[CentOS] wiki howto on custom kernel

[Jim Perrin]

On 3/12/07, Alfred von Campe <alfred at 110.net> wrote:
> I was just going to report these myself.  Anyway, I am on the final
> step at the moment (the RPM is being built).  But I have a couple of
> questions regarding this process of building a custom kernel:
>
>    1. Why is it not a good idea to build a custom kernel
>      as root (you have to be root to install it)?


Building as root is bad practice for all software. This is mostly to
protect you from bad code. If a cleanup script tries to delete /
instead of just the buildroot, you'll be in a world of hurt by
building as root. By building as a normal/restricted user you reduce
the permissions available to the code, thereby minimizing potential
damage.


>    2. Why do these steps not work if you do this as root
>       (i.e., no ~/rpmbuild after fedora-buildrpmtree)?

Root's rpmbuild dir is /usr/src/redhat

>    3. After copying the config file an making one small
>       change with "make xconfig", why are there so many
>       differences in the config file?

Are they actual changes, or is the diff now simply off by a few lines?

> The first two questions are just intellectual curiosity, but the
> third one really has me wondering what's going on.  I followed the
> steps in the Wiki, and when I diff'ed the original config file to the
> one create by "make xconfig" after making two changes in the serial
> port section, I saw a lot of differences.

Like what?

-- 
During times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act.
George Orwell