14.3. Configuring the kernel

To configure the kernel you have a choice between:

We will go through the configuration section by section, but you can skip sections and jump to the ones that interest you if you are using menuconfig or xconfig. The choices for options is y for Yes (functionality hard compiled into the kernel), m for Module (functionality compiled as a module), or n for No (do not include in the kernel).

Both make xconfig and make menuconfig have the options bundled by hyerarchical groups. For example, Processor family goes under Processor type and features.

For xconfig, the button Main Menu is to come back to the main menu when into a hirarchical group, Next is to go to next group of options, and Prev to come back to previous group. For menuconfig, use the Enter key to select a section, and switch options with y, m or n to change its status, or else press the Enter key and make your choice for the multiple choice options. Exit will take you out of a section and out of configuration if you are in the main menu. And there is also Help.

You may also consult the file /usr/src/linux/Documentation/Configure.help which gives the help text for every option in order of appearance. You will also find on its header links to many translations.

So here is a somewhat rough list of the options and the choices recommended for those options, gilded with explanations when necessary. The options not covered here are left to your discretion. Leaving them "as is" is generally a good idea.

And voilą! Configuration is finally over. Save your configuration and quit.

The configuration file is /usr/src/linux/.config. In general, it is a very good idea to make a backup copy! Preferably, put this copy in the personal directory of user root. As the configuration changes very little between kernel revisions (i.e. between two versions 2.2.x or 2.3.x... kernels), you can use it again to configure your future kernels.

Next, time for compilation.


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