No Source-Code in actual Knoppix?

[KeTZer]

I downloaded the actual CD-Image of Knoppix and installed it (in the Debian-Style). Now I like to compile some packages into the Kernel, but there seems to be no source code of the Kernel. Am I just too dumb to find it?
I looked into /usr/src/* and there seems to be no Kernel-Source.
Can someone help me?
Can I get the Sources somewhere without having to put all Knoppix standard packages back in?

[groenewe]

The 2.4 kernel used by Knoppix is vanilla with xfs patches and some
minor commandline / bootparameters and IDE patches.
Here's the recipe

Get the following stuff:

1. Kernel source (2.4.24):
http://www.kernel.org/pub/linux/kern...2.4.24.tar.bz2
Extract with tar -xjf in /usr/src

2. XFS patch (2.4.23-xfs):
http://ftp.silug.org/pub/xfs/patches...3-all-i386.bz2
Expand with bzip2 -d *.bz2.
Go into previously created linux-2.4.24 directory and patch.
patch -p1 <../xfs-2.4.23-all-i386

Read the comments below (don't know were I got them, but info is correct, tried it myself):
>> Hi, I use linux-2.4.23 and xfs-2.4.23-all-i386.bz2. I'd like to update
>> linux kernel to version 2.4.24, then I searched its patch but I could
>> not find it. So, I'm going to use xfs-2.4.23-all-i386.bz2 for 2.4.24
>> tree. Is there any problem?
>
>There is no problem. You can apply the 2.4.23 patch on 2.4.24. You just
>have to correct the Makefile reject, but it's very trivial.
(Just change the version string from 2.4.24 to 2.4.24-xfs.)

3. Run the knoppix kernel patch (in /usr/src on the booted CD), which
changes some IDE kernel errors into warnings and extends the boot
parameters buffersize to 512 bytes.
patch -p1 <../knoppix-kernel-patch

4. Copy the .config file from /usr/src/linux into your new kernel dir.
Run "make oldconfig" and "make dep".

You should now be able to build the new kernel with:
make menuconfig / xconfig, make, make install, make modules, make modules_install etc.etc.

Obviously, this will work only on a HD-install.
Hope this helps...

[groenewe]

Oops, forgot something.

Klaus added the forcedeth driver (replacement for proprietary nvnet driver, nForce2 LAN, NVIDIA) to the kernel source, so Knoppix now also has the ability to autodetect nForce2 NICs.

You can obtain the latest patch for this here:
http://www.hailfinger.org/carldani/l..._patch_v23.txt

[KeTZer]

Thanks so far!

You just
>have to correct the Makefile reject, but it's very trivial.
(Just change the version string from 2.4.24 to 2.4.24-xfs.)

What do I have to change there exactly? Do I have to open the Makefile.rej and change somehing in there (The term 2.4.24 is not in the file) or what is it that I have to do?

[windos_no_thanks]

What do I have to change there exactly? Do I have to open the Makefile.rej and change somehing in there (The term 2.4.24 is not in the file) or what is it that I have to do?

He probably means the stuff that is split up into the first 4 lines of Makefile.

[groenewe]

windos_no_thanks, you're right!

The first four lines of Makefile should look like this:

VERSION = 2
PATCHLEVEL = 4
SUBLEVEL = 24
EXTRAVERSION = -xfs

The XFS (23) patch for the 2.4.24 Makefile fails because it can't match "SUBLEVEL = 23"
The manual change required is the addition of the string "-xfs" to EXTRAVERSION.

(Think this about covers it.)
Good luck!

[KeTZer]

Okay, it works so far, but when I do everything like above and compile the kernel with
make dep
make clean
make bzImage,
copy it to /root, edit the lilo.conf (just copied the standard Linux part and changed Label and Image) and try to boot it, I get the Message "No init found".
Is there something I forgot?

[Stephen]

Okay, it works so far, but when I do everything like above and compile the kernel with
make dep
make clean
make bzImage,
copy it to /root, edit the lilo.conf (just copied the standard Linux part and changed Label and Image) and try to boot it, I get the Message "No init found".
Is there something I forgot?

Yes the Debian way of compiling a kernel which will save you loads of problems with the method you are using. And the patches that you are being told to apply in this thread are unnecessary unless you specifically need the support provided by them compiling a new vanilla kernel or one from the Debian sources in the archives is sufficient. You are compiling a new kernel anyway so what is the sense of putting any extras in that you will not need and when you build the new kernel make sure to build and install the kernel_headers as well.

[groenewe]

Dear Stephen,

Obviously, getting the Debian kernel binary and source packages is much easier than building your own sources and binaries; that is, if Debian packages are available!

So, can you tell me where to find the current kernel packages for Knoppix V3.3, kernel 2.4.24-xfs?

Can't find them at developer.linuxtag.net/knoppix?
You're right, that's because Klaus Knopper unfortunately hasn't found the time to upload them yet (the poor man is probably not sleeping at all anymore as working on Knoppix is most likely taking up just about every bit of time he has available) , which is the reason Ketzer asked for them here in the first place!

Right know, building your own 2.4.24-knoppix kernel seems to be the only way to go.
(As an aside: You could also try and build a 2.6.2 kernel, with and native XFS and working nForce2 / forcedeth support, for Knoppix V3.3.
Done it myself. It works)

If you know where to get the Knoppix 3.3 kernel 2.4.24-xfs Debian packages other than at developer.linuxtag.net/knoppix where they unfortunately aren't available at the time of this writing, please post that info here!
You will be loved and treasured by the entire community.
(That is, until V3.4 becomes generally available, at which time no one will give a damn about 3.3 stuff anymore...)

Best regards
groenewe

P.S. to Ketzer:
I think I recognize your problem; I've seen this happen myself a few times. It's possible that something goes wrong when loading the initrd which was what happened in my case.
Please verify that the top Makefile (the one with the version info) explicitly refers to the correct compiler (gcc-2.95) instead of plain "gcc" which actually refers to a 3.x variant on most Debian systems nowadays.
The old compiler is kept around mostly for kernel compiles...
(Search for "gcc" - occurs twice in the file - and add "-2.95". Forgot about it in previous post, sorry 'bout that. You need to run "make clean" etc. after you've changed this...)

Secondly, I rebuilt some kernels intended for use with Knoppix on a Libranet 2.7 system when they didn't want to load the original initrd... Unfortunately that probably isn't an option for you (too much work downloading & installing that .iso too) , but I don't think this should be necessary anyway, provided you configured everything correctly.

Good luck!

[groenewe]

One final note regarding all of this kernel building:

I know, I'm kinda focused on getting *exactly* the same kernel as Klaus created on his own development system, that is, using the same compiler and kernel options etc., because I wanted to build a slightly modified kernel that would still run with the original *CD* (livemode), on which one cannot modify the existing driver modules ("device drivers" in competitor terminology.)
This way a simple boot floppy or poor man's HD-install can be used to boot the unaltered CD or CD-image.

Obviously, if you do a full HD install, you can get away with building a much more vanilla-style, different version number, customized, or heavily hacked (tm) kernel.
A way of avoiding the initrd problems altogether is compiling any kernel drivers you need for booting (e.g. IDE/SCSI/RAID/SATA etc.) into the kernel itself and forgetting about the initrd mumbo-jumbo completely by directly mounting the root file system instead of an initrd, but that's probably stuff for a separate post...