On 27 Jul 2000, Linus Torvalds wrote:
This is wonderful advice below Linus. I think that this would
solve a great many problems for many people. I have on more than
one occasion left devel source under /usr/src/linux, and compiled
something to have it fail. I was under the assumption from the
kernel docs that the kernel HAD to be compiled in there. I very
much like the idea of what you describe below however as it
solves NUMEROUS problems indeed. This information should be put
in the top level README file, and emphasis put on the 'dont
compile in /usr/local' part, because it would sure save people a
lot of headaches IMHO.
Thanks very much for clarifying this for all.
TTYL
>No. He really meant that you should not use the kernel headers: you
>should use the headers that glibc came with. It is probably a redhat bug
>that those headers were a symbolic link.
>
>I would suggest that people who compile new kernels should:
>
> - NOT do so in /usr/src. Leave whatever kernel (probably only the
> header files) that the distribution came with there, but don't touch
> it.
>
> - compile the kernel in their own home directory, as their very own
> selves. No need to be root to compile the kernel. You need to be root
> to _install_ the kernel, but that's different.
>
> - not have a single symbolic link in sight (except the one that the
> kernel build itself sets up, namely the "linux/include/asm" symlink
> that is only used for the internal kernel compile itself)
>
>And yes, this is what I do. My /usr/src/linux still has the old 2.2.13
>header files, even though I haven't run a 2.2.13 kernel in a _loong_
>time. But those headers were what glibc was compiled against, so those
>headers are what matches the library object files.
>
>And this is actually what has been the suggested environment for at
>least the last five years. I don't know why the symlink business keeps
>on living on, like a bad zombie. Pretty much every distribution still
>has that broken symlink, and people still remember that the linux
>sources should go into "/usr/src/linux" even though that hasn't been
>true in a _loong_ time.
>
>Is there some documentation file that I've not updated and that people
>are slavishly following outdated information in? I don't read the
>documentation myself, so I'd never notice ;)
>
> Linus
-- Mike A. Harris Linux advocate Computer Consultant GNU advocate Capslock Consulting Open Source advocate... Our continuing mission: To seek out knowledge of C, to explore strange UNIX commands, and to boldly code where no one has man page 4.
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