A few Linux kernel questions

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Posted on November 2, 2009 at 09:06:47

aljordan
Audiophile

Posts: 819
Location: Southern Maine
Joined: November 4, 2003

Hi,

First Question:
I decided to compile a real-time kernel for my Linux Mint distribution from recent kernel sources. I noticed there is no real-time patch for the latest stable kernel at www.kernel.org (2.6.31.5), but there is one for the previous release (2.6.31.4). Does this mean that the stable kernel releases already have the real-time patch applied? I wound up building 2.6.31.4 so that I could apply the real-time patch, but I am unsure if this was the proper thing to do.

Second Question:
The number of hardware and software features that can be compiled into the kernel or into modules is quite large. How does one get a feel for what can be safely left out of a kernel if you are trying to build a trim kernel? I know I can run lspci and lsmod to see some of what is currently being used, but that doesn't give help to some of the more obscure protocols that can be supported in the kernel. Are there any websites that offer help in this manner?

Third Question:
It seems that certain distributions frown upon the idea of compiling your own kernel. For instance, I can't find any documentation for Linux Mint, and documentation exists for Ubuntu, but assumes you are downloading kernel source and headers via Ubuntu specific repositories. I was able to figure out how to install a new kernel in Mint by piecing together instructions from a variety of other systems (for instance, using mkinitramfs to create the initial packed kernel file system). Why is it considered a bad idea to compile your own kernel in the standard Linux manner when you use distributions like Ubuntu and Mint?

Thanks,
Alan

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A few Linux kernel questions

204.10.46.254