[luau] connection between kernel .config file and autoconf.h

MonMotha monmotha at indy.rr.com
Thu Jan 23 16:32:00 PST 2003


Dennis T. Ching wrote:
> Now that I've learned something about the CONFIG_RTNETLINK option for 
> the Linux kernel configuration (thanks to everyone who responded), 
> I've found that there is a connection between it and a new daemon's 
> build (not just the kernel's build), via the 
> /usr/include/linux/autoconf.h file.

autoconf.h is generated at some point in time.  Either during make config (or 
some other form of config) or possibly during make dep?  It may even be at the 
beginning of the vmlinux target.

>  
> Initially, this .h file only contained the line "#error:  Invalid kernel 
> header included in userspace" which caused the compilation of a file to 
> fail.  Then I found that there were autoconf.h files under each of the 
> kernel versions I have worked with, and they looked like they were 
> generated from the .config file that's generated by make menuconfig/make 
> xconfig.  So I copied the one from my /usr/src/linux-2.4.18-3/include 
> subdirectory into /usr/include/linux, and my build went OK.  Then I 
> inserted a "#define  CONFIG_RTNETLINK 1" in it, and my build went OK and 
> grew by 15KB.

NEVER, *NEVER* mess with the kernel config by hand unless you are ABSOLUTELY 
SURE what you are doing.  You probably don't even need CONFIG_RTNETLINK, as it 
is an obsolete option (and has been for over a year now).  I'm 99% sure the 
kernel does include files from /usr/include/linux (why would it?), so there must 
be some other problem.

>  
> So my questions are:
> 
>          1. Assuming that my make menuconfig/make xconfig are broken, so
>             that I have to manually edit the .config file to turn
>             RTNETLINK on, what do I have to do to generate autoconf.h
>             properly?  I tried just running "autoconf," and that really
>             messed me up after coming back really fast.  It's gotta be
>             specific to the kernel version whose .config file I modify.

The "autoconf" program is GNU autoconf.  It's a thing that's supposed to make it 
easier to build a program by making it a royal pain in the ass on the developers 
to make the configure.in and such.  It is in no way related to the kernel's 
"autoconf.h" file.

>          2. What utility do I have to use to get this autoconf.h
>             "installed" at /usr/include/linux, where it's apparently
>             expected?

Again, the kernel pays no attention to files in /usr/include/linux.  The kernel 
can be build standalone (I've even heard of people building it on non-Linux 
systems, like *BSD and Solaris) without ever having to modify anything else on 
the system.

>          3. Are the first two questions the right questions?  (I think I
>             also have to re-build my kernel with this option.)

Don't go mucking with kernel config options unless you're very sure what they 
do.  Also, if you don't know what RTNETLINK does, you probably don't need it 
(especially since it's been obsolete for over a year).

> 
> Thanks again,
>   Dennis Ching
>  

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--MonMotha

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