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From: Roger Chrisman <roger@rogerchrisman.com> To: <balug-talk@balug.org> Date: Sun, 9 May 2004 14:53:42 -0700 Subject: [Balug-talk] copying old .config to new kernel When custom compiling a new kernel, I prefer using 'make menuconfig' rather than 'make oldconfig' because I like the '?' hints. I have found I can copy the previous .config from the previous kernel_source version that I custom cumpiled on a given machine into the new kernel_source (same machine of course). I then do 'make menuconfig' and I seem to start with the settings that I set last time, which is a nice starting point. I then look through the menuconfig menus for anything new I might want to add or anything old I might want to change. Am I kidding myself that this really works? Am I somehow screwing up the 'make menuconfig' process by doing this? Had I really better use 'make oldconfig' instead? === From: Roger Chrisman <roger@rogerchrisman.com> To: <balug-talk@balug.org> Subject: Re: [Balug-talk] copying old .config to new kernel Date: Sun, 9 May 2004 22:14:22 -0700 I decided to play it safe. So first I did (with no .config in the new source) 'make oldconfig' Then I also did 'make menuconfig' so that I could poke around like I like to and read lots of the '?' help notes. I hope this is correct process. Roger === Date: Mon, 10 May 2004 11:10:28 -0700 To: balug-talk@balug.org Subject: Re: [Balug-talk] copying old .config to new kernel From: Rick Moen <rick@linuxmafia.com> Quoting Roger Chrisman (roger@rogerchrisman.com): > I decided to play it safe. > > So first I did (with no .config in the new source) > > 'make oldconfig' > > Then I also did > > 'make menuconfig' > > so that I could poke around like I like to and read lots of the '?' help > notes. > > I hope this is correct process. It is. To the best of my recollection, "make oldconfig" runs you through the "make config" process using your .config file's answers and asking you _only_ questions for which your existing .config doesn't have entries (because you created it with a prior kernel version). The end result is a _new_ .config file combining your old configuration and your answers to questions that weren't posed in the earlier kernel version, thus creating a (you hope, reasonably sane) .config file tailored for your new kernel, reflecting your preferences, with the minimum possible amount of time answering questions. When you subsequently fire up "make menuconfig", as always, the default answers become those specified in .config (which is generally A Good Thing). Had you run "make menuconfig" without running "make oldconfig" first, only the older questions (those present in your earlier kernel version) would have defaulted to your preferences. New questions' default answers would be those of Torvalds and co., taken from the kernel source itself. I hope that makes sense, even though I'm as yet insufficiently caffeinated. ===