How to Configure the Linux Kernel Using make menuconfig?

There are several methods to configure the Linux kernel, and one of them is using the text menu-based configuration interface called "make menuconfig", which provides an intuitive and straightforward way of configuring the kernel.

1. Components of the Linux Kernel Configuration:​

Configuring the Linux kernel involves three main components: a Makefile, a configuration file, and a configuration tool. In this article, we will dive into a specific configuration tool called make menuconfig.

2. The process of using make menuconfig:​

When you execute make menuconfig, several files are involved:

• "scripts" directory in Linux root folder (not relevant for end users)

• Kconfig files in the arch/ $ARCH/directory and various subdirectories

• Makefile file that defines the values of environment variables

• .config file to save the default system configuration values

• The include/generated/autoconf.h file, which stores configuration options as macro definitions

3. How to add kernel functions using make menuconfig​

To illustrate the process, let's consider adding new functionality to the kernel using make menuconfig:

Step 1: Add the appropriate options to the Kconfig file using the Kconfig syntax.

Step 2: Execute make menuconfig to generate the .config and autoconf.h files.

Step 3: Add compilation options to the relevant makefile.

Step 4: Execute make zImage to compile the kernel with the new features.

With the above steps, you can effectively use make menuconfig to configure the Linux kernel.

Originally published at www.forlinx.net.