Nullify kernel settings using genkernel --menuconfig?

[kierkegaard]

Hi,

I've scanned through the FAQ, the beginner kernel sections, and the rest of the site, but I haven't found an answer to my question. Perhaps this is because the answer to my question is so obvious to most Well, not to me.

The Handbook says that "if your boot partition doesn't use ext2 or ext3 as filesystem you might need to manually configure your kernel using genkernel --menuconfig all and add support for your filesystem in the kernel (i.e. not as a module).'

So my question is this: if I use genkerel --menuconfig, does that nullify the automatic detection and configuration funtionality of genkernel? Is it the same as simply modifying a kernel without using genkernel?

Thanks all.

[ekutay]

As far as I know genkernel does not recognize your hardware. It just builds a fat kernel with many, many modules, so you can boot this kernel in many environments using cold and hotplug. Additionally it creates a initrd or initramfs, which allows an easier approach to your system too. If you know how your system is setup, you should prefer a simple make menuconfig in /usr/src/linux. If you are fine with a generic (and fat) kernel use genkernel. The compromise is to use genkernel --menuconfig and reconfigure the kernel everytime you rebuild the kernel without missing the automated build steps genkernel performs for you. This may be a must, when your boot partition is on a filesystem not included in the generic genkernel configuration.
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-- erol