where can I get the kernel .config for dsl

Forum: Other Help Topics
Topic: where can I get the kernel .config for dsl
started by: beamish

Posted by beamish on July 17 2006,19:08

Help! DSL is the only small Linux that can successfully run on my old PII with nothing but a CDROM and a new USB stick, and I am trying to figure out what DSL does right that all of the other micro distros get wrong (most micro Linuxes are using 2.6 kernels, which don't support my mainboard, but 2.4 kernels work fine). What I need is the kernel version and the .config file for kernel compilation, does anyone know where I can get them?

Posted by ^thehatsrule^ on July 17 2006,19:37

Kernel version is 2.4.26 from knoppix 3.4 (some DSL versions are edited for more cloops, not sure about latest DSL releases however)

The sources can be found in myDSL afaik.. howver it's missing the .config which you'll have to grab off knoppix I guess
EDIT: I guess it was added, disregard last statement

Posted by roberts on July 17 2006,19:42

The .config file is in the kernelsource.dsl from the MyDsl System repository.

Posted by beamish on July 19 2006,21:36

Great! Thanks. Some information I have gotten from compiling different kernels based on DSL and other small distros: Strange as it may sound, you cannot compile a 2.4 kernel with the ISD200 USB mass storage support unless you have IDE support compiled as builtin! This is apparently because a "fixup" function is needed for compiling the ISD200 driver that can only be found if CONFIG_IDE=y is in your .config. Very strange. If you google "ide_fix_driveid" you can find more info on this. There have been kernel patches suggested for this, but they dont seem to have made it into 2.4.27, although later kernels might have this fixed.

PS Here is a link for more info: < http://www.ussg.iu.edu/hypermail/linux/kernel/0302.0/0976.html >

PPS I can now confirm that any 2.4 kernel compiled without IDE support builtin cannot use USB sticks based on the ISD200 chip, which is used by Sony and others (mine is a Lazer brand USB stick). So if you want a diskless computer (such as a thin client etc) that does not use IDE, then make very sure your USB stick does not use the ISD200 chip, or you will have to have IDE support permanently compiled in. Ugh!