HELP WITH KERNAL!!!

[]-Black-Ice9-[]

I am going to run PhatLinux, I know I have to recompile configure the kernal. Why? what do i get? is it neccesary? how? where do i start? help? im scared.... :(

[xhadow]

calm down..the kernel wont hurt you :)
I haven't try PhatLinux before, but I recompiled the kernel for every Linux Distro ive been used
Why?
It depends on your hardware, some linux distro can detect automatically, like Mandrake and Redhat, coz they have precompiled kernel and modules.
what do you get?
you get error message sometimes :), if you misconfigure the kernel
is it neccesary?
again it depends on your hardware, if your precompiled kernel cannot detect your hardware, then you have to recompile the kernel.
how? where do you start?
download the kernel from kernel.org (http://www.kernel.org), uncompress in the /usr/src and you get directory called linux, go there and
at the prompt
- make menuconfig text based, no GUI
or
make xconfigwith GUI in X windows
- configure your kernel,read the help
- make dep
- make bzImage
- make modules if you have any
- make modules_install
- make install

thats it
read the README file for more info :D

[Giscardo]

xhadow's instructions are correct, it's THAT easy. DId it for the first time last night. He forgot to mention the part where you have to copy the new kernel and System.map to /boot/, and then run LILO (just type "lilo"). That's it. I was shocked at the ease.