Building a custom Redhat kernel

[Kurt Wall]

On Sunday 11 December 2005 08:43 am, David Bandel wrote:
> Folks,
>
> OK, I'm frustrated.

After reading your message, I can understand why.

> Problem:
> Original kernel is 2.6.9-smp-EL.  Patch only supports 2.6.12.4.
> Building 2.6.12.4 w/ or w/o patch results in kernel panic (I've tried
> initrd and compiling in required modules with the same results).
>
> Problem is use of GRUB (no LILO! not even as an option), and
> /etc/fstab and GRUB use of root=LABEL=/ nonsense.  I can't see how the
> system knows /dev/sda3 == /.

It is mount(8) that knows about volume labels, using the -L option.
I've never cared for this (mis)feature that Red Hat and others 
adapted. The volume label is applied using e2label (for ext2 and ext3), 
xfs_admin for XFS, and reiserfstune for ReiserFS. You can list the label 
using mount's -l option. Presumably, you can also use these utilities
to remove the label. I'm pretty sure (or willing to bet) that you can use 
tune2fs to ditch the label on ext2 or ext3.

> Either there's a patch to the kernel to support this LABEL nonsense or
> a way to reconfigure to boot without it (although altering both the
> GRUB boot line and /etc/fstab only change where the system stops).
> But apparently, this is not as easy as would seem (and I can't seem to
> find a kernel patch for the LABEL stuff).

No patch that I'm aware of.

Kurt
-- 
God is the tangential point between zero and infinity.
  -- Alfred Jarry