Arch Linux

amackera

Member

Registered: 2008-05-07

Posts: 3

Rolling my own kernel off a fresh install

Hey folks!

I just recently acquired an Acer Aspire One. In a vain effort to get the wireless working off of a fresh install I thought that I might compile my own kernel version 2.6.27 (and I hoped that the ath5k driver would automagically work). Sadly I ran into some issues, and owing to my ignorance of Linux kernel compiling magic I have posted here to the Newbie forum:

So I get to the point where I need to install the kernel (after compiling from source), but I lack the program mkinitrd. I did some research and apparently we use mkinitramfs, which the fresh install also doesn't come with.

My questions are thus:
1) Is it possible to make an initrd on a computer which the initrd is NOT intended for?
2) Why is it that a fresh install doesn't come with the stuff required to recompile a kernel, I would think that might be important?

I am thankful for any help!

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I run Linux.

R00KIE

Forum Fellow

From: Between a computer and a chair

Registered: 2008-09-14

Posts: 4,734

Re: Rolling my own kernel off a fresh install

I'm really not the best person to answer to this but .... maybe mkinitcpio is what you are looking for.

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R00KIE
Tm90aGluZyB0byBzZWUgaGVyZSwgbW92ZSBhbG9uZy4K

amackera

Member

Registered: 2008-05-07

Posts: 3

Re: Rolling my own kernel off a fresh install

Hey awesome, this looks good.
If a package is included in the "Core" repository, does that mean it comes rolled up with the Arch install?

EDIT:

I see now that this is the case. From the Official Arch Linux Install Guide:

The core iso (~300MB) is a live environment which contains a snapshot of the entire /core repository. Packages are divided into 4 categories: BASE, SUPPORT, DEVEL and LIB. RAID/LVM are fully supported; all necessary packages are included within /core. Installing from a medium created with this image results in a completely functional GNU/Linux system, without any frills, expecting to be used from the command line; the Linux kernel, GNU toolchain and a few extra modules and libraries. This image is ideally suited for those who have a rather slow or nonexistent internet connection on the candidate machine, making an FTP install unfeasible. The name of the iso will be "archlinux-i686-2008.xx-x.core.iso", according to your architecture

Last edited by amackera (2008-11-04 01:15:00)

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I run Linux.