Re: building linux kernel

[Florian Mickler <florian@mickler.org>]

Hi,

On Tue, 25 May 2010 16:50:31 +0530
ranjith kumar <ranjithproxy@gmail.com> wrote:

> Hi,
> 
> I am using fedora11 on my PC. I downloaded the linux kernel souce code.
> I copied config file from /boot directory and tried to compile. I am
> getting some compilation errors.
> So  I configured the kernel, with 'make defconfig', and it is
> compiling successfully.
> But when I am booting my machine with new kernel, it simply starts and
> displays '-' at top of the screen. nothing more.
> 
> My question is are fedora and linux kernel are connected or  not? If so how?
> I thinks linux kernel runs for a while, when it is booted. But after
> that control comes to fedora.
> 
> For example, in Fedora we can play chess.Windows are
> displayed.......etc ...many graphical things are there.
> I don't think that these gaphics, chess game.....are not part of linux kernel.
> Am I right?
> 
> Also, some time back when I was using fedora10, I configured linux
> kernel with /boot/ config file. I successfully compiled and run new
> linux kernel.
> When I boot with new kernel, it is still going into fedora. But when I
> run uname command it is showing new kernel version. But how come I was
> able to play chess game? chess game is not part of kernel.
> 
> 
> So if you got what I am asking, please tell me how to disconnect
> fedora and linux kernel? So when I boot with new kernel only kernel's
> things  should be running. not fedora's chess game. How to disconnect
> them?
> 
> Thanks in advance

Put init=/bin/sh on the kernel commandline to start directly into a
basic shell (instead of the complex "fedora"). 

The kernel is an abstraction layer, so that your chess game
(or /bin/sh) runs on all possible hardware. The kernel provides
mechanisms for the chess games (also known as a "userspace program") to
use the hardware, without knowing what hardware it is running on.

This is all basic system architecture. I didn't read the wikipedia
article on operating systems, but it i hope it is a good start:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operating_system

Cheers,
Flo

p.s.: you may wanna post any follow on questions on kernel-newbies
mailinglist (kernelnewbies@nl.linux.org) , as lkml is mainly for
developing and not so much for explanation of basic system
architecture.