Mentoring Eudyptula Challenge - 2

Eudyptula Challenge is started in end of 2014 and getting very popular among linux enthusiast. A lot of people registered, or by mean of join-in with Little Penguin, but about half of them didn't submit the first task.

Some important notes and comments you can find about eduptula in this link https://events.linuxfoundation.org/sites/events/files/slides/ec.pdf.

This time, I'm going to discuss about Task-02. This one is a very little task about building customer kernel.

Your task will start from downloading the kernel source, you can download it as .zip, but best and most recommended option is using git. Figure out how you can get link for latest version of kernel. One of the example could be -

git clone git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux.git

A good choice before you start searching your target within source code, better read https://github.com/torvalds/linux from INSTALLING the kernel source:   

Its not necessary to understand all what Trovalds said in details, but at least follow the directory and permission part [where to put the source files etc].

You need to set a parameter[according task] in config file, but for that first you need to generate the config, which has been used to build the custom kernel. Check and search how to build customer kernel configuration. Once config file build, change the parameter accordingly.

Building Linux custom kernel need, ssl library - so if you stuck while doing MAKE, with error as required / not found ssl, install openssl-dev and libssl-dev.

Rest task is almost straight-forward as compile & install linux packages from source - make / make install etc.

You probably get issue while pointing the custom kernel with bootloader. Google, how to grub or custom image to grub [I use grub only] or any other bootloader as you are using. The main thing is you need to point the initial ramfs through grub. For me [in ubuntu] below two command was enough,

sudo mkinitramfs -ko initrd.img-4.5.0-rc5-00284-g29a9faa
sudo update-grub

 At the end its always a challenge to proof, whether you task is completed or not!!!

This one also within the challenge, just consider this way, -

1. Your task was to build a custom kernel, install it and boot your machine with it.

2. You need to show somehow, that before you had something and after something else.

3. You may include 1/2 small configuration file, shows that you've made the changes. 

4. You can also add some command output / log as proof of your task.

Have Fun!!!