Kernel image

6.18 LPAR mode z/VM guest KVM guest

You can use an existing kernel image or compile your own kernel.

You can obtain the kernel source from www.kernel.org.

If the size of the kernel image is an issue, you can compress the image when building it. You select the compression program in the kernel configuration menu at General setup > Kernel compression mode. The kernel configuration menu provides a help text for each available compression program. The help texts include information about the speed and efficiency of the programs. The compression program that you choose must be available on your build system.

To create a compressed kernel image run make bzImage instead of make image. No special user action is needed when booting a compressed kernel image. The image is decompressed automatically.

Important: Both compiling your own kernel or recompiling an existing distribution usually means that you must maintain your kernel yourself.