Linux Kernel Configuration Help Texts

Here is the combined wisdom of the net regarding the configuration options of the Linux kernel. Thanks to all who have contributed!

These help texts should give useful information for the configuration of Linux kernel versions 1.2, 1.3, 2.0, and 2.1.

Please tell me about any mistakes you spot or any suggestions or improvements you have. My email address is axelboldt@yahoo.com.

If you are new to Linux and anything in the help texts is unclear to you, please let me know. This thing is for you.

Feel free to use these help texts for your own configuration tools. I have written a rather primitive drop-in replacements for the standard configuration script Configure which uses these help texts during the "make config" stage. Since the configuration process and the directory layout has slightly changed under 1.3, there are now two versions of the help texts and configuration scripts:

Installing the new Configure script for kernel versions 1.2.x

To install the new configuration script and the help texts, first rename the old script: 
mv /usr/src/linux/Configure /usr/src/linux/Configure.old
then download the new one from http://math-www.uni-paderborn.de/~axel/Configure-1.2 and put it in place: 
mv Configure-1.2 /usr/src/linux/Configure
Then fetch the help texts from http://math-www.uni-paderborn.de/~axel/Configure.help-1.2 and install them: 
mv Configure.help-1.2 /usr/src/linux/Configure.help
You can now configure your kernel as before with make config; if you answer one of the configuration questions with ?, you'll get help about that particular option.

Installing the new Configure script for kernel versions 1.3.x with x<37

There is no Configure script for these kernel versions that uses the help texts. Please upgrade to a newer kernel.

Installing the new Configure script for kernel versions 1.3.x with 36<x<47

These kernels include the help texts already. You can find them as Documentation/Configure.help in the kernel source tree.

If you are running X, you will want to use the wonderful new X-based kernel configuration tool (which uses the help texts); just type 

make xconfig
instead of 
make config
and go from there.

If you don't have X, you can also install my Configure script replacement (works only for kernels 1.3.36 and above). To do this, first rename the old script: 

mv /usr/src/linux/scripts/Configure /usr/src/linux/scripts/Configure.old
then download the new one from http://math-www.uni-paderborn.de/~axel/Configure-1.3 and put it in place: 
mv Configure-1.3 /usr/src/linux/scripts/Configure
You can now configure the kernel as before with make config; if you answer one of the configuration questions with ?, you'll get help about that particular option.

Installing the new Configure script for kernel versions 1.3.x with x>46 and versions 2.0.0 and above

Nothing has to be done here -- both the help texts and the Configure script replacement made it into the official kernel source. If you answer a question during the make config process with ?, you'll get help for that particular option. X users will want to use make xconfig instead. Another option is the super cool text based menu directed configuration tool; just say make menuconfig and follow your nose. The help texts are automatically used by that script as well.

You can read more about Linux on the Linux Documentation Project Home Page.

More specific information about what exactly the Linux kernel does and how to download, patch and compile it is contained in Brian Ward's Kernel HOWTO.

Last Change: 18-Jun-2006
Axel Boldt <axel@uni-paderborn.de>