compiling kernel2.6

[nikhil]

Hi,

I have redhat9.0 and kernel 2.4.20 installed. I downloaded kernel 2.6.0
and did the following steps:
make config ; make clean ; make bzImage; make modules; make modules_install
I did not have to do a "make dep"
Then I copied bzImage to /boot, modified my grub.conf file:
default=0
timeout=10
splashimage=(hd0,0)/grub/splash.xpm.gz
title Red Hat Linux (2.4.20-
root (hd0,0)
kernel /vmlinuz-2.4.20-8 ro root=LABEL=/
initrd /initrd-2.4.20-8.img
title Linux (2.4.20-
root (hd0,0)
kernel /vmlinuz-2.6.0 ro root=LABEL=/

When I try to boot using the new kernel I get the error message saying:
VFS: cannot open root device "LABEL=1"
Please append a correct "root=" boot option
kernel panic: VFS unable to mount root fs

Anyone has any ideas of whats going on? I tried to compile the kernel with the default options as well but still no luck.

[Dolda2000]

Those disk labels are clearly overrated; they don't always work. Instead, if you have your root filesystem on /dev/hda2, use "root=hda2" instead.

[nikhil]

Dolda,

If I change the .config file in the /usr/src/linux-2.6.0 directory, do I just need
to run a "make;make modules and make modules_install" to re-compile the kernel?

thanks

[Hellmasker]

im not dolda, but yeah thats right.

unless u run make clean all ur old modules will still be there and will run fine.

also: if all u chaneg is addign new modules u only have to do make modules; make modules_install. as the kernel will be the same. similar thing for if u just add builtin kernel functions, u dont need to do make modules etc, just make bzImage

[nikhil]

ok...I just changed the
CONFIG_EXT3_FS=m
to
CONFIG_EXT3_FS=y
so a make, make bzImage should suffice right?

[Dolda2000]

Just make bzImage will do fine.

[nikhil]

thanks everyone for your replies...I was able to successfully boot using the new kernel but 1 major problem occured...it seems that me ethernet card did not get loaded...my eth0 module was not compiled...I cannot ping from my linux box outside and if I try to ifup my eth0 interface it says eth0 module not
initialized....
modprobe eth0 did not work either...and lsmod does not show eth0 as being installed...
can anyone tell me whats going on? and what the solution is??

thanks

[Dolda2000]

Have you installed module-init-tools? 2.6 uses a completely new suite of userspace module tools. Get it from ftp://ftp.kernel.org/pub/linux/kerne.../rusty/modules.
Important: Run "./configure --prefix=/" and read the README.

[nikhil]

yes, I installed module-init-tools according to the procedure specified in the README but its still not working.

[nikhil]

ok...my bad....I ran the module-init-tools for 2.4 and not for 2.6.0.
I'll boot using 2.6.0 and run the util tools again....
hope it works for me!!
thanks for all the replies