Location of .config

[mounty1]

It would be nice to have all configuration files under /etc. Mostly they are, except for /usr/src/linux/.config. Now I know you can argue that this is of a different kind of file, being related to the system etc., but still, it seems to me, it would be useful to have it under /etc; that way, you only have to back-up /etc to have a complete snapshot of your system state, to enable rebuilding or replication. Oh, there's /var/lib/portage/world as well of course.

I'm suggesting that the kernel configuration file should be held or at least copied to /etc/kconfig/linux-2.6.20-gentoo-r8 or whatever your kernel is called.
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Michael Mounteney

[John R. Graham]

Coincidentally, that's almost exactly what the Gentoo genkernel package does. It put them in /etc/kernels and manages them for you, too. As I write this, I have

[kEiNsTeiN]

bit isn't genkernel for "noobs" ? and isn't it slower than a plain kernel? so wouldn't it make more sense, as a gentoo user, who automatically is more experienced in linux console stuff than an ubuntu-user, to use what ever is most complicated/fast?
yeah, I thought so

I personally use for kernel compilations:

[John R. Graham]

Genkernel will build the exact kernel that the .config file tells it to. It can invoke the "make menuconfig" configuration menu, let you customize everything you want, and then do essentially the steps you describe. Plus, putting together an initrd is a bit of a chore and, if you need one, genkernel does all the work. It also automatically manages a simple database of configurations, as described in the previous post. In short, you can produce the exact same kernel with both methods. It's just a matter of choice. (Hmm. Seems like I've heard that before somewhere. )

I do both, primarily using genkernel for systems where I need an initrd. But, genkernel is just fine for highly customized kernels and doesn't, of itself, impose any limitations on what you can do.

- John