Charles Hymes
2003-Dec-27 19:25 UTC
[syslinux] Where to obtain (how to build) small enough workable kernel?
Hi folks, I'd have guessed that would be a very FAQ but I could find no mention on http://syslinux.zytor.com. The latest version of syslinux leaves 860 kb on a 1.44 meg floppy. The current 2.6 vmlinux from Redhat is 3.3 meg. I downloaded kernel-BOOT-2.4.20-27.8.i386.rpm from red hat, as this is a kernel they "recommend" from booting from floppy. In the boot dir of this rpm I find: 329824 Dec 11 10:40 System.map-2.4.20-27.8BOOT 54321 Dec 11 10:40 config-2.4.20-27.8BOOT 2121837 Dec 11 10:40 vmlinux-2.4.20-27.8BOOT 852345 Dec 11 10:40 vmlinuz-2.4.20-27.8BOOT I don't REALLY know which is the kernel to boot from. I'd guess vmlinuz*, but it has an unexpected name, which means had tweaking config files. Even if it was, I'd have no idea what to do with the given config* file, or how to provide the "initrd(s), etc" as spelled out in step 4 of syslinux.doc. Obviously, I'm not a Linux guru, but I'm experienced enough to know that I don't want to go through a long cycle of trial-and-error configuring, building and testing tiny kernels. Doesn't anyone distribute a good floppy-sized kernel and configs that works well with syslinux? If a kernel binary is problematic, then the .cfg file for building (along with the mysterious initrd(s)) would probably be enough. Heck, If you guys help me out, I can zip the whole thing up and host it myself. Thanks! Charles