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Arch Linux Kernel Compilation

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Mattscreative edited this page Dec 5, 2025 · 2 revisions

Arch Linux Kernel Compilation Guide

Complete beginner-friendly guide to kernel compilation on Arch Linux, including downloading kernel source, configuring, compiling, and installing custom kernels.

Table of Contents

  1. Preparing for Compilation
  2. Downloading Source
  3. Configuring Kernel
  4. Compiling Kernel
  5. Installing Kernel

Preparing for Compilation

Install Tools

Install build tools:

# Install base-devel
sudo pacman -S base-devel

# Install kernel build tools
sudo pacman -S linux-headers

Downloading Source

Get Kernel Source

Download source:

# Get kernel source
asp update linux
asp checkout linux

# Or download from kernel.org
wget https://www.kernel.org/pub/linux/kernel/v6.x/linux-6.1.tar.xz
tar xf linux-6.1.tar.xz
cd linux-6.1

Configuring Kernel

Kernel Configuration

Configure kernel:

# Copy existing config
cp /proc/config.gz .
gunzip config.gz
cp config .config

# Or use defaults
make defconfig

# Configure
make menuconfig

# Or use Arch config
zcat /proc/config.gz > .config
make olddefconfig

Compiling Kernel

Build Kernel

Compile:

# Get number of CPUs
nproc

# Compile (use all CPUs)
make -j$(nproc)

# Build modules
make modules

# Install modules
sudo make modules_install

Installing Kernel

Install Kernel

Install:

# Copy kernel
sudo cp arch/x86/boot/bzImage /boot/vmlinuz-linux-custom

# Update bootloader
sudo grub-mkconfig -o /boot/grub/grub.cfg

# Or systemd-boot
sudo cp arch/x86/boot/bzImage /boot/EFI/arch/vmlinuz-linux-custom

Summary

This guide covered kernel compilation preparation, source download, configuration, compilation, and installation.

Next Steps

This guide is based on the ArchWiki. For the most up-to-date information, always refer to the official ArchWiki.

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