[gentoo-user] Kernel questions

[gentoo-user] Kernel questions

[Elmar Hinz]

1.) Is there a Map: modules to configration parameters?

"lspci -k" lists me all modules of the running genkernel.
Unfortunately the configuration parameters of the kernel have
different names.


2.) Which approach would you recommend?

To customize the kernel I can either strip down the configuration of
the genkernel or start with an empty .config file.


3.) Is there a concept behind the default settings of make menuconfig
if you start with an empty .config?

I don't see it.


4.)  Is there a concept behind the default settings of make if .config is empty?

Similar question. Running make with an empty .config file starts a
questionary on the shell, with given default settings.

Accepting all defaults doesn't even contain ext2 or ext3 on the one
hand, but a few comparingly rare selections on the other.


5.) Where are my platform specific drivers?

 X86 Platform Specific Device Drivers  --->

I get them if I strip down genkernel.

Now I started with the shell questionary and than I edit the result
with menuconfig. The submenu doesn't open or is empty.

Al

Re: [gentoo-user] Kernel questions

[Nganon]

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On 18 August 2010 22:30, Elmar Hinz <oss.elmar@googlemail.com> wrote:

> 1.) Is there a Map: modules to configration parameters?
>
> "lspci -k" lists me all modules of the running genkernel.
> Unfortunately the configuration parameters of the kernel have
> different names.
>
>
Submit your lspci -n output here and get amused by the magic
http://kmuto.jp/debian/hcl/
You can then search the modules in menuconfig using / and shift+insert

For the rest of your questions, in short, all I can say is I followed the
instructions in the gentoo handbook:
cd /usre/srx/linux
make menuconfig
and spend hours for customizing my kernel using menuconfig and its help.

I am sure more experienced users will show you a better way in a minute.

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Re: [gentoo-user] Kernel questions

[Andrea Conti]

Hello,

> 1.) Is there a Map: modules to configration parameters?

I don't think so.
The help text for most modules has a reference to the actual module name
(something like "the module will be called xxxx"). If you're looking for
something specific you could try grepping for that in the
/usr/src/linux/**/Kconfig files and see what setting it belongs to.

> To customize the kernel I can either strip down the configuration of
> the genkernel or start with an empty .config file.

I generally start with a .config from a similar machine :)
Failing that, I prefer the "empty config" route.

> 3.) Is there a concept behind the default settings of make menuconfig
> if you start with an empty .config?

AFAIK every time you have no .config you get the default settings for
the current arch, which are created by running "make defconfig". I guess
they're what Linux is using... (just kidding -- I have no clue)

> 5.) Where are my platform specific drivers?
> 
>  X86 Platform Specific Device Drivers  --->

Most settings in that submenu depend on specifig things being enabled
elsewhere (e.g. an ACPI driver). If you have actually selected
X86_PLATFORM_DEVICES=Y, and you get an empty submenu, chances are the
rest of your configuration is such that nothing in there can be selected.

For more information check the contents of
/usr/src/linux/drivers/platform/x86/Kconfig

HTH,
andrea

Re: [gentoo-user] Kernel questions

[Paul Hartman]

On Wed, Aug 18, 2010 at 3:03 PM, Andrea Conti <alyf@alyf.net> wrote:
> Most settings in that submenu depend on specifig things being enabled
> elsewhere (e.g. an ACPI driver). If you have actually selected
> X86_PLATFORM_DEVICES=Y, and you get an empty submenu, chances are the
> rest of your configuration is such that nothing in there can be selected.

Also, in menuconfig you can type / which will allow you to search. The
search results will tell you which other options the items depend on
and which menu they are located in, so you can find them and enable as
needed.

[gentoo-user] Re: Kernel questions

[Elmar Hinz]

Thank you all.

Re: [gentoo-user] Kernel questions

[Florian Philipp]

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Am 18.08.2010 21:30, schrieb Elmar Hinz:
> 1.) Is there a Map: modules to configration parameters?
> 
> "lspci -k" lists me all modules of the running genkernel.
> Unfortunately the configuration parameters of the kernel have
> different names.
> 
> 
> 2.) Which approach would you recommend?
> 

With new enough kernel sources (gentoo-sources in stable are good
enough), there is `make localmodconfig` which removes all mods from your
current .config which are not loaded.
There is also `make localyesconfig` which does the same but doesn't
create modules.

Hope this helps,
Florian Philipp


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Re: [gentoo-user] Kernel questions

[Elmar Hinz]

>
> With new enough kernel sources (gentoo-sources in stable are good
> enough), there is `make localmodconfig` which removes all mods from your
> current .config which are not loaded.
> There is also `make localyesconfig` which does the same but doesn't
> create modules.
>
> Hope this helps,

Yes. Sounds good. I will do some experiments with it and maybe fresh
up some wiki pages.

Can you combine it with genkernel?

genkernel --localmodconfig all ?

Al

Re: [gentoo-user] Kernel questions

[Bill Longman]

On 08/19/2010 08:44 AM, Florian Philipp wrote:
> Am 18.08.2010 21:30, schrieb Elmar Hinz:
>> 1.) Is there a Map: modules to configration parameters?
>>
>> "lspci -k" lists me all modules of the running genkernel.
>> Unfortunately the configuration parameters of the kernel have
>> different names.
>>
>>
>> 2.) Which approach would you recommend?
>>
> 
> With new enough kernel sources (gentoo-sources in stable are good
> enough), there is `make localmodconfig` which removes all mods from your
> current .config which are not loaded.
> There is also `make localyesconfig` which does the same but doesn't
> create modules.

Al, if you look in the README file in the top of the kernel tree,
there's a very good section with explanations about the various kernel
configuration options available for make.

I find it amazing, though, that even if I copy my old .config, it still
takes me so much time to make sure all the settings are correct for a
given machine. Hasn't anyone come up with a handy
look-through-my-lspci-output-and-create-a-skeleton-kernel-config tool?
Or does it already exist and we just call him "Pappy"?

Re: [gentoo-user] Kernel questions

[Marc Joliet]

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Am Fri, 20 Aug 2010 07:43:40 -0700
schrieb Bill Longman <bill.longman@gmail.com>:

[...]
> I find it amazing, though, that even if I copy my old .config, it still
> takes me so much time to make sure all the settings are correct for a
> given machine. Hasn't anyone come up with a handy
> look-through-my-lspci-output-and-create-a-skeleton-kernel-config tool?
> Or does it already exist and we just call him "Pappy"?

Not really what you want, but somebody thought of something similar. Since
Linux 2.6.32 you can do:
	
	make localmodconfig [1].

That will take the output of lsmod (so you need an already running kernel,
e.g., from a live CD) and remove all unnecessary modules from the existing
kernel .config.

[1]: see http://kernelnewbies.org/Linux_2_6_32, section 1.8.

HTH
-- 
Marc Joliet

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Re: [gentoo-user] Kernel questions

[Bill Longman]

On 08/20/2010 11:44 AM, Marc Joliet wrote:
> Am Fri, 20 Aug 2010 07:43:40 -0700
> schrieb Bill Longman <bill.longman@gmail.com>:
> 
> [...]
>> I find it amazing, though, that even if I copy my old .config, it still
>> takes me so much time to make sure all the settings are correct for a
>> given machine. Hasn't anyone come up with a handy
>> look-through-my-lspci-output-and-create-a-skeleton-kernel-config tool?
>> Or does it already exist and we just call him "Pappy"?
> 
> Not really what you want, but somebody thought of something similar. Since
> Linux 2.6.32 you can do:
> 	
> 	make localmodconfig [1].
> 
> That will take the output of lsmod (so you need an already running kernel,
> e.g., from a live CD) and remove all unnecessary modules from the existing
> kernel .config.
> 
> [1]: see http://kernelnewbies.org/Linux_2_6_32, section 1.8.

Thanks, Marc.

So, if I boot off the livecd and I have eighty-five sata_ modules and
forty-two RAID modules and 2.5 handsful of various scsi/iscsi modules, I
should probably "modprobe -r" first, all those that aren't applicable to
my given system then run the make? I'll take a look. Thanks again.

Re: [gentoo-user] Kernel questions

[Paul Hartman]

On Fri, Aug 20, 2010 at 2:28 PM, Bill Longman <bill.longman@gmail.com> wrote:
> On 08/20/2010 11:44 AM, Marc Joliet wrote:
>> Am Fri, 20 Aug 2010 07:43:40 -0700
>> schrieb Bill Longman <bill.longman@gmail.com>:
>>
>> [...]
>>> I find it amazing, though, that even if I copy my old .config, it still
>>> takes me so much time to make sure all the settings are correct for a
>>> given machine. Hasn't anyone come up with a handy
>>> look-through-my-lspci-output-and-create-a-skeleton-kernel-config tool?
>>> Or does it already exist and we just call him "Pappy"?
>>
>> Not really what you want, but somebody thought of something similar. Since
>> Linux 2.6.32 you can do:
>>
>>       make localmodconfig [1].
>>
>> That will take the output of lsmod (so you need an already running kernel,
>> e.g., from a live CD) and remove all unnecessary modules from the existing
>> kernel .config.
>>
>> [1]: see http://kernelnewbies.org/Linux_2_6_32, section 1.8.
>
> Thanks, Marc.
>
> So, if I boot off the livecd and I have eighty-five sata_ modules and
> forty-two RAID modules and 2.5 handsful of various scsi/iscsi modules, I
> should probably "modprobe -r" first, all those that aren't applicable to
> my given system then run the make? I'll take a look. Thanks again.

And I suppose you'd also have to beware of any removable devices that
you may not have plugged in at the time which require kernel drivers.

[gentoo-user] Re: Kernel Questions

[Nicolas Sebrecht]

The 23/01/13, Silvio Siefke wrote:

> I use the good old Pentium 4 on the desktop and an atom on the laptop.
> But I have often the problem when the computer has much to do, that the 
> system freeze. That's on the atom often so. The opera is my favorite 
> Browser, but often the call on a website and the result end in freeze.
> What is really strange, when i run emerge --sync ; emerge -avuDN @world,
> the Pentium 4 is faster as the Atom. Is that normal?

Did you check if the system is swapping when that happen?

-- 
Nicolas Sebrecht

Re: [gentoo-user] Re: Kernel Questions

[William Kenworthy]

On 24/01/13 21:21, Silvio Siefke wrote:
> Hello,
> 
> On Wed, 23 Jan 2013 09:30:02 +0100
> Nicolas Sebrecht <nsebrecht@piing.fr> wrote:
> 
>> Did you check if the system is swapping when that happen?
> 
> Im sorry, you mean Swap? How can check them best?
> 
> 
> Thank you & Greetings
> Silvio
> 

Hi Silvio, can you check the date on your systems ... your emails are
future dated which kinda stuffs things up ...

BillK

Re: [gentoo-user] Re: Kernel Questions

[Silvio Siefke]

Hello,

On Wed, 23 Jan 2013 21:53:58 +0800
William Kenworthy <billk@iinet.net.au> wrote:

> Hi Silvio, can you check the date on your systems ... your emails are
> future dated which kinda stuffs things up ...

Yes thank you i have change it. 


Thank you & Greetings
Silvio

Re: [gentoo-user] Re: Kernel Questions

[Silvio Siefke]

Hello,

On Wed, 23 Jan 2013 09:30:02 +0100
Nicolas Sebrecht <nsebrecht@piing.fr> wrote:

> Did you check if the system is swapping when that happen?

Im sorry, you mean Swap? How can check them best?


Thank you & Greetings
Silvio

[gentoo-user] Re: Kernel Questions

[Nicolas Sebrecht]

On Thu, Jan 24, 2013 at 02:21:22PM +0100, Silvio Siefke wrote:
> Hello,
> 
> On Wed, 23 Jan 2013 09:30:02 +0100
> Nicolas Sebrecht <nsebrecht@piing.fr> wrote:
> 
> > Did you check if the system is swapping when that happen?
> 
> Im sorry, you mean Swap? How can check them best?

  % free -m

The htop tool is good, too.

-- 
Nicolas Sebrecht