[BL] custom kernel (was: USB and the digital camera)

sindi keesan keesan at sdf.lonestar.org
Thu Nov 17 00:41:43 EST 2005


On Wed, 16 Nov 2005, David Moberg wrote:

> I will set CPU type to 586.
>
> Here are some assumptions (excuse terseness, please
> correct any as necessary):
>
> - No SMP (2 or more CPUs at the same time)
This prevented pppd from working (at least in 2.2.16).  We can always
use the SW71 smp kernel to experiment with.
> - PCI and ISA, but no EISA or MCA support
> - No PCI database (adds 80K and is not useful)
> - Support for PCMCIA (as module)
> - SysVIPC (for DOSEMU)
> - No sysctl or bsd proc. accounting
> - a.out support as module
Which module is this? 
> - modular floppy, parallel & serial port
> - booting from initrd or ide hard drive (but not scsi, usb,
> parallel zip, pcmcia, or loop)

Some people might still want to boot from loop via a DOS partition. 
(Another list member reports that the 2.2.26 kernel now boots from a loop 
on his PII computer, which he could not do with 2.2.16).

> - no RAID (use of multiple drives as one for speed
> or reliability)
> - modular ppp, plip, ethernet, no firewall
> - no odd hardware like firewire, watchdog cards
> - no unix98 ptys
> - no framebuffer/vga=ask support

I use both of these.  The kernel I compiled lacks framebuffer and I had no 
luck adding it.  BL3 lacks vga=ask, but I like to use that in order to get 
more columns and rows.  I set it up with resizecons and restoretextmode to 
show 80 (100) and 132 columns, with 24-60 rows (depends on the card)
Framebuffer is another way to get more columns, which I need to use links 
conveniently in console mode.

I would love to have an all-purpose kernel that supports both these 
features and also usb storage.  I know it is getting larger, but anyone 
needing a smaller kernel can use the ones Steven provided (or your minimal 
USB-storage 2.4.31 kernel).

> - proc, ext2 filesystem support
> - modular ntfs, vfat, isofs, etc.

I can mount a DOS floppy disk or drive in BL2 without -t msdos.  Please 
compile the kernel so this will still work (unlike in BL3).

Please compile in CD-ROM support (not as modules) as in BL2.

The zimage.sb I compiled did everything I wanted except for framebuffer 
and USB, and probably a few things I did not need but did not understand.

Provide modular support for parport zip drive, please (ppa and imm).

> - modular sound, usb

I got sound working for sb.o - it took a while to figure it out.

> This should probably move off-list, as USB hardware
> is not very relevant to BL.

Steven seems willing to try to support it - maybe he won't mind if it 
stays on-list?  I am using no other linux besides BL, and will need 
an alternate kernel to continue doing so.  Your USB-storage kernel arrived 
just in time to obviate my installing SW91.

> Note that you will need to upgrade pppd and insmod
> when moving to 2.4.

Is SW91 2.4.31?  If not, where do we find the modules?

> David
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> BasLinux at lists.ibiblio.org
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>

keesan at sdf.lonestar.org
SDF Public Access UNIX System - http://sdf.lonestar.org



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