The Debian GNU/Linux FAQ - Debian and the kernel

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# The Debian GNU/Linux FAQ
Chapter 10 - Debian and the kernel

## 10.1 Can I install and compile a kernel without some Debian-specific tweaking?

Yes.

There's only one common catch: the Debian C libraries are built with the most recent stable releases of the kernel headers. If you happen to need to compile a program with kernel headers newer than the ones from the stable branch, then you should either upgrade the package containing the headers (`libc6-dev`), or use the new headers from an unpacked tree of the newer kernel. That is, if the kernel sources are in `/usr/src/linux`, then you should add `-I/usr/src/linux/include/` to your command line when compiling.

## 10.2 What tools does Debian provide to build custom kernels?

Users who wish to (or must) build a custom kernel are encouraged to download the package `kernel-package`. This package contains the script to build the kernel package, and provides the capability to create a Debian `linux-image-version` package just by running the command

         make-kpkg --initrd kernel_image

in the top-level kernel source directory. Help is available by executing the command

         make-kpkg --help

and through the manual page `make-kpkg(1)`.

Users must separately download the source code for the most recent kernel (or the kernel of their choice) from their favorite Linux archive site, unless a `linux-source-version` package is available (where version stands for the kernel version).

Detailed instructions for using the `kernel-package` package are given in the file `/usr/share/doc/kernel-package/README.gz`.

## 10.3 How can I make a custom boot floppy?

This task is greatly aided by the Debian package `boot-floppies`, normally found in the `admin` section of the Debian FTP archive. Shell scripts in this package produce boot floppies in the `SYSLINUX` format. These are `MS-DOS` formatted floppies whose master boot records have been altered so that they boot Linux directly (or whatever other operating system has been defined in the `syslinux.cfg` file on the floppy). Other scripts in this package produce emergency root disks and can even reproduce the base disks.

You will find more information about this in the `/usr/share/doc/boot-floppies/README` file after installing the `boot-floppies` package.

## 10.4 What special provisions does Debian provide to deal with modules?

Debian's `modconf` package provides a shell script (`/usr/sbin/modconf`) which can be used to customize the configuration of modules. This script presents a menu-based interface, prompting the user for particulars on the loadable device drivers in his system. The responses are used to customize the file `/etc/modules.conf` (which lists aliases, and other arguments that must be used in conjunction with various modules) through files in `/etc/modutils/`, and `/etc/modules` (which lists the modules that must be loaded at boot time).

Like the (new) `Configure.help` files that are now available to support the construction of custom kernels, the `modconf` package comes with a series of help files (in `/usr/lib/modules_help/`) which provide detailed information on appropriate arguments for each of the modules.

## 10.5 Can I safely de-install an old kernel package, and if so, how?

Yes. The `linux-image-NNN.prerm` script checks to see whether the kernel you are currently running is the same as the kernel you are trying to de-install. Therefore you can remove unwanted kernel image packages using this command:

         dpkg --purge linux-image-NNN

(replace NNN with your kernel version and revision number, of course)

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The Debian GNU/Linux FAQ