SliTaz Forum

dkuchay

Member

Registered: 2020-04-30

Posts: 59

custom kernels and tazlito

I need to make a custom kernel and after a month of trying I am finding that its not that hard as long as tools are working. I can accomplish on v3 and v4 but on V5 make tazpkg fails on a trap when building kernel. This is only after I rewrite get-linux-source script to not use busybox wget.

I need to make custom kernel and then move kernel to tazlito for packaging in to an iso file. On v3 this goes well. On V4 this does not go well. V4 seems to want to overwrite my linux-2.6.37 with default factory linux as well my kernel modules. I figure that since both kernels are installed I can remove the one I dont want and save with a writefs action but this also does not go well. rootfs actually gets bigger after removing packages?? and after save no modules exist on reboot and issuing an lsmod.

Does anyone have a way I can make a custom kernel and have tazlito use it on V4 instead of downloading a fresh one? I tried cooking on v5 with chroot but it failed a few lines in and that support question is still unanswered. V4 too. Is it normal for tools to not work on older versions and why do they not get updated?

Possibly I am missing what these tools are used for? If I download kernel with the script, after I fix it, the verbosity at the end invites me to make tazpkg to get my own kernel. I do and move it to tazlito dir for packaging and it gets overwritten by what I see as dependency tracking. Only it is incorrect. Is there a way to control tazlito or to define my own set of packages? I though that is what distro-package.list was for?

dkuchay

Member

Registered: 2020-04-30

Posts: 59

Re: custom kernels and tazlito

It seems the default kernel config file appends “slitaz” to the title of the kernel. By removing this I was able to make a kernel that tazlito thinks is factory. This allows me to copy the kernel.tazpkg in to the tazlito packages directory and run tazlito to build iso file.

Sadly if I want to build a complete iso in tazlito it will not work. This is due to slitaz using kernel modules as installable packages. If one builds a custom kernel they may not be able to use your factory modules. That being said I cant find. a way to turn off dependency tracking in tazlito. If I list bluez-4.96 in my distro-packages.list I end up getting extra packages that will bork my iso file like linux-bluetooth. I have framebufer graphics and can get glx to work by simply adding libdrm and mesa-dri. Sadly slitaz brings in linux-agp and linux-drm to accompany and these two will foil the iso and cause kernel to use modules not built for. 

The double caveat is that now that my kernel looks like a factory kernel there is no way to lock it. It looks the same as factory but is different. A date stamp difference in packages could render a build useless if user runs tazpkg upgrade. If stock kernel was built with more modules I would not have to rebuild.

dkuchay

Member

Registered: 2020-04-30

Posts: 59

Re: custom kernels and tazlito

It it not possible to make a custom kernel and use tazlito to make a custom iso on Version 4 of Slitaz. This is largely due to tazlito taking care of dependencies automatically and if I had to say it does not a very good job.

I have a SOC based board with amd geode hardware. There is no agp device anywhere to be found on the hardware however each and every build, even base, brings in inux-agp and linux-drm and mesa installs too. If this is an soc based board why does slitaz team assume that I need countless libraries that will never be used?

The impact of tazlito not asking me if I approve of the hard dependencies your team has improperly set I get a non working iso every time. This is because yourkernel module packages come in and foil me kernel and all of my work.

One more..... If used tazlito to get-flavor jwm. I added a few xorg packages to support xvkbd and when I built the iso talito downloaded all of lxde and deps as part of. the iso!!! Why? Who thought this would be a good idea?

Still cant make tazpkg on a kernel in v5, your stock kernels are not adequate. I need to build my own but tazlito is set to think for me and in many cases I know better but it does the wrong thing anyways.

Whats the chance the developer of tazlito can add an option to all versions of tazltio and slitaz (I am trying to use 4 but.... due to many shortcomings I still need to try to figure out usb based install and no autologin on v3). Long story short update tazlito with a switch that asks for dependency resolution. I literally cant use your tools based on incorrect rules. JWM flavor downloads lxde if I add xvkbd. Slitaz-v5 is not working correctly with kernel building and make tazpkg. V3 cant autologin is installed as a usb live with syslinux as bootloader. You guys say you support old hardware but syslinux v4 does not work on old hardware. I have to hack it in to my images, it works but other things in slitaz do not.

Would love to use your operating system but you have chosen paths and rules that do not allow it to work for me.