Gentoo handbook installing/upgrading the kernel

fintan · Apprentice Joined: 06 Nov 2003 Posts: 150 Location: Dublin

Hi I was looking through the Gentoo handbook and was reading the part about doing a manual install of the kernel.

http://www.gentoo.org/doc/en/handbook/handbook-x86.xml?part=1&chap=7#doc_chap3

After you copy the new kernel to the boot partition. What happens next?
What I mean is do you create a new initrd image, there is no clear step that I can see. If you look in the genkernel it says

pmjdebruijn · Posted: Mon Jul 26, 2004 10:25 am Post subject:

Well, genkernel generates a very modular kernel, which requires a init ram disk.

The manual more-or-less assumes when you compile your own kernel, you will compile in (not modular) the features you will surely need...
Good examples are:
- Filesystem support (either ext2,ext3,reiserfs,xfs,jfs)
- Support for your IDE chipset
- Support for your SCSI chipset
- Support for your USB chipset/HID keyboard support

When you do this you won't need a init ram disk.
Otherwise investigate 'mkinitrd'

Regards,
Pascal de Bruijn

fintan · Apprentice Joined: 06 Nov 2003 Posts: 150 Location: Dublin

Thanks drz I was a bit confussed about that. Does it work the same with the 2.6 series

pmjdebruijn · Posted: Mon Jul 26, 2004 10:35 am Post subject:

As far as I know yes...