I have RedHat and SuSE working as I need and am wrestling to get Debian 2.1 to the same point mainly for interest and to eventually rely solely on Debian. Embarrassingly, I've just realized my major problem is due to the fact that Debian kernel is 2.0.36 whilst the other dists are 2.2.5 and 2.2.7 respectively, and I need 2.1 or 2.2.
It seems an opportunity to upgrade to 2.2.7, and gain experience - I think I understand the Howto and other literature - but now I come to plan the work, things are not straightforward. If I try to download 2.2.7.tar.gz from ftp. kernel.org, can I use dselect and should I? (dselect says ftp access method can produce errors since it is not part of the standard dpkg package). According to the Howto the kernel should be in /usr/src/linux - it seems to be in /usr/include/linux/2.0.36 on my box. Much is written about the benefits of being able to compile to ones exact needs, and conserve memory etc. As a beginner, although I can see what is in the present kernel, I don't understand what the various packages do - in certain cases I know what I don't want (pcmcia for example), but I certainly don't know what I need. Yet again, 2.2.7.tar.gz is 13M of I know not what and I've no idea how to get rid of or avoid downloading any items (if I read the site correctly, there's some 230 files). The ftp site doesn't seem to offer a choice of archs - are all kernels basically the same? As I have CD-ROMS for RedHat and SuSE, could I use one of these? I can see the kernel on the RedHat one, but as there are rpms for Kernel-2.2.5-22.i386, -boot, cfg, -doc, -headers, -ibcs, -pcmcia, -smp (2 rpms same description and approx same size) and -source-2.2 I wouldn't know what to use if this is an option. SuSE isn't clear to me! If I could use the CD-ROM, I could shortly upgrade to say 2.2.9 using the experience gained. I've posted before and received simple to understand assistance, I'm hoping someone will point the way for me here. Problems for novices are daunting at first and obvious when solved. Any help will be appreciated. John PS I've seen references to CD-ROM subscription schemes - anyone know any suitable for UK residents. It should make large downloads easier and perhaps cheaper.
