Each distribution has some specific tools to build a custom kernel
from the sources. This article is about compiling a kernel on a Debian
Etch system. It describes how to build a custom kernel using the latest
unmodified kernel sources from www.kernel.org (vanilla kernel)
so that you are independent from the kernels supplied by your
distribution. It also shows how to patch the kernel sources if you need
features that are not in there.
I do not issue any guarantee that this will work for you!
1 Preliminary Note
I will describe two ways of compiling a new kernel. Using the first method, you will end up with a kernel .deb package that can be installed on the system, and that you can share with others and install on other Debian Etch systems.
The second method is to compile a kernel the "traditional" way. This
way works on any Linux distribution, but of course you don’t end up
with a kernel .deb package.
2 Building A Kernel .deb Package
This chapter shows how to build a kernel and end up with a .deb package that you can install and share with others.
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