Other Help Topics :: 486SX with no coprocessor

Quote

Are all kernels compiled the same way, independent of which distro you are running?

Yes (if I remember correctly, some time since I last did it).

Quote

Can the kernel be compiled on the running system, or does it have to be done "offline" (eg. a bootdisk, or livecd)

It can be compiled on a running system.

Quote

From my reading, I've determined that the kernel does not have to be compiled on the hardware it will run on. Is this true?

Yes.

Quote

Skaos, this is for you... (or anyone that knows the answer) Your solution assumes that you are running a DOS based system as well. Is there a way to copy your kernel to the HD installed DSL without DOS intervention?

If you boot via DOS there is no need to do this. If you want to use lilo for booting you have to copy the kernel to /boot in your Linux partition and then make sure that lilo uses this kernel (doesn't matter what it is called).

If you've got a kernel that supports coprocessorless execution (and has the cloop patch), you can just substitute the kernel on the dsl 0.8.4 iso (it's "/boot/isolinux/linux24")

I would suggest starting with Knoppix on a full-powered machine and making the necessary changes to the existing kernel configuration so it'll work with coprocessor emulation, then compiling that kernel (cos it's the one DSL uses, thus best for drop-in replacement).

original here.