# Bare minimum kernel configuration...

## RISadler

I'm new to Gentoo, having recently decided to leave SuSE, and decided to jump right in and get my hands dirty by compiling the kernel. What I'd like to do is to configure this kernel with just the bare minimum to get Gentoo up and running. Then start to add to this configuration as I need to, for example stuff for iptables and Samba.

I've deselected a lot of stuff, but would like to know (for you experts) what the bare minimum required is.

----------

## steveb

Bare minimum is a very personal issue. I would consider a bare minium the following things:CPU specific stuffcontroller driver for harddiskpossibility to use keyboardnetworkingfilesystem drivers

I would not include all that fancy stuff I don't need, like: floppy, addidtional filesystems, cdrom drivers and that kind of stuff, usb, sound, apm, CPU scaling, etc...

It all depends for what you need that kernel and on your personal preferences.

cheers

SteveB

----------

## RISadler

That's what I was also thinking, but are there any specific items that Gentoo needs?

----------

## steveb

 *RISadler wrote:*   

> That's what I was also thinking, but are there any specific items that Gentoo needs?

 Gentoo? Nothing in the kernel is specific to Gentoo. Just keep sure to enable UDEV, because newer versions of Gentoo relay on UDEV. That's all.

cheers

SteveB

----------

## Paapaa

 *steveb wrote:*   

> Just keep sure to enable UDEV, because newer versions of Gentoo relay on UDEV. That's all.

 

You can't enable udev as devfs was removed at least since 2.6.15. So no need to worry about that anymore. Also hotplugging is automatically enabled as udev needs it.

----------

## RISadler

When using genkernel it seems that one needs to enable RAM disk and initrd support.

----------

## Paapaa

 *RISadler wrote:*   

> When using genkernel it seems that one needs to enable RAM disk and initrd support.

 

And if you want to learn, don't use genkernel. Try to generate a working kernel and start reducing unneeded features manually one by one. Always have a working kernel in grub.conf. And if I'm not mistaken, it might be wise to build every module straight into the kernel, not as modules. That way "dmesg" will show you all the possible module messages and you don't have to search them elsewhere. That also makes the kernel a bit smaller and a lot (0,001%) faster  :Wink: 

----------

## RISadler

I'm trying for the complete Gentoo experience... and I'm actually quite comfortable with compiling the kernel "by hand" from building LFS. (SuSE is near impossible!)

I'm busy reducing kernel options at this very moment, but just wondered if anyone hadn't done the same already? Bare minimum for working system, plus drivers for CPU, NIC, chipset, etc...

And Loopback device support to be able to use the kernel to recompile itself.

----------

