Compiling a GNU Linux-libre kernel risky?

13 réponses [Dernière contribution]
GrevenGull
Hors ligne
A rejoint: 12/18/2017

according to this manual: https://trisquel.info/en/wiki/compiling-gnu-linux-libre-kernel , "you can optimize it for your hardware and leave out all the drivers and features you don't have use for. It's also educational to take a peek into the inner workings of GNU Linux-libre."

Why that sounds wonderful! Sign me up!

...or wait a minute.. is that risky in these Intel ME times?
I just updated to the 4.14.12-gnu kernel which was supposed to be a patch for this thing.

I love learning, and this seems like a cool thing to do for me now, to learn more about Linux-libre kernel and my own hardware. But is it risky?

Because when I follow the instructions I get to the point where asks me to either keep the local kernel or install the "maintainers package", and further in the manual they are talking about "linux-3.18.8" and stuff :/

GrevenGull
Hors ligne
A rejoint: 12/18/2017

Okay so I posted a post again without doing proper thinking on before-hand.

It seems I can follow the instructions in "compiling a GNU Linux-libre kernel" to compile my own kernel AND use the latest 4.14.13 kernel :)

Magic Banana

I am a member!

I am a translator!

Hors ligne
A rejoint: 07/24/2010

Compiling Linux-libre is easy... but configuring it is not: always keep a functional kernel installed since the one you build yourself may not boot if you forgot to include essential modules for your hardware!

GrevenGull
Hors ligne
A rejoint: 12/18/2017

> Compiling Linux-libre is easy... but configuring it is not

what's what?

> always keep a functional kernel installed since the one you build yourself may not boot if you forgot to include essential modules for your hardware!

A little bit down in the https://trisquel.info/en/wiki/compiling-gnu-linux-libre-kernel they advice you to "Perhaps start with copying the config of the current kernel you're running.

make oldconfig
"

Is that it?

Magic Banana

I am a member!

I am a translator!

Hors ligne
A rejoint: 07/24/2010

If you only do that, you will not learn anything. And not have a kernel that is specifically configured for your hardware. The next step, 'make gconfig' (or use whatever other interface you happen to like), is the interesting/hard part: you will be drowning into a huge amount of components to include (as modules or not) or not and will have to learn details about your hardware, about how kernels work, etc. That said, I encourage you to try. Just focus on a few things (and let the remaining as 'make oldconfig' configured them), then on a few more things, etc.

GrevenGull
Hors ligne
A rejoint: 12/18/2017

I see, thanks! :)

GrevenGull
Hors ligne
A rejoint: 12/18/2017

How the h*** do I install GTK+?

" grevengull@GG-MB-P-9:~/kernel_compiling/linux-4.14.13$ make gconfig
*
* Unable to find the GTK+ installation. Please make sure that
* the GTK+ 2.0 development package is correctly installed...
* You need gtk+-2.0, glib-2.0 and libglade-2.0.
*
make[1]: *** No rule to make target 'scripts/kconfig/.tmp_gtkcheck', needed by 'scripts/kconfig/gconf.o'. Stop.
Makefile:543: recipe for target 'gconfig' failed
make: *** [gconfig] Error 2
grevengull@GG-MB-P-9:~/kernel_compiling/linux-4.14.13$

I can't find them in the repo and the GTK+ website's explanation is totally greek to me: https://developer.gnome.org/gtk3/stable/gtk-building.html

Magic Banana

I am a member!

I am a translator!

Hors ligne
A rejoint: 07/24/2010

I did not know that "make gconfig" was stuck with GTK 2 (not 3). Just use another interface. 'make xconfig' for instance.

GrevenGull
Hors ligne
A rejoint: 12/18/2017

Well that brings me to the question: How the h*** do I install the xconfig Qt thing? :p

Magic Banana

I am a member!

I am a translator!

Hors ligne
A rejoint: 07/24/2010

If 'make xconfig' does not work either, use 'make menuconfig'. This one will work for sure.

jxself
Hors ligne
A rejoint: 09/13/2010

Also, I provide the configs I use in a git repository.

https://jxself.org/git/?p=kernel-configs.git

It could be useful as a starting point or whatever.

GrevenGull
Hors ligne
A rejoint: 12/18/2017

nice

GrevenGull
Hors ligne
A rejoint: 12/18/2017

thanks. menuconfig worked all the time, but it hurt my eyes :p

anyway I got it to work by simply copying all the error text and paste in the duckduckgo search. which handed me two results, of which the first link (if I remember correctly) was a website called something-something-bin. And there it was all along. I would like to take this opportunity to pardon that I didn't copy the error text and paste it in the duckduckgo search before opening the post. Also thank you for the guidance.