Linux® Kernel Primer, The: A Top-Down Approach for x86 and PowerPC Architectures

Chapter 9. Building the Linux Kernel

In this chapter

• 9.1 Toolchain 526

• 9.2 Kernel Source Build 536

• Summary 551

• Exercises 551

Until now, we've seen the subsystems within the Linux kernel and we've explored the system initialization functions. It is also important to understand how the image gets created. This chapter explores the process of compiling and linking the kernel image. We also look at the internals of the Linux build process.

Toolchain

A toolchain is the set of programs necessary to create a Linux kernel image. The concept of the chain is that the output of one tool becomes the input for the next. Our toolchain includes a compiler, an assembler, and a linker. Technically, it needs to also include your text editor, but this section covers the ...