How to configure android kernel?

What is the better way to learn to compile a Linux/Android Kernel?

• Sometimes I want to do deep stuff with linux/android OS. At this point I face the Kernel's compilation theme. I have no idea how to begin with that. Where can I gather information from the very beginning of this task?

• Answer:

  I could be a right person to answer this as I recently explored Android OS kernel for my graduate level project. Even though my answer is more about compilation of Android code, I feel this general technique is useful for any kernel code. Based on my learning, following steps could prove useful. Read the official guide. Open source communities maintain excellent guide on how to start. For Android, starting point is @http://source.android.com/source/initializing.html. Atleast for Android, you need certain version of Ubuntu. Official guide recommends Ubuntun 10.04 64 bit but I used 12.04 as it was already installed on my system. Pay attention to compiler requirements such as gcc version. For example, if you are going to compile on 12.04, then it would be better to downgrade gcc to 10.04 's gcc version. Sync the source code Prepare environment and build the code. http://source.android.com/source/building.html Often you will hit a build break due to various reasons. I, generally, look at the error message and see if I can make some changes to Makefiles or source code to continue with the build. Easier way to just google with error message, as chances are greater that somebody has already faced this error and came up with solution. Last thing. In open source community, it is all about collaboration. If you hit with a roadblock, ASK on mainling lists or forums.