SalixOS Speed

[alberto]

Greetings. I am not sure where to post this message. Pardon if this one is misplaced.

To *gapan* and the respectable SalixTeam:

Gentlemen, sirs,

I am a salix OS user since it came into being somewhere Slackware 13 (might be wrong but it was that time I first came to know/use your admirable flavor). I have created a userID in this forum (that time), posted twice (maybe) but never had enough time here, I mostly stayed at linuxquestionDOTorg in a different name.

Your Slackware flavor is superb, from criteria of speed on a desktop SalixOS is far above other derivatives. This statement bears a heavy amount of my gratitude to you and to the team by whose efforts this OS exists ---so much that a simple "Thank You" cannot be near enough to do justice. I owe you. I thank you.

I tried many distros. But for sanity and taste today all my systems run only on Salix and BSD. Why Salix and not Slackware release? well the answer is the very reason why you (and team) created salixOS out of that respectable distribution: Speed and Simplicity on a desktop, that perfectly match the the slim XFCE.

But, Linux kernel is now bloated and is getting fat for almost every version release. Try run Slackware 8 and 14 on same machine, all other things equal the current kernel groans. This is happening too among *BSD. I begin to worry what will happen when time comes speed is compromised where/if the hardware is not upgraded (at cost). Most users evidently buy machine hoping to run it *forever*; we don't spend money for something we only trash after two years. But here we see /* I mean, I saw and I see */ the magic of Salix. For those like me who don't seek for fats and lipstick Salix has offered more than what I expected when Slackware began dragging at version 12. A bonzai is not merely a product of great care but it edifies us what health the beauty of the tree brings to both our body and mind.

I am an old man and slack at configuring my own kernel. My computing skill is limited, I can only do little bash, though I have a workable understanding of what the system or network is doing. I am not a developer, although I was computing since MSDOS v. 1 and Windows 3.11. I belong to the generation that spends sleepless nights behind cathode box, tinkering scripts and dial-up phone line connections to manipulate my neighbors fax and machines.

Today we have Slackware GNU/Linux. Slackware is a great philosophy and as honorable as the great Pat V. But my sweetest romance with Slackware is when I run my Salix, because this singular distro has remained faithful to the great honor by which Slackware was glorified to the throne: the virtues of speed, stability and simplicity. If Linux kernel becomes obese and Slackware should in the future become Slackware GNU/Minix I shall be there. Meantime, I will only use Salix when running Linux.

My Question:
a) How did you tune Slackware kernel to gain such a speed yet available to many hardware?
b) What build configuration file used, and is it available for me to copy, modify and use for my own?

Thanks ahead.

May the SalixOS team grow stronger.

Alberto

[rokytnji]

I run the fluxbox version to keep my older gear relevant. The kernel has no effect on the bloat or speed my netbook.
But the internet bloat. That is another story in itself.

Maybe I am off base here. Maybe the team here can cater to your needs.

My Question:
a) How did you tune Slackware kernel to gain such a speed yet available to many hardware?
b) What build configuration file used, and is it available for me to copy, modify and use for my own?

[elcore]

I can recommend 3.10.96 or 4.1.18 with standard slackware config, or if you want to tune:
Install kernel-huge and kernel-headers, boot it, plugin all your devices, cd /usr/src/your-kernel-src/ and:

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su
cp /boot/config-huge* .config && make localmodconfig && make && make modules_install && make firmware_install && make install

If you want to tune kernel manually with xconfig/nconfig write the commands one at the time:

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su
cp /boot/config-huge* .config && make localmodconfig
make xconfig
make && make modules_install && make firmware_install && make install

Things that you probably want compiled in rather than using a module: filesystems, disk controller driver and vesa vga.

I do this as root, but I suspect sudo is also an option, maybe even fakeroot, though I have not tried it.
There's also a slackbuild if you want to package your kernel.

[mimosa]

Since everything's working so well , I'd suggest there's no need to mess with the kernel.

Salix uses the same kernel as Slackware, so the superior performance you see must be due to other factors. Using a mid-weight DE rather than the Slack default of KDE probably also makes a noticeable difference on older hardware.

[djemos]

Sometimes using an old kernel e.g. 3.10.17 salix64-mate-14.1(installed from salixlive64 mate 14.1 iso) on a new laptop e.g. Lenovo G50-80, can end with a situation having no wireless. Because kernel and kernel-firmware do not have the driver for wireless. Installing latest 14.2 kernel-firmware-20160201git-noarch-1 package do not solve the problem. A new kernel has to build.
Of cource someone can use the slackware 14.2 4.4.1 kernel.
But what if wants to use a different version as for example the LTS 4.1.18 kernel? And how will build this 4.1.18 while he is running the 3.10.17 kernel?
Then can do the following steps
1. Download and install fake-uname package

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sudo spkg -i fake-uname-0.1-noarch-1cp.txz

2. Download and extract the kernel source from kernel.org e.g. 4.1.18

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sudo tar xvf linux-4.1.18.tar.xz -C /usr/src

3. Make a directory in your home folder

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mkdir ~/kernel 

4. Download these files and copy to kernel folder SLKBUILD COPYING config-4.1.18 modules.conf
5. cd to ~/kernel folder

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cd ~/kernel

6. activate root

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sudo passwd root
su

7. activate fake-uname 4.1.18 kernel

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fake-uname-activate 4.1.18

You see that there is a config-4.1.18 file. So if you build a kernel for other version then just copy the old config from /boot/config to config-$KERNELVER where $KERNELVER is the version you want to build the kernel
8. Build the kernel

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fakeroot slkbuild -X

Wait a little the script will ask you to configure the config file. Just press Enter all the times.
Then
9. Make a coffee. This will take 45 minutes to one hour
10. become user again

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exit

11. Install the kernel

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sudo spkg -i kernel-4.1.18-x86_64-1dj.txz

12. Update grub

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sudo update-grub

13. You will have both kernels the old and the new one. So we are sure system is bootable for sure.
14. Delete the link /etc/rc.d/rc.modules It is not used in new kernels

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sudo rm /etc/rc.d/rc.modules

15. Use the rc.modules script

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sudo cp /etc/rc.d/rc.modules.new /etc/rc.d/rc.modules

16. Deactivate root

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sudo passwd -l root

17. Reboot your system and boot with new kernel.
For people just want to install the 64bit kernel it is here complied

[alberto]

djemos thank you.
is there any button here we can click on to thanks or appreciate helpful post?

[djemos]

djemos thank you.
is there any button here we can click on to thanks or appreciate helpful post?

Your thank you is enough.

[djemos]

For anyone interesting this is a SLKBUILD which will build the latest stable kernel 4.4.2 (and any kernel) package including everything in one package and also create separate packages for kernel, kernel-modules, kernel-firmware, kernel source.
Read the README file.
Packages source and binaries for x86_64 kernel-4.4.2