Compiling linux-source-2.6.17_2.6.17-5.16

[Roby]

Pupeno wrote:

> Hello,
> Is it possible to compile linux-source-2.6.17_2.6.17-5.16 only for my
> architecture instead of for all of them ?

You choose the processor family early on in make menuconfig, setting
the architecture for the build; i.e., the resulting kernel will run
only on the CPU family you specified.

To serve a multitude of hardware configurations, the standard 
configuration includes many driver modules and options you'll 
never use.  Plodding through every branch of make menuconfig and
deselecting the ones you don't need will result in much shorter
compile time ... and maybe even a smaller/faster custom kernel.
There's a learning curve here: finding out which options and 
drivers you really need and which must be compiled into the 
kernel vs. built as modules.  Be patient!

When building later kernels, you may want to copy your current
configuration into the kernel source directory:

sudo cp /boot/config-2.6.17.4 /usr/src/linux-2.6.17.6/.config

before make menuconfig (or make oldconfig).