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Kernel 2.6.31 released
- Thread starter Nod
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- 2.6.31 linux kernel
The Thug
Well-Known Member
I've heard that 2.6.31 will be standard with Ubuntu 9.10
Tinuva
The Magician
ROFL. Flash is not part of the kernel.
What I DO like about 2.6.31 is that is finally now have a XFi driver as part of the kernel.
What I DO like about 2.6.31 is that is finally now have a XFi driver as part of the kernel.
pfft, compiling
Me, I do a pacman -Syu
kernel that only has what i need ftw
I assume then you've noticed the difference between the speed at which a generic kernel runs in comparison to a stripped-down kernel?
FAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAST!!!
I wouldn't say difficult, but definitely tricky. You'll have to what could be left out, and what not. Might take a few tries before you are successful.
I assume then you've noticed the difference between the speed at which a generic kernel runs in comparison to a stripped-down kernel?
FAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAST!!!
I used to compile my own kernels, but the (minimal) speed increase isn't worth the extra hassle any more. But a good learning experience is to make a minimal kernel and incrementally recompile it with extra stuff as and when you find you need it.
I don't know about other distributions, but Fedora/Red Hat is very good about keeping the kernel and kernel modules up to date. These days I just click the Update button and spend the rest of my time on the PC actually working... ;-)
MyWorld
Executive Member
It takes about an hour on your first try since you have to do a lot of reading while compiling to make sure you have what you need.
After that it takes about 15 minutes if you stay current and updated on what changed in each kernel release.
TIPS:
* Make sure you know what your distro needs to be compiled into the kernel in order to work.
Some distros need specific options enabled to make use of features they implement. If this is not enabled you will have a crippled system. Read up on the documentation of your distro on compiling your own kernel.
* Make sure to have a back-up image to boot to if your new kernel image is not booting correctly.
This can easily be done by adding a failsafe entry in your Grub with a stable kernel image. Most distros have that by default nowadays.
* Know your hardware!
lspci -v should give you enough information to know what drivers are needed to be able to use your hardware correctly.
Once you have a bootable kernel, tinker with it and see what options you can leave out and what options can make your kernel a bit faster.
You will be amazed at the performance gain you can achieve since most generic kernels have everything and the kitchen sync enabled to accommodate a wide audience, a lot of bloat.
I assume then you've noticed the difference between the speed at which a generic kernel runs in comparison to a stripped-down kernel?
FAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAST!!!
tbf on my i7 i would lying if I said I notice the speed gain. On my P4 however there was a noticeable difference. However you will typically find that the various distros take time to release the new kernel versions with their patches incorporated.
over time I have seen very little issue with running non-patched versions. in any case i trust and have noted that as security concerns are raised and fixed a new release is made available pretty soon by kernel.org.
And it also takes 5-7 minutes for a kernel to compile on my system.
Yeah well the i7 takes boot time (which is why kernels are stripped down) to a whole new level. A P4 does take forever to boot so less drivers to load = faster boot.
I personally don't bother with boot time because my computer is never off and only goes through (with dual-booting) a handful of reboots a month, sometimes not at all....
Thats what I was asking, I also have the i7 so I doubt if stripping one or two things out of the kernel would make too much of a difference.