# Do kernels have a mandatory naming convention?

## Kilteroff

I just tweaked mine a bit and copied it to /boot but grub doesn't see it.

```
navi linux # cp /usr/src/linux/arch/x86_64/boot/bzImage /boot/evangelion-unit00

navi linux # grub2-mkconfig -o /boot/grub/grub.cfg

Generating grub configuration file ...

Found linux image: /boot/kernel-genkernel-x86_64-3.14.14-gentoo

Found initrd image: /boot/initramfs-genkernel-x86_64-3.14.14-gentoo

done

navi linux # ls /boot

evangelion-unit00

grub

initramfs-genkernel-x86_64-3.14.14-gentoo

kernel-genkernel-x86_64-3.14.14-gentoo

lost+found

System.map-genkernel-x86_64-3.14.14-gentoo

```

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## Kilteroff

Well, I got it working by giving up on naming it and just did a make install instead of copying manually (first successful tweak, wireless working w0000)

If I just renamed it in place that would break grub wouldn't it? Would I have to also rename the config / system map thing? what do -_-

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## NeddySeagoon

Kilteroff,

The kernel name is at the top of the Makefile.

```
VERSION = 3

PATCHLEVEL = 16

SUBLEVEL = 1

EXTRAVERSION = -gentoo

NAME = Museum of Fishiegoodies
```

If you change this you must rebuild the kernel starting with make clean as the version in included in the version magic eveywhere. 

```
vermagic:       3.16.1-gentoo SMP preempt mod_unload modversions
```

which is what the kernel uses to knom if you are loadng modules that belong to it, or not.

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## Kilteroff

Neat, gotta read up on this.

This is my first time really playing with this stuff. So mine has this..

```
VERSION = 3

PATCHLEVEL = 14

SUBLEVEL = 14

EXTRAVERSION = -gentoo

NAME = Remembering Coco

```

But my kernels certainly don't say anything about coco anywhere, they do have -gentoo on them, so I guess that's the actual "name" as I'm thinking of it.

When I was in menuconfig I saved it as <silly name>.config, but that didn't seem to show up anywhere. How do I actually have my kernels listed in grub as something I choose as opposed to gentoo-linux-3.14.blahblahblah?

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## eccerr0r

Well back to the original query, yes grub2 does have a requirement to auto generate the config file.  It tries to associate initrd to kernels by version numbers that are embedded in the name.  I don't think grub2 does anything with system.map files however.

If you manually hack/create your config file, then there is no naming requirement.

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## Kilteroff

Aha, k. Thanks.

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