Lab1 - Upgrade Linux Kernel Version

Objective: Upgrade Linux Kernel Version in CentOS

Following document is useful to upgrade your Linux kernel version. It shows steps to upgrade CentOS Linux kernel version from 2.6.18 to a version 2.6.20.

Requirements:

1. VMware Player / VMware Server/ Vmware Workstation

2. CentOS 5.3 Linux

Procedure:

This document shows the steps to upgraded kernel of CentOS 5.3 from 2.6.18 to 2.6.20.
I have a host operating system Windows Vista in my notebook.
First, check your Linux OS's kernel version by using the command

$ uname –r

As Snapshot 1, recent kernel version is 2.6.18.

Snapshot 1

For the further process you need to be as a root by typing the following command on linux prompt,

$ su

and then password, so you can do the required steps for kernel upgradation as an administrative user.
Take a Snapshot using VMware’s snapshot features, so if problem occurs later in upgrading a process then you can revert to the previous linux snap.
You can find this feature in menu VM à Snapshot and save it with a particular name.

Snapshot 2

Then type the following command.

$ cd /tmp

$ wget http://www.kernel.org/pub/linux/kernel/v2.6/linux-2.6.20.1.tar.bz2

Above command starts downloading linux kernel 2.6.20 into /tmp directory from www.kernal.org website.

Snapshot 3.1

Extract tar file to /usr/src with the following command

$ tar -xjvf linux-2.6.20.1.tar.bz2 -C /usr/src

It will start extracting files of new linux kernel in the /usr/src directory.

Snapshot 3.2

To be able to perform a successful kernel build, you will need to install the following packages:
- # This will ensure that you have all the required tools for the build.

$ yum groupinstall "Development Tools"

# This is required to supply the tools which can calculate HMAC values for files. – --------- It didn’t work when I tried.

yum install hmaccalc

# This is required to enable a make *config command to execute correctly.

yum install ncurses-devel

# This is only necessary if you wish to use make xconfig instead of make gconfig or make menuconfig.

yum install qt-devel

Then go into the directory /usr/src using the following command

$ cd /usr/src/linux-2.6.20.1/

Snapshot 4

Then type the command

$ make menuconfig

And it will show the following window.

Snapshot 5

This menu is only required to change some advanced configurations. For kernel upgradation, I do not make any changes in it. Just save and exit from this wizard and you are once again on linux prompt.
Then type the following command

$ make