SYSTEM PROGRAMMING

Build the Linux Kernel

Based on Ubuntu

This quick tutorial shows you how to update to the latest kernel. It is to be used in a virtual machine as there is a risk of system failure. It is only for education purpose. Please use it at your own risk.

Mascot of Linux (source: Wikipedia)

1. Install Required Packages

sudo apt-get install git fakeroot build-essential ncurses-dev xz-utils libssl-dev bc flex libelf-dev bison

2. Get the Kernel Source Code

We can clone the Github repository directly using this command:

git clone https://github.com/torvalds/linux.git

3. Configure the Kernel

To configure the kernel we are going to use the current kernel’s configuration and update it. To do this, simply execute these commands:

cd linux/
cp /boot/config-$(uname -r) .config
yes "" | make oldconfig

The last command will set any new configuration of the new kernel to its default value.

4. Building the Kernel

make

You may hit an error indicating that there is “No rule to make target ‘debian/canonical-certs.pem”. To fix the error use these commands:

scripts/config --disable SYSTEM_REVOCATION_KEYS
scripts/config --disable SYSTEM_TRUSTED_KEYS

You can also manually edit the .config file and remove the keys, setting an empty value instead.

5. Install the New Kernel

Warning: Once you execute the following commands it will update to the new kernel. Please use it at your own risk.

sudo make modules_install
sudo make install

These two commands will install the new kernel and its modules and configure the system to reboot into it. Thus to use the new kernel simply reboot.

6. Check the Installed Kernel

To check the installed kernel you can use the command:

uname -r

It will return the version of the installed kernel. Ideally you want to execute this command before and after the system reboot to check that the version of the kernel has changed.