How to merge a Kernel Patch with Main source of Kernel?

[Nishant Desai]

Dear All,

I want to merge the patch of a kernel with Main kernel version of that patch e.g: I have a kernel 2.6.18 and the patch is 2.6.18-rmk7, then how to merge a patch into the main source of kernel? what is the method for this?

Thanks in Advance,
Nishant Desai

[antidrugue]

I have a kernel 2.6.18 and the patch is 2.6.18-rmk7

You would do something like that :

cd /usr/src
tar jxf /path/to/linux-2.6.18.tar.bz2
mv linux-2.6.18 linux-2.6.18-rmk7

Then on with the patch. First make sure that the patch will apply cleanly :

cd linux-2.6.18-rmk7
bzcat /path/to/linux-2.6.18-rmk7.bz2 | patch -p1 --dry-run

If it outputs fine, then apply the patch :

bzcat /path/to/linux-2.6.18-rmk7.bz2 | patch -p1

More details here :
http://wizah.blogspot.com/2005/12/de...l-compile.html

[Nishant Desai]

Hiii,

Thanks for the info dude, but can u please explain me the steps, actually i ve try to find the commands with the info and help, but i was still wondering about the points, like the 'tar jxf /path/to/linux-2.6.18.tar.bz2', what could be the path of linux? should i put the source under the /usr/src or at any of the dir and to extract it? what the bzczt command exactly will do?

While applying the patch, why to do it twice? what it mean by checking that it applies neatly?

Thanks,
Nishant

[antidrugue]

Well, say for example that you downloaded the Linux 2.6.18 kernel from kernel.org, then file will by called linux-2.6.18.tar.bz2. And /path/to/ refers to the location of that file.

Say you downloaded the file in /home/desai/, then

cd /usr/src
tar jxf /home/desai/linux-2.6.18.tar.bz2

will uncompress the file in /usr/src/, thus creating a directory called /usr/src/linux-2.6.18/ will all kernel files in it.

Then you change the name of that directory to match the name of the patch you want to apply :

cd /usr/src/
mv linux-2.6.18 linux-2.6.18-rmk7

Then, before apply the patch, you first try it with the option "--dry-run" (aka do nothing, just check if the patch can apply smoothly without errors). Again, say you have the patch patch-2.6.18-rmk7.bz2 in /home/desay/ :

cd /usr/src/linux-2.6.18-rmk7/
bzcat /home/desay/patch-2.6.18-rmk7.bz2 | patch -p1 --dry-run

If it says "all OK", then apply the patch for real (so without the "--dry-run" option) :

bzcat /home/desay/patch-2.6.18-rmk7.bz2 | patch -p1

That's pretty much it, then you can configure & compile & install.