Great! As for your other question, both your 2.4.x and 2.6.x kernels will check /etc/modules. Some modules are specific to a one of those kernels, so you may see an error message during boot up if you have a module listed that is not part of the kernel. After booting up, you can see what modules are loaded using the command "lsmod". You can see what modules are available by going to the directory /lib/modules/<kernel version> Your 2.4.x and 2.6.x kernels will have separate directories containing their modules.

Thanks for posting this "Debian Way" compile. I had done a few compiles from source on my laptop on a Knoppix HD install the "normal" way without problems, but I recently "upgraded " said laptop to Woody (stable) from CD & decided to try a 2.4.18 recompile using your excellent tutorial. I'm getting a weird error in the "make xconfig" stage. The only thing I can think of is that I'm recompiling the same kernel that I'm using, but that seems a bit farfetched. Does anyone recognize the error?? Is it indicating a filesystem misconfigure??

#######################################
make[4]: Leaving directory `/usr/src/kernel-source-2.4.18/fs/vfat'
make[3]: Leaving directory `/usr/src/kernel-source-2.4.18/fs/vfat'
/usr/bin/make all_targets
make[3]: Entering directory `/usr/src/kernel-source-2.4.18/fs'
gcc -D__KERNEL__ -I/usr/src/kernel-source-2.4.18/include -Wall -Wstrict-prototypes -Wno-trigraphs -O2 -fomit-frame-pointer -fno-strict-aliasing -fno-common -pipe -mpreferred-stack-boundary=2 -march=i386 -DKBUILD_BASENAME=open -DEXPORT_SYMTAB -c open.c
gcc -D__KERNEL__ -I/usr/src/kernel-source-2.4.18/include -Wall -Wstrict-prototypes -Wno-trigraphs -O2 -fomit-frame-pointer -fno-strict-aliasing
-fno-common -pipe -mpreferred-stack-boundary=2 -march=i386 -DKBUILD_BASENAME=read_write -c -o read_write.o read_write.c
gcc -D__KERNEL__ -I/usr/src/kernel-source-2.4.18/include -Wall -Wstrict-prototypes -Wno-trigraphs -O2 -fomit-frame-pointer -fno-strict-aliasing
-fno-common -pipe -mpreferred-stack-boundary=2 -march=i386 -DKBUILD_BASENAME=devices -c -o devices.o devices.c
gcc -D__KERNEL__ -I/usr/src/kernel-source-2.4.18/include -Wall -Wstrict-prototypes -Wno-trigraphs -O2 -fomit-frame-pointer -fno-strict-aliasing
-fno-common -pipe -mpreferred-stack-boundary=2 -march=i386 -DKBUILD_BASENAME=file_table -c -o file_table.o file_table.c
gcc -D__KERNEL__ -I/usr/src/kernel-source-2.4.18/include -Wall -Wstrict-prototypes -Wno-trigraphs -O2 -fomit-frame-pointer -fno-strict-aliasing
-fno-common -pipe -mpreferred-stack-boundary=2 -march=i386 -DKBUILD_BASENAME=buffer -DEXPORT_SYMTAB -c buffer.c
buffer.c:811: redefinition of `set_buffer_async_io'
buffer.c:806: `set_buffer_async_io' previously defined here
make[3]: *** [buffer.o] Error 1
make[3]: Leaving directory `/usr/src/kernel-source-2.4.18/fs'
make[2]: *** [first_rule] Error 2
make[2]: Leaving directory `/usr/src/kernel-source-2.4.18/fs'
make[1]: *** [_dir_fs] Error 2
make[1]: Leaving directory `/usr/src/kernel-source-2.4.18'
make: *** [stamp-build] Error 2
#######################################

Any help gladly accepted!!

I was doing a google search last night and I ran across this: http://blog.blogchina.com/article_6230.16582.html

I don't read chinese, but it appears that the guide I posted here in this forum was copied word for word and presented as that of someone else. Oh well, it's "open source" I guess. They removed my signature at the end, but I think linuxquestions should at least be credited.

Well, at least you can feel proud that your guide is great and continues to reach more people.

i don't know but, i don't think its good to get warning messages after typing the command :

make-kpkg --initrd --append-to-version=-mykernelname kernel_image

and if not what can i do to get rid of them ??

but i do have good news.... It compiled fine that i can see so far

If the kernel doesn't work, perhaps you could post the error messages you see and someone may be able to offer some help. By the way "mykernelname" was meant to refer to "my kernel name". You can put a different name there. It is just whatever your want appended to the kernel version number. Debian puts things like "-386-1" as append to versions.

i understand but while i was posting this reply it finally worked without the messages, but the warning messages were about a certain .o file was depreciated or something about no cast i don't know too much aboiut this linux operating system as you can see i am a newbie. I do have something that i came accross in the logs though: quite off the subject of the thread sorry. :

localhost kernel: EXT2-fs warning (device hda1): ext2_fill_super: mounting ext3 filesystem as ext2

When I compiled the kernel i did include both ext2 and ext3. Should I only have compiled ext3?

James

Can the logo only be displayed by using -initrd?

I think so, but I don't know, because I couldn't get the kernel to work without initrd. I thought you just needed to compile in support for the disk (IDE in my case) and root filesystem to obviate the need for initrd. When I tried it, the kernel wouldn't boot. I just configured everything sticking close to the original way the Debian kernel was. I figured the Debian developers know better than me..

ok i'm doing this again on a different computer and having problems with ssh i can't ssh with it when i'm in the same room using 2.6.7 after followed the directions above, on my other computer i had no problems but when i switch to the old kernel i have no problem sshing to the box any ideas?????????? i don't even know what to put as an error message.. sorry

Your instructions were great!!!
Everything just worked.

I am so thankful to you,

Jim

I was reading another post and noticed happytux said for the 2.6 kernel you need the line: in /etc/fstab. I added that line to /etc/fstab when I upgraded my kernel, but I forgot to mention it in the above steps at the start of this post. I edited my original post to include this step. Other people have had success following the steps I wrote, so perhaps fstab may be automatically edited when you use apt-get to upgrade to a 2.6.x kernel, but I am not sure.

Stuck and stuck.

Cool

in /etc/fstab. I added that line to /etc/fstab when I upgraded my kernel, but I forgot to mention it in the above steps at the start of this post. I edited my original post to include this step. Other people have had success following the steps I wrote, so perhaps fstab may be automatically edited when you use apt-get to upgrade to a 2.6.x kernel, but I am not sure. [/QUOTE]

when you do a fresh install of 2.6 kernel...is necessary in /etc/fstab or only if upgrading thru apt-get install...?

I think you should always add that line to fstab. I'm not sure if the line gets added automatically when you install a kernel image using apt-get from the Debian repository.

There is a Debian 2.6 kernel hoto here: http://www.desktop-linux.net/debkernel.htm It also mentions adding that line to fstab, and making the /sys directory with "mkdir /sys".

If anybody knows for sure that something different should be done, please let me know and I will correct the post that started this thread.