javamutt's Journal: Frustration with Linux 2.6.0 test 1

It was with eager anticipation that I downloaded the 2.6 test 1 kernel from kernel.org. I couldn't wait to see how a preemtible kernel would "feel" on my machine, and I was also psyched to have XFS (the filesystem - not the font server) available without needing the SGI patches. Unfortunately, what I found was what I continue to feel holds linux back - inaccessibility.

In my mind a test-1 kernel is much like a release candidate. Something we would expect to see some minor bugs in, and perhaps a bit less polishing than the final product, but overall funtionally stable. Maybe I expect too much.

My goal was to have something as close to the RedHat kernel as possible. They've done a lot of work on picking options, so who am I to challenge them? I only muck with the kernel when I need a feature, so the only change I wanted to make was compiling in XFS for some benchmarks on a new server I'm building.

When playing with 2.4.21+SGI_XFS I was able to meet my goal by copying the RH config file into place, then selecting XFS in the menuconfig, and resaving. A quick couple of command lines and my Athlon would make quick work of the job. Then came the 2.6 darkness.

It toook me about 2 days (in between other things) to go through the config, build, die cycles. Each time I'd unselect an offending module (bzImage went fine - modules kept blowing up), then begin anew. Finally, I made it through no less than 20 iterations and finished with no errors. I did a make install, then make modules_install thinking I was in the clear. After a panic because the kernel was unable to mount the root filesystem which 2.4.21 finds ok, I am on the verge of giving up.

I'd love to think that the problem is some RH quirk which could easily be solved, but then it would amaze me if RH had designed a system so as to be completely incompatible with the stock kernels. I'm sure someone can hardly resist starting a religous war over that comment.

I'm no kernel expert - not by a long shot. But I do have a decent grasp on Linux, and a strong one on Solaris - I'm no UNIX newbie. So why on Earth is this kernel (and a bunch of the 2.5 kernels I tried) almost impossible to use?

Here's a fraction of the ones I ran into - got tired of recording them all.

make[2]: *** [drivers/media/video/zr36120.o] Error 1
make[2]: *** [drivers/scsi/cpqfcTSinit.o] Error 1
make[2]: *** [drivers/scsi/pci2000.o] Error 1
make[2]: *** [drivers/scsi/dpt_i2o.o] Error 1
make[2]: *** [drivers/video/pm3fb.o] Error 1
make[2]: *** [drivers/video/pm2fb.o] Error 1
make[2]: *** [drivers/video/pm3fb.o] Error 1