[wplug] redhat kernel woes

[Keir Josephson]

Here's an excerpt from an kernel build how-to out of ohio state:

"The fourth and final option for configuring the kernel is used when
you just want to upgrade to a newer version, using the configuration you
already made from an older version of the kernel. To use this option, you
simply copy your old kernel configuration file to a file named .config
(note the preceeding dot) in the top level of your Linux source tree and
type make oldconfig. If there are any new options in the new kernel that
you need to make decisions on, it will ask you using the same interface as
make config."

Assuming this is correct, I read this to mean that make oldconfig is used
to bring the options from the new kernel into your current config file.
Does that imply that you could meld the old options into the new kernel
config for "backwards compatibility"? To be honest I haven't done this and
I'm not really sure what specific function make oldconfig provides either.

But, it makes sense, if you were to copy the .config template from that
source tree and then ran make oldconfig. There wouldn't be any new options
for to ask about since the .config file already has all of that source
tree's options. Sound reasonable?


Also, here's the site:

http://opensource.cis.ohio-state.edu/lectures/kernel/kernel.html

-Keir


On Thu, 19 Jun 2003, Lance Tost wrote:

> make oldconfig is just another way to configure the options you want 
> compiled into the kernel.  Back in the day, it was the only option (no X, 
> no menus, etc).  Nowadays, you probably want to do make menuconfig or make 
> xconfig... much, much easier to use.
>