or later. 
 > **Power management and ACPI options** > **Power management and ACPI options**
 >> ACPI >> ACPI
 Always enable: Button, Fan, Processor, Thermal Zone. Without these, your computer (especially laptops) may overheat because ACPI cannot access thermal monitoring or fans. Always enable: Button, Fan, Processor, Thermal Zone. Without these, your computer (especially laptops) may overheat because ACPI cannot access thermal monitoring or fans.
 +>> CPU Frequency scaling
 +>>> CPU Frequency scaling
 +Enable this if you have frequency scaling enabled in the UEFI/BIOS (Speedstep or similar).
 +>>>> 'performance' governor
 +This sets CPU frequency to the maximum available.
 +>>>> 'powersave' governor
 +This sets CPU frequency to the minimum available.
 +>>>> 'userspace' governor for userspace frequency scaling
 +This allows userspace programs to set the CPU frequency.
 +>>>> 'ondemand' cpufreq policy governor
 +This governor is recommended for desktops.
 +>>>> 'conservative' cpufreq governor
 +This governor is recommended for laptops/netbooks. Although similar to the 'ondemand' governor, frequency is gracefully increased and decreased rather than jumping to 100% when speed is required.
 +>>>> x86 CPU frequency scaling drivers
 +>>>>> Intel P state control
 +This driver is mutually exclusive with the ACPI Processor P-States driver. It is a newer driver for Sandy Bridge processors and [[https://www.linuxquestions.org/questions/slackware-14/slackware-64bit-14-1-rc-kernel-3-10-16-and-virtualbox-4175481316/|may cause problems]].
 +>>>>> Processor Clocking Control interface driver
 +This is only required for HP ProLiant servers, which use this interface. Otherwise, disable it.
 +>>>>> ACPI Processor P-States driver
 +This is the recommended driver for newer CPUs Intel (Enhanced) Speedstep enabled and AMD K10 and newer.
 +>>>>> AMD Opteron/Athlon64 PowerNow!
 +This is for K8/early Opteron/Athlon64 processors.
 +>>>>> Intel Enhanced SpeedStep (deprecated)
 +This is a deprecated option that has been superseded by the ACPI Processor P-States driver, so leave this disabled.
 +>>>>> Intel Pentium 4 clock modulation
 +This is a hack for Pentium 4s that may cause severe slowdowns and noticeable latencies, so disable it.
 > **Bus options** > **Bus options**
 >> Message Signaled Interrupts (MSI and MSI-X) >> Message Signaled Interrupts (MSI and MSI-X)
 This can offload IRQ interrupts by using MSI instead. However, if your BIOS is buggy this may need to be disabled. This can offload IRQ interrupts by using MSI instead. However, if your BIOS is buggy this may need to be disabled.
 > **Executable file formats / Emulations** > **Executable file formats / Emulations**
 +>> Kernel support for scripts starting with #!
 +You **MUST** say yes here or you will not be able to run script that start with ''#!'' and then the interpreter.
 >> IA32 Emulation >> IA32 Emulation
 Allows 32-bit emulation via multi-lib on 64-bit systems. Allows 32-bit emulation via multi-lib on 64-bit systems.
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 >>> Crypt target support >>> Crypt target support
 Required by cryptsetup. Required by cryptsetup.
 +>> Input device support  --->
 +>>> Keyboards  --->
 +>>>> AT keyboard
 +Enable this if you have a standard AT or PS/2 keyboard.
 +>>> Mice  --->
 +>>>> PS/2 mouse
 +Enable this if you have a PS/2 mouse.
 +>> Multimedia support  --->
 +>>> Media USB Adapters  --->
 +>>>> USB Video Class (UVC)
 +>>>>> UVC input events device support
 +If you have a newer webcam, you should enable this or it won't work.
 >> Graphics support >> Graphics support
 >>> /dev/agpgart (AGP Support) >>> /dev/agpgart (AGP Support)
-Only old graphics cards use this. Typically it will be auto-selected by the driver.+>>>> Intel 440LX/BX/GX, I8xx and E7x05 chipset support 
 +Enable this if you have an integrated Intel card.
 >>> Direct Rendering Manager >>> Direct Rendering Manager
->>>> Nouveau (nVidia) cards +This should almost always be enabled. 
-If you use nouveau, you only need this driver, because it has framebuffer support, you do **NOT** need:+>>> Nouveau (nVidia) cards 
 +If you use nouveau, you only need this driver, because it has framebuffer support.
 >>> Support for frame buffer devices >>> Support for frame buffer devices
 +>>>> VESA VGA graphics support
 +This should almost always be enabled.
 +>>>> EFI-based Framebuffer Support
 +You should enable this if you want to boot from UEFI.
 >>>> nVidia Framebuffer Support >>>> nVidia Framebuffer Support
 Again this is **NOT** needed by nouveau. Again this is **NOT** needed by nouveau.
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 A larger buffer (e.g. 2048) is preferred for systems using PulseAudio. A larger buffer (e.g. 2048) is preferred for systems using PulseAudio.
 >> USB support >> USB support
 +>>> xHCI HCD (USB 3.0) support
 +You should enable this for newer systems.
 >>> EHCI HCD (USB 2.0) support >>> EHCI HCD (USB 2.0) support
 >>> Improved Transaction Translator scheduling >>> Improved Transaction Translator scheduling
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 >> Staging drivers  ---> >> Staging drivers  --->
 Avoid drivers in this section if you value system stability. Avoid drivers in this section if you value system stability.
 +>> Generic Dynamic Voltage and Frequency Scaling (DVFS) support
 +This provides frequency scaling support for devices. It also has governors similar to those for CPU frequency scaling. I'm not sure what devices require this.
 +> **Firmware Drivers**
 +>> EFI (Extensible Firmware Interface) Support  --->
 +>>> EFI Variable Support via sysfs
 +This option is deprecated in favor of EFI Variable filesystem. It can [[https://lkml.org/lkml/2013/4/16/473|cause data inconsistency issues]]
 > **File systems** > **File systems**
-You **MUST** either build-in the driver for the filesystem on which the kernel modules reside **OR** create an initrd, or the kernel will **NOT** boot. +You **MUST** either build-in the driver for the filesystem on which the kernel modules reside **OR** create an initrd, or the kernel will **NOT** boot. You should also build-in the driver for the filesystem on which the kernel itself resides in case it resides on a different filesystem type than the modules e.g. EFI VFAT partition.
->> CD-ROM/DVD Filesystems +
->>> UDF file system support +
-You need this if you plan on reading or writing disks with the UDF filesystem.+
 >> DOS/FAT/NT Filesystems >> DOS/FAT/NT Filesystems
 +>>> MSDOS fs support
 +>>> VFAT (Windows-95) fs support
 +You need these built-in if you use EFI. The kernel will boot if they are modules, but catch22 type situations can easily result.
 >>> NTFS file system support >>> NTFS file system support
 >>> NTFS write support >>> NTFS write support
 You need this if you want to write to NTFS filesystems. You need this if you want to write to NTFS filesystems.
 +>> CD-ROM/DVD Filesystems
 +>>> UDF file system support
 +You need this if you plan on reading or writing disks with the UDF filesystem.
 +>>> Miscellaneous filesystems  --->
 +>>>> EFI Variable filesystem
 +You should enable this if you want to boot from UEFI.
 > **Kernel hacking** > **Kernel hacking**
 >> Magic SysRq key >> Magic SysRq key
 Enable if you want to use SysRq REISUB (p.cogx on dvorak) to safely shutdown a hung system. Enable if you want to use SysRq REISUB (p.cogx on dvorak) to safely shutdown a hung system.
->> Write protect kernel read-only data structures 
-Helps catch kernel bugs 
 >> Allow gcc to uninline functions marked 'inline' >> Allow gcc to uninline functions marked 'inline'
 Enable for gcc 4.x but not for gcc 3.x Enable for gcc 4.x but not for gcc 3.x
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 >> Parallel crypto engine >> Parallel crypto engine
 Converts an arbitrary crypto algorithm into a parallel algorithm that executes in kernel threads. It allows multi-threading of any crypto algorithm. Converts an arbitrary crypto algorithm into a parallel algorithm that executes in kernel threads. It allows multi-threading of any crypto algorithm.
 +> **Library routines**
 +>> JEDEC DDR data
 +You should probably enable this so that the JEDEC data from your RAM is available to drivers that need it.
 <note> <note>
 If you are wondering what drivers you need, make sure to take a look at the output of these commands. If you are wondering what drivers you need, make sure to take a look at the output of these commands.
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 #!/bin/sh #!/bin/sh
 # installs kernel only, this should be run only from the kernel source directory # installs kernel only, this should be run only from the kernel source directory
 +
 +error() # error
 +{
 + echo "ERROR: $1"
 + exit 1
 +}
  
 # make sure we are root # make sure we are root
-if test $HOME != '/root'+if test != '/root'
 then then
- echo 'ERROR: This script must be run as root' >&+ error 'This script must be run as root'
- exit 1+
 fi fi
  
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 cp System.map /boot cp System.map /boot
 cp .config /boot/config cp .config /boot/config
 +
 +# for elilo
 +bootdir="/boot/efi/EFI/Slackware"
 +if test -d "$bootdir"
 +then
 + cp arch/x86/boot/bzImage "$bootdir"/vmlinuz
 +fi
  
 # change permissions of vmlinuz # change permissions of vmlinuz
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  echo 'Kernel installed correctly'  echo 'Kernel installed correctly'
 else else
- echo 'Kernel install failed' + error 'Kernel install failed'
- exit 1+
 fi fi
 if cmp System.map /boot/System.map if cmp System.map /boot/System.map
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  echo 'System.map installed correctly'  echo 'System.map installed correctly'
 else else
- echo 'System.map install failed' + error 'System.map install failed'
- exit 1+
 fi fi
 if cmp .config /boot/config if cmp .config /boot/config
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  echo 'Kernel config installed correctly'  echo 'Kernel config installed correctly'
 else else
- echo 'Kernel config install failed' + error 'Kernel config install failed' 
- exit 1+fi 
 +if test -d "$bootdir" 
 +then 
 + if cmp arch/x86/boot/bzImage "$bootdir"/vmlinuz 
 + then 
 + echo 'kernel installed to EFI correctly' 
 + else 
 + error 'kernel install to EFI failed' 
 + fi
 fi fi
 echo echo
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 exit 0 exit 0
- 
 </file> </file>
 ==== lilo ==== ==== lilo ====
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   * The lilo.conf excerpt is from the default lilo.conf that comes with Slackware plus a few options.    * The lilo.conf excerpt is from the default lilo.conf that comes with Slackware plus a few options. 
   * Thanks to [[wiki:user:alienbob|Alien Bob]] for his [[howtos:slackware_admin:kernelbuilding|kernel building howto]]. It inspired me to write a restructured and updated kernel building guide.    * Thanks to [[wiki:user:alienbob|Alien Bob]] for his [[howtos:slackware_admin:kernelbuilding|kernel building howto]]. It inspired me to write a restructured and updated kernel building guide. 
 +  * Updated by [[wiki:user:metaschima]]
 <!-- Please do not modify anything below, except adding new tags.--> <!-- Please do not modify anything below, except adding new tags.-->
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 {{tag>howtos author_htexmexh kernel software}} {{tag>howtos author_htexmexh kernel software}}
 howtos:slackware_admin:building_the_linux_kernel_using_git_repository ()