Puppy Linux Discussion Forum

Brandon · Joined: 14 Dec 2007 Posts: 111 Location: New York

I have never compiled a kernel before, but I need SMP support. So how hard would it be to recompile the Puppy 4.1 Kernel with SMP?

MU · cd /usr/src/linux-2.6.25.16/ make oldconfig

Update: I wrote a summary:
http://www.murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic.php?p=239056#239056

You can find a recompiled Puppy with SMP for tests here:
ftp://ks301128.kimsufi.com/testing/puppy4.1-smp/

read the readme.txt there for notes!

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I currently compile 2.6.25.16 with smp in Muppy.
I then will try also, if it works in Puppy 4.1.

It is not difficult, but do not know yet, if it will work.
I made a sfs of
ftp://ks301128.kimsufi.com/Puppylinux-sources/kernel-2.6.25.16/linux-2.6.25.16-src-patched_squashfs_unionfs_aufs_lzma_mt.tar.gz

Booted it with the devx.sfs.
Added a symlink:

cd /lib/modules/2.6.25.16
ln -s ../../../usr/src/linux-2.6.25.16 build

saved:
ftp://ks301128.kimsufi.com/Puppylinux-sources/kernel-2.6.25.16/DOTconfig-K2.6.25.16-26AUG08-STANDARD
as:
/usr/src/linux-2.6.25.16/.config

edited it:
line 153

Brandon · Joined: 14 Dec 2007 Posts: 111 Location: New York

So maybe I'm better off waiting for someone like you, who knows what they are doing to compile a SMP kernel.

MU · Posted: Tue 07 Oct 2008, 18:12 Post subject:

I get the same error as John Doe, bzimage is only 16kb.

I tried his solution to upgrade lzma, but no luck:

John Doe · Joined: 01 Aug 2005 Posts: 1689 Location: Michigan, US

tempestuous · Joined: 10 Jun 2005 Posts: 4944 Location: Australia

If you guys are preparing an SMP kernel that's great, but can I suggest you also enable HyperThreading and Multicore, since these are really just variations/extensions of SMP.

And if you want to take the "performance" aspect a step further; enable Tickless System, High Resolution Timer Support, Preemptible Kernel, and high Timer frequency.

And if you want to go a step up in hardware support (such as for the One Laptop Per Child) then the 2.6.26 kernel is worth considering.
Food for thought.

MU · Posted: Wed 08 Oct 2008, 08:42 Post subject:

I had to install lzma.458.pet from Puppy 4.
Now bzImage was created correctly.

I then quickly found out, that Kernel and modules are incompatible with the same from Puppy 4.1rc.

There might be two reasons:
1.) the activation of smp (not certain)
2.) Muppy uses gcc from Slackware 12.1.

I think the latter might have more effect.

I then created a new initrd.gz, and finally could boot.

I just had to use Muppys option:
layerfs=unionfs
as the aufs driver was not built (Muppy uses aufs by default).
Muppys devx is different from Puppys, maybe devx_409.sfs contains files required for aufs?

In the bootkernel.log I could see, that smp is active.
But I cannot test that furter, as I have a single core Pentium 3.
But there are other issues.
Icewm does not run, I now use openbox.
I could not find ANY error concerning this, so it might be related to the well known unionfs bugs.

Then I thought, there were network-issues, until I found out, that my provider dropped internet connection.
It seems they just fixed it.

Conclusion:
I will have to rebuild the Kernel in Puppy 4.1.
This will allow me, to sort out, what problems are caused by Muppy, or if there is something else wrong already in Puppys settings
Mark

Brandon · Joined: 14 Dec 2007 Posts: 111 Location: New York

So, once you compile the kernel, I can help you test, I have a AMD Athlon 64 X2 and a Core 2 Duo.

MU · Posted: Wed 08 Oct 2008, 11:52 Post subject:

Barry gave some tips in his blog:
http://www.puppylinux.com/blog/?viewDetailed=00404
http://www.puppylinux.com/blog/?viewDetailed=00405

I had a look at the additional files and readmes.
aufs is a module.
I extracted the source, and ran:
make -f local.mk
as described in modules-compile.txt

That created aufs.ko, that I replaced in initrd.gz.

I started Muppy without "layerfs=unionfs", so aufs should be used.

But the computer now hangs at "setting up the unionfs layered filesystem".

I started again with unionfs, and modprobed aufs by hand.
I get no error here.

So I'm puzzled, why Muppy will not boot.
The name of the kernelsources is:
linux-2.6.25.16-src-patched_squashfs_unionfs_aufs_lzma_mt.tar.gz

So I think, all required patches were applied already?

Or must I patch something on my own?
I must read more in the supplied textfiles.
They also mention many patches for older kernels, so it takes some time to find out, what is required, and what must not be done.
Mark

Bruce B · Posted: Wed 08 Oct 2008, 16:38 Post subject:

MU · Posted: Wed 08 Oct 2008, 18:19 Post subject:

I now compiled the kernel in Puppy 4.1.
The compilation itself takes 4 hours, then more time is needed, to replace the modules by hand in initrd.gz.

Did it the same way as in Muppy.
Have the same error finally with aufs.
The computer stops, when it tries to set up the layered filesystem.
I then mounted the savefile manually using another Puppy, to verify, that
/lib/modules/2.6.25.16/initrd
was created at startup, that is a copy of the files in initrd.gz.

The new aufs module is there, but still no joy.

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Bruce, Barry will upload a kernel.sfs for 4.1 this weekend.
I am curious, if I have success with that one.

The compilation itself went well, and I can boot using unionfs, there is just the aufs issue.
When that is solved, we are a big step further, because then it will become very easy to recompile with custom options (hopefully...).

Mark

Bruce B · Posted: Thu 09 Oct 2008, 00:04 Post subject:

jcoder24 · Joined: 06 May 2005 Posts: 601 Location: Barbados

MU · Posted: Thu 09 Oct 2008, 12:13 Post subject:

maybe I found the problem, it might be the smp support.

I wanted to compile a Fritz Wlan driver in the Muppy with the selfcompiled smp-Kernel for tests.
That driver is very problematic even in the version without smp.

To check errors, I ran "dmesg".

That includes these lines:

MU · Posted: Thu 09 Oct 2008, 18:05 Post subject:

My assumption was right.

I now compiled Kernel 2.6.25.16 in Puppy 4.1 with Barrys original config.
This Puppy boots correct!
So there is the bug with AUFS caused by enabling SMP Exclamation

How can one solve this?

Maybe this just happens on my Single core computer?
If someone wants to try out:
I uploaded the modified version of Puppy 4.1 here:

ftp://ks301128.kimsufi.com/testing/puppy4.1-smp/

As I ran my tests frugal, I did not use this iso, but it should work, as I created it as I create Muppy.
It includes the new vmlinuz and initrd.gz.
And pup_410.sfs contains the recompiled modules in /lib/modules.

Note:
I did not compile additional modules like the wifi stuff, so those are the OLD modules, that certainly will not work.

This iso is ONLY intended to check, if it boots on a computer with 2 to 8 processors or not.
I also enabled Hyperthreading (default was no).
Apart from that, I used the default values.
By default, also Multicore is enabled.

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I also uploaded there a 2.6.25.16_410.sfs.
It includes Barrys kernelsource from puptrix.org, the symlink:
/lib/modules/2.6.25.16/build
and:
/usr/src/linux-2.6.25.16/.config

You also must use the devx_410.sfs from Puppy!

So you could compile your own Kernel with:
make oldconfig
(edit then .config to your needs)
make
make modules_install

Then you had to create a new initrd.gz as described in the other thread, and rename bzImage to vmlinuz.
Then you had to reboot with that system (using the option "layerfs=unionfs"), and create the aufs module, and update again initrd.gz with that one.

Mark