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Compile custom kernel


marks
07-04-2011, 12:54
ok.

well , to compile the kernel you need to do 2 things:
1) compiltion itself
2) configure the boot loader


for 1), you can follow this quick guide:
http://www.falkotimme.com/howtos/deb...el2.6_compile/

doing so won't bring the server down or anything. So there is no problem on testing and stuff.

Also, you can get our default .config file here:

ftp://ftp.ovh.net/made-in-ovh/bzImage/

to compile the kernel with any specific option you need (like modular kernel, ...), but using our base drivers and the rest of default configurations. It'll also ensure that the size of the compiled kernel is minimal.

About 2):
you haven't told us what's the boot loader. Probably would be grub2. You can check guides on the internet on how to use it. You may have to read some documentation, but it's not difficult to use.

But this step is the one that requires to reboot the server and, if the kernel has any problem, you may be facing some more downtime. That's why I recommend you to do some tests before in a non-production machine.

Problems you can find:
-boot loader is not properly configure and the server doesn't boot up: try to reboot it using a network kernel (from the netboot list of kernels)
-new kernel fails: you'll have to recompile the kernel. To boot back up, network kernel
-your new kernel boots up, but it's still doesn't work for Virtual Box. You'll have to re-compile the kernel again with the right options enabled.

Again, I strongly suggest you to try with other machines first. I'm not saying that it's not possible to get it right the first time round, but history shows that .... it's not normally the case

hope it helps. Good luck!

Iray
06-04-2011, 23:51
Quote Originally Posted by marks
well, if you've never done it before, it's very difficult to get it right on the first go, as it would depend a lot on the OS, the boot loader and other things.

If downtime is an issue for you, I would recommend you to do some test on another server or machine. Test the compilation of the kernel and the boot loader. Then, replicate the same process on your server.

You can see different guides on the how-to section:

http://forum.ovh.co.uk/forumdisplay.php?f=16

Tell me what system are you running and maybe I can give you more help
I am running Debian 5 Lenny with the latest updates. Basically just want VirtualBox working without my server to go down.

Thanks

marks
06-04-2011, 11:01
well, if you've never done it before, it's very difficult to get it right on the first go, as it would depend a lot on the OS, the boot loader and other things.

If downtime is an issue for you, I would recommend you to do some test on another server or machine. Test the compilation of the kernel and the boot loader. Then, replicate the same process on your server.

You can see different guides on the how-to section:

http://forum.ovh.co.uk/forumdisplay.php?f=16

Tell me what system are you running and maybe I can give you more help

Iray
06-04-2011, 01:11
Can anyone give me a few pointers on how to compile a custom kernel without to break my ovh server?

Do I need to do anything special for ovh servers? Would anyone have any tips/guides? I cannot afford my server to go down and I am worried ill screw it up....eeek

The aim is to compile a new kernel with module support for VirtualBox.

cheers