Meanings of related options in the kernel compilation menu

Significance of related options in the kernel compilation menu-general Linux technology-Linux programming and kernel information. The following is a detailed description. Many reference books say that this is a feature that developers think is not very stable, but according to my experience, this is an option to choose, because modern Linux is based on this, so you should be able to answer Y, unless you just want to use something that has been fully finalized in Linux, but the performance is certainly not good, and the support for system features is not good.

Processor family (386, 486/cx133, 586/k5/5x86/6x86, pentinum/k6/tsc, ppro/6x86)
There should be nothing to say about this. If you select your CPU type, the BIOS can be self-checked. Pay attention to the system startup information. Note that you cannot select a CPU that is more advanced than your CPU type, otherwise it may not work properly.

Math emulation
Simulation math coprocessor. If your machine does not have a math coprocessor, you can choose to improve performance. However, after 486, the math coprocessor will be integrated into the CPU, which should not be used, therefore, the general choice is N. Of course, there will be no problem with the selection, except for a slight increase in the kernel.

Mttr (memory type range register) support
This option is used to start the special features of pentinum pro and pentinum II. If you are not using this type of CPU, select N. Otherwise, it will only increase the kernel.

Symmetric multi-processing support
Synchronization processor support. If you have multiple CPUs, choose one.

Enable loadable module support
This will enable the function of dynamically loading additional modules, so it must be selected.

Set version information on all symbols for modules
This option can be used by modules compiled for a certain version of the kernel in another version, but it is generally unavailable.

Enhanced ide/mfm/dll tape support
Generally, not many people use a tape drive, so N is a good answer.

Enhanced ide/mfm/dll floppy support
This device seems to be useless, so you can also answer N.

Xt harddisk support
If you have a stone-age XT hard drive, you can use it.

Parallel port ide device support
Linux supports this new integrated IDE device. Use it if you have one.

Networking options
If you have selected a network, you will answer many questions here. Unless you have special requirements, it should be enough to use the default options.

Scsi support
If you have any SCSI controller, this option should answer Y. Determine the type of your hardware in advance, because these problems are specific to the SCSI control chip and control card. If you are not sure which one you are using, view your hardware instructions or Linux HOWTO documents. You will also be asked to answer the support of many SCSI devices (hard disks, CDROM, Tape, floppy, etc.) based on your situation. If you do not have a SCSI device, we recommend that you do not support it because it saves a lot of kernel space.

Network device support
There are a lot of questions about the network control card. If you are not sure how to choose the correct one, check the hardware documentation or the Linux HOWTO documentation.

Amateur radio support
This option can be used to enable basic support for wireless networks. Currently, wireless networks can transmit data through public frequencies. If you have such devices, you can enable them. For details, see AX25 and ham howto documents.

Isdn subsystem
If you have ISDN hardware, you should enable this option and install the appropriate hardware driver. You should also need to enable the Support synchronous PPP option (refer to PPP overISDN ).

Old cd-rom drivers
This is an issue for some special CD drivers. If you have an IDE or scsi cdrom controller, you do not need to enable this option.

Character devices
Linux supports many special character devices, such as the parallel port, serial control card, QIC02 tape drive, and mouse over a specific interface. In addition, it also includes game rods, image uptake, and microphones, select based on your own situation.

Filesystems
This is a series of file systems supported by the kernel. ext2/proc file systems must be supported, and an optical drive must also support ISO9660 (or module support ), there are Windows or Dos partitions and they can also be supported if you want to access them in Linux.

Console drivers
You should support at least the VGA text console; otherwise, you cannot use Linux from the console.

Sound card support
Here, I will answer a lot of questions about the sound card. You can configure it based on your own situation.

Kernel profiling support (v1.3)
This option enables the kernel for efficiency statistics and provides other useful information for system error detection. These features will have to pay some price and cause slow system execution. Unless you are studying a certain kernel question, you should answer N.

Kernel hacking
If you are planning to take a deeper look at how Linux runs on your system, there are many options, but you can turn it off unless necessary.