Choosing Kernel Features with Kconfig
A kernel is not one fixed program: it is thousands of optional features you switch on or off before building. Those choices live in a file called .config, which you can generate from a sensible default or edit through a menu interface. The configuration decides which drivers, debugging tools and language support end up in your kernel. Build with the wrong configuration and the feature you were counting on simply is not there.
Questions this Concept answers
- Why can two kernels built from exactly the same source tree behave completely differently?
The Kbuild and Kconfig Build System in the Linux Kernel
Kbuild is the Linux kernel's recursive build infrastructure of makefiles and scripts that compiles source code into the kernel image and loadable modules, while Kconfig is its companion configuration…