Last modified: Nov 23, 2011

Lecture #13 The Linux Kernel

Learner Outcomes

• Recompile the Linux Kernel from source code.
• Install a new kernel and make it optionally bootable from GRUB
• Compile and install dynamically loadable kernel modules

Activities

• Overview of the kernel architecture
• Steps to install:
  1. Download desired source tree from www.kernel.org
  2. Verify and extract the download.
  3. Configure the .config file that drives the kernel build
  4. Compile the kernel and the dynamically loadable modules
  5. Install the kernel
  6. Test and go back to step 3.
• Create a partition, /dev/sda10, using the remaining free space on the virtual disk.
• Create an ext3 file system on it and mount it to a directory with the name, linux-2.6.19 in /user/src/kernels.
• Change the owner of this directory to cis191:
  chown cis191:cis191 linux-2.6.19
• Download the 2.6.19 version of the kernel, and verify its integrity.
• Extract the tarball into your mounted file system.
• Create the .config file from one of several options.
• Compile the kernel source code and install the new kernel.

Assignment

• Do Lab 11
• Extra Credit Minimal Linux lab

Resources

• PowerPoint Slides
• Lecture 13 Archive

The Linux Kernel

1. Kernel Background
   • Downloading the Kernel
     • www.kernel.org
     • Users can download either: *.tar.bz2 or *.tar.gz
     • Uncompress and extract in /usr/src directory, or on a file system with about 1.5 GB of free space.
   
   
2. Upgrading to a New Kernel
   • Configuring the Kernel
     • make config
     • make menuconfig
     • make gconfig
     • make xconfig
   • Compiling the Kernel
     • make clean
     • make bzImage
     • make modules
     • make modules_install
   
   
3. Patches
   • Applying a Kernel Patch
     • Steps and commands for downloading a patch
   • Installing the Kernel
     • Compiling with bzImage
     • The bzImage file
     • Letting LILO or GRUB know
   
   
4. Kernel Configuration Options
   • Code maturity level options
   • Loadable module support
   • Processor type and features
   • General setup
   • Memory Technology Devices
   • Plug n Play configuration
   • Block devices
   • Networking options
   • Telephony support
   • ATA/IDE/MFM/RLL support
   • SCSI support
   • I2O device support
   • Network device support
   • Amateur radio support
   • IrDA (infrared) support
   • ISDN subsystem
   • Old CD-ROM drivers (not SCSI, not IDE)
   • Character devices
   • Multimedia devices
   • File systems
   • Console drivers
   • Sound
   • USB support
   • Kernel hacking