[CentOS] Where is the kernel source code???

[Bryan J. Smith]

On Sun, 2005-12-18 at 18:28 -0500, lnthai2002 at aim.com wrote:
> this is not quite correct; rather that messing with the kernel SRPM, 
> you should also be able to pull down the kernel-source RPM:
>  yum -y install kernel-source

That was dropped _after_ Fedora Core 1 and, subsequently, RHEL 3 --
i.e., it essentially died with kernel 2.4.  I explain this and others in
my blog entry here: 
  http://thebs413.blogspot.com/2005/10/kernel-26-on-fedora-based-systems.html  

Yes is it winded, but I wrote it for a reason.  It explains almost
everything you might want to know, as well as "proper" kernel building
which is how Red Hat has been building its own kernels since Red Hat
Linux 6 (yes, that long), that is now their recommended as of Fedora
Core 2 and, subsequently, RHEL 4.

> this will create /usr/src/linux-<kernel version>, which contains the 
> kernel source.

Building the kernel in the system's root has been deprecated ever since
the header issues of Red Hat Linux 7 -- especially once "make mrproper"
was introduced.  "make mrproper" cleans out files -- and that means its
better to have it wipe out a /usr/include directory located inside of
the RPM build process chroot than on the actual root of your system.

> this doc is old, but you may be able to compile a custom kernel using 
> a similar procedure:
> http://www.redhat.com/docs/manuals/linux/RHL-9-Manual/custom-guide/s1-cus
> tom-kernel-modularized.html

Again, those procedures are now _useless_ for the most part.

Although Red Hat did include a "kernel-sourcecode-*.i386.rpm" for Fedora
Core 2 for some time, the _default_ in the kernel-2.6.SPEC file since
mid-FC2 is now to _not_ produce that .i386.rpm. anymore.  That includes
for RHEL 4.

> but i'd add my voice to those recommending that you NOT compile you 
> own kernel, and instead use the centosplus kernel, especially if it 
> contains the module(s) you need.

Rebuilding a kernel is _not_ that much of an issue *IF* you use the same
system that Red Hat has been using since Red Hat Linux 6 -- the same
system forced upon you with FC 2/RHEL 4.  Ideally this should still be
in the chroot itself, and _not_ by merely symlinking
from /usr/src/redhat/BUILD/kernel/linux-* to /usr/src/linux-*.


-- 
Bryan J. Smith   mailto:b.j.smith at ieee.org
http://thebs413.blogspot.com
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