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1 perry 1 KERNEL-PACKAGE
2 !!!KERNEL-PACKAGE
3 NAME
4 DESCRIPTION
5 Advantages of using kernel-package
6 Disadvantages of using make-kpkg
7 FILES
8 SEE ALSO
9 BUGS
10 AUTHOR
11 ----
12 !!NAME
13
14
15 kernel-package - A system for creating kernel related packages
16 !!DESCRIPTION
17
18
19 The __kernel-package__ package grew out of desire to
20 automate the routine steps required to compile and install a
21 custom kernel. If you are looking for instructions on how to
22 use __kernel-package,__ please have a look at the manual
23 __make-kpkg (1).__ Configuring instructions are to be
24 found in __kernel-pkg.conf(5).__
25 !!Advantages of using kernel-package
26
27
28 __i) Convenience.__
29
30
31 I used to compile kernels manually, and it involved a series
32 of steps to be taken in order; kernel-package was written to
33 take all the required steps (it has grown beyond that now,
34 but essentially, that is what it does). This is especially
35 important to novices: __make-kpkg__ takes all the steps
36 required to compile a kernel, and installation of kernels is
37 a snap.
38
39
40 __ii) Multiple images support__
41
42
43 It allows you to keep multiple version of kernel images on
44 your machine with no fuss.
45
46
47 __iii) Multiple Flavours of the same kernel
48 version__
49
50
51 It has a facility for you to keep multiple flavours of the
52 same kernel version on your machine (you could have a stable
53 2.0.36 version, and a 2.0.36 version patched with the latest
54 drivers, and not worry about contaminating the modules in
55 ''/lib/modules).''
56
57
58 __iv) Built in defaults__
59
60
61 It knows that some architectures do not have vmlinuz (using
62 vmlinux instead), and other use zImage rather than bzImage,
63 and calls the appropriate target, and takes care of moving
64 the correct file into place.
65
66
67 __v) Module hooks__
68
69
70 Several other kernel module packages are hooked into
71 __kernel-package,__ so one can seamlessly compile, say,
72 __pcmcia__ modules at the same time as one compiles a
73 kernel, and be assured that the modules so compiled are
74 compatible.
75
76
77 __vi) dpkg support__
78
79
80 It enables you to use the package management system to keep
81 track of the kernels created. Using make-kpkg creates a .deb
82 file, and dpkg can track it for you. This facilitates the
83 task of other packages that depend on the kernel
84 packages.
85
86
87 __vii) Configuration tracking__
88
89
90 It keeps track of the configuration file for each kernel
91 image in ''/boot,'' which is part of the image package,
92 and hence is the kernel image and the configuration file are
93 always together.
94
95
96 __viii) Multiple config files__
97
98
99 It allows you to specify a directory with config files, with
100 separate config files for each sub-architecture (even allows
101 for different config files for i386, i486, etc). It is
102 really neat for people who need to compile kernels for a
103 variety of sub architectures.
104
105
106 __ix) Auxiliary kernel .deb packages__
107
108
109 It allows to create a package with the headers, or the
110 sources, also as a deb file, and enables the package
111 management system to keep track of those (and there are
112 packages that depend on the package management system being
113 aware of these packages).
114
115
116 __x) Maintainer script services__
117
118
119 Since the kernel image package is a full fledged Debian
120 package, it comes with maintainer scripts, which take care
121 of details like offering to make a boot disk, manipulating
122 symbolic links in / so that you can make boot loader scripts
123 static (just refer to the symbolic links, rather than the
124 real image files; the names of the symbolic links do not
125 change, but the kernel image file names change with the
126 version).
127
128
129 __xi) Sub architecture support__
130
131
132 There is support for the multitudinous sub architectures
133 that have blossomed under the umbrella of the m68k and
134 power-PC architectures.
135
136
137 __xii) kernel-patch support__
138
139
140 There is support there for optionally applying patches to
141 the kernel provided as a kernel-patch .deb file, and
142 building a patched kernel auto-magically, and still retain
143 an UN-patched kernel source tree.
144
145
146 __xiii) Portable kernel images__
147
148
149 Allows one to compile a kernel for another computer, for
150 example using a fast machine to compile the kernel for
151 installation on a slower machine. This is really nice since
152 the modules are all included in the .deb; and one does not
153 have to deal with modules manually.
154
155
156 __xiv) Customizations on the target host__
157
158
159 The postinst looks at a configuration file on the
160 installation machine (as opposed to the machine that the
161 image was compiled on), and allows the local admin to decide
162 on issues of symbolic links, and whether the boot loader
163 stuff must be run, and whether one wants to create a boot
164 floppy or not.
165
166
167 __xv) runtime hooks__
168
169
170 The postinst and the postrm scripts allow the local admin on
171 the installation machine to add a script into runtime hooks;
172 this can allow, amongst other things, grub users to add and
173 remove kernel image stanzas from the grub menu (example
174 scripts to do this are in the package).
175
176
177 __xvi) Append descriptive bits to the kernel
178 version__
179
180
181 One can append to the kernel version on the command line, or
182 by setting an environment variable. So if your kernel is
183 called kernel-image-2.4.1John.Home; it is unlikely to be
184 overridden by the official 2.4.1 kernel, since they are not
185 the same version.
186 !!Disadvantages of using make-kpkg
187
188
189 __i) Automation.__
190
191
192 This is a cookie cutter approach to compiling kernels, and
193 there are people who like being close to the bare
194 metal.
195
196
197 __ii) Non traditional__
198
199
200 This is not how it is done in the non-Debian world. This
201 flouts tradition. (It has been pointed out, though, that
202 this is fast becoming Debian tradition).
203
204
205 __iii) Needs superuser__
206
207
208 It forces you to use __fakeroot__ or __sudo__ or
209 __super__ or be root to create a kernel image .deb file
210 (this is not as bad as it used to be before
211 __fakeroot)__
212 !!FILES
213
214
215 ''/etc/kernel-pkg.conf.
216 /etc/kernel-img.conf.''
217 !!SEE ALSO
218
219
4 perry 220 make-kpkg(1), make(1), __The GNU Make
1 perry 221 manual.__
222 !!BUGS
223
224
225 There are no bugs. Any resemblance thereof is delirium.
226 Really.
227 !!AUTHOR
228
229
230 This manual page was written by Manoj Srivastava
231 ----
5 ColinMarquardt 232
233 See also: http://newbiedoc.sourceforge.net/system/kernel-pkg.html
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