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Compiling custom kernel has its own advantages and disadvantages. However, new Linux user / admin find it difficult to compile Linux kernel. Compiling kernel needs to understand few things and then just type couple of commands.

Step # 1 Get Latest Linux kernel code

Visit http://kernel.org/ and download the latest source code. File name would be linux-x.y.z.tar.bz2, where x.y.z is actual version number. For example file inux-2.6.25.tar.bz2 represents 2.6.25 kernel version. Use wget command to download kernel source code:

$ cd /tmp
 $ wget http://www.kernel.org/pub/linux/kernel/v2.6/linux-x.y.z.tar.bz2

Note: Replace x.y.z with actual version number.

Step # 2 Extract tar (.tar.bz3) file

Type the following command:

# tar -xjvf linux-2.6.25.tar.bz2 -C /usr/src
 # cd /usr/src

Step # 3 Configure kernel

Before you configure kernel make sure you have development tools (gcc compilers and related tools) are installed on your system. If gcc compiler and tools are not installed then use apt-get command under Debian Linux to install development tools.
# apt-get install gcc
Now you can start kernel configuration by typing any one of the command:

$ make menuconfig - Text based color menus, radiolists & dialogs. This option also useful on remote server if you wanna compile kernel remotely.
$ make xconfig - X windows (Qt) based configuration tool, works best under KDE desktop
$ make gconfig - X windows (Gtk) based configuration tool, works best under Gnome Dekstop.

For example make menuconfig command launches following screen:
$ make menuconfig
You have to select different options as per your need. Each configuration option has HELP button associated with it so select help button to get help.

Step # 4 Compile kernel

Start compiling to create a compressed kernel image, enter:
$ make
Start compiling to kernel modules:
$ make modules
Install kernel modules (become a root user, use su command):

$  su -
 #  make modules_install

Step # 5 Install kernel

So far we have compiled kernel and installed kernel modules. It is time to install kernel itself.
# make install
It will install three files into /boot directory as well as modification to your kernel grub configuration file:

System.map-2.6.25
config-2.6.25
vmlinuz-2.6.25

Step # 6: Create an initrd image

Type the following command at a shell prompt:

# cd /boot
 # mkinitrd -o initrd.img-2.6.25 2.6.25

initrd images contains device driver which needed to load rest of the operating system later on. Not all computer requires initrd, but it is safe to create one.

Step # 7 Modify Grub configuration file - /boot/grub/menu.lst

Open file using vi:
# vi /boot/grub/menu.lst

title           Debian GNU/Linux, kernel 2.6.25 Default
root            (hd0,0)
kernel          /boot/vmlinuz root=/dev/hdb1 ro
initrd          /boot/initrd.img-2.6.25
savedefault
boot

Remember to setup correct root=/dev/hdXX device. Save and close the file. If you think editing and writing all lines by hand is too much for you, try out update-grub command to update the lines for each kernel in /boot/grub/menu.lst file. Just type the command:
# update-grub
Neat. Huh?

Step # 8 : Reboot computer and boot into your new kernel

Just issue reboot command:
# reboot

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Main differences exist between the Linux kernel and classic Unix systems:

1.Linux supports the dynamic loading of kernel modules.Although the Linux kernel is monolithic, it can dynamically load and unload kernel code on demand.

2.Linux has symmetrical multiprocessor (SMP) support.Although most commercial variants of Unix now support SMP, most traditional Unix implementations did not.

3.The Linux kernel is preemptive. Unlike traditional Unix variants, the Linux kernel can preempt a task even as it executes in the kernel. Of the other commercial Unix implementations, Solaris and IRIX have preemptive kernels, but most Unix kernels are not preemptive.

4. Linux takes an interesting approach to thread support: It does not differentiate between threads and normal processes.To the kernel, all processes are the same— some just happen to share resources.

5. Linux provides an object-oriented device model with device classes, hot-pluggable events, and a user-space device filesystem (sysfs).

6.Linux ignores some common Unix features that the kernel developers consider poorly designed, such as STREAMS, or standards that are impossible to cleanly implement.

7.Linux is free in every sense of the word.The feature set Linux implements is the result of the freedom of Linux’s open development model. If a feature is without merit or poorly thought out, Linux developers are under no obligation to implement it.To the contrary, Linux has adopted an elitist attitude toward changes: Modifications must solve a specific real-world problem, derive from a clean design, and have a solid implementation. Consequently, features of some other modern Unix variants that are more marketing bullet or one-off requests, such as pageable kernel memory, have received no consideration.

Despite these differences, however, Linux remains an operating system with a strong Unix heritage.

How to: Compile Linux kernel 2.6