kernel autoconfig option?

kernel autoconfig option?

[Mark Shelby]

I have used Linux for about 9+ years. I have built several kernels.
The install process has gotten quite a bit better. The config menus are great!

I just downloaded and am setting up the 2.6.22 kernel.

I joined this list to ask a specific question:

Would it be possible to design a program to scan your existing system
hardware and pre-select your onboard hardware options within the
kernel config menus?

I am building this particular kernel on a laptop and am not likely to
be adding new hardware anytime soon! The only flaw I can find is in
add-on peripherals. I guess you'd want some way for the kernel to
anticipate & build in "useability" for common hardware plugins.

Am I just crazy, or wouldn't this idea mke a lot of sense? Wouldn't it
pretty much make the kernel "idiot proof" when installing from source?

Re: kernel autoconfig option?

[Jan Engelhardt]

On Jul 12 2007 10:18, Mark Shelby wrote:
>
> Would it be possible to design a program to scan your existing system
> hardware and pre-select your onboard hardware options within the
> kernel config menus?

> Am I just crazy, or wouldn't this idea mke a lot of sense? Wouldn't it
> pretty much make the kernel "idiot proof" when installing from source?

Why not just use `make allmodconfig`? If you happen to suddenly have a new
device you never had before (and I can assure you: this happens!), you
already have all modules.



	Jan
-- 

Re: kernel autoconfig option?

[Mark Shelby]

That's an excellent idea. I am still thinking along the lines of
"idiot proof simplicity." It would be nice to have a configure script
that scanned your system board, sound card/chip various input ports,
etc, and went ahead and preselected those to build when you type
"make.

If you could combine this with the make "allmodconfig" command in a
user friendly interface, I think you'd really be on to something!
--as long as it's still configurable after the preselected choices are
made.


On 7/12/07, Jan Engelhardt <jengelh@computergmbh.de> wrote:
>
> On Jul 12 2007 10:18, Mark Shelby wrote:
> >
> > Would it be possible to design a program to scan your existing system
> > hardware and pre-select your onboard hardware options within the
> > kernel config menus?
>
> > Am I just crazy, or wouldn't this idea mke a lot of sense? Wouldn't it
> > pretty much make the kernel "idiot proof" when installing from source?
>
> Why not just use `make allmodconfig`? If you happen to suddenly have a new
> device you never had before (and I can assure you: this happens!), you
> already have all modules.
>
>
>
>        Jan
> --
>

Re: kernel autoconfig option?

[Greg KH]

On Thu, Jul 12, 2007 at 11:02:15AM -0400, Mark Shelby wrote:
>  That's an excellent idea. I am still thinking along the lines of
>  "idiot proof simplicity." It would be nice to have a configure script
>  that scanned your system board, sound card/chip various input ports,
>  etc, and went ahead and preselected those to build when you type
>  "make.
> 
>  If you could combine this with the make "allmodconfig" command in a
>  user friendly interface, I think you'd really be on to something!
>  --as long as it's still configurable after the preselected choices are
>  made.

Check the archives, this comes up every 6 months or so.

Also, you can just use the simple scripts as described in the book,
"Linux Kernel in a Nutshell", free online, to do most of what you are
looking for here (automatic detection of what driver is needed for what
device.)

good luck,

greg k-h

Re: kernel autoconfig option?

[Mark Shelby]

Thanks, greg... Just wondering... If this topic comes up every 6
months or so -seems like there is a "need" for this sort of thing.
Wonder why it has not been implemented yet? Especially if as you say
the system calls are out there already to do it -when you know the
right commands to type in.

Just curious... In my never ending quest to make Linux accessible to the masses
:-)


I'll look up the info and try what you suggested.


On 7/12/07, Greg KH <greg@kroah.com> wrote:
> On Thu, Jul 12, 2007 at 11:02:15AM -0400, Mark Shelby wrote:
> >  That's an excellent idea. I am still thinking along the lines of
> >  "idiot proof simplicity." It would be nice to have a configure script
> >  that scanned your system board, sound card/chip various input ports,
> >  etc, and went ahead and preselected those to build when you type
> >  "make.
> >
> >  If you could combine this with the make "allmodconfig" command in a
> >  user friendly interface, I think you'd really be on to something!
> >  --as long as it's still configurable after the preselected choices are
> >  made.
>
> Check the archives, this comes up every 6 months or so.
>
> Also, you can just use the simple scripts as described in the book,
> "Linux Kernel in a Nutshell", free online, to do most of what you are
> looking for here (automatic detection of what driver is needed for what
> device.)
>
> good luck,
>
> greg k-h
>

Re: kernel autoconfig option?

[Valdis.Kletnieks]

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On Thu, 12 Jul 2007 10:18:55 EDT, Mark Shelby said:

> Am I just crazy, or wouldn't this idea mke a lot of sense? Wouldn't it
> pretty much make the kernel "idiot proof" when installing from source?

That's usually not the place where idiots screw up.  It's stuff like
loading an initrd that doesn't do LVM, and your / is on an LVM partition,
or going from a kernel that used the IDE drivers to one that uses libata,
and forgetting to fix /etc/fstab for the /dev/hd -> /dev/sd change, or ...

You get the idea.  At some point, you have to insist that the user's clue
must be  ----> THIS TALL in order to build their own kernel rather than going
with what the distro installed.

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Re: kernel autoconfig option?

[Mark Shelby]

Ha Ha! That's pretty funny!
And having hosed a system or two in my time I can totally relate...

On 7/12/07, Valdis.Kletnieks@vt.edu <Valdis.Kletnieks@vt.edu> wrote:
> On Thu, 12 Jul 2007 10:18:55 EDT, Mark Shelby said:
>
> > Am I just crazy, or wouldn't this idea mke a lot of sense? Wouldn't it
> > pretty much make the kernel "idiot proof" when installing from source?
>
> That's usually not the place where idiots screw up.  It's stuff like
> loading an initrd that doesn't do LVM, and your / is on an LVM partition,
> or going from a kernel that used the IDE drivers to one that uses libata,
> and forgetting to fix /etc/fstab for the /dev/hd -> /dev/sd change, or ...
>
> You get the idea.  At some point, you have to insist that the user's clue
> must be  ----> THIS TALL in order to build their own kernel rather than going
> with what the distro installed.
>
>

Re: kernel autoconfig option?

[Greg KH]

A: No.
Q: Should I include quotations after my reply?

On Thu, Jul 12, 2007 at 12:33:18PM -0400, Mark Shelby wrote:
>  Thanks, greg... Just wondering... If this topic comes up every 6
>  months or so -seems like there is a "need" for this sort of thing.
>  Wonder why it has not been implemented yet? Especially if as you say
>  the system calls are out there already to do it -when you know the
>  right commands to type in.

Numerous projects have been started to try to implement this, go dig
around, they might still exist.

>  Just curious... In my never ending quest to make Linux accessible to the 
>  masses
>  :-)

It turns out that the masses never build their own kernels, nor do they
need to.  The act of building kernels is quite rare for the majority of
Linux users, and rightly so.  Hopefully the book I pointed you at will
help explain how to do this properly for anyone who wishes to do this
task (it's not a simple single-step process at all.)

good luck,

greg k-h