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Randy Dunlap2af238e2008-02-29 14:21:53 -08001This file contains some assistance for using "make *config".
2
3Use "make help" to list all of the possible configuration targets.
4
5The xconfig ('qconf') and menuconfig ('mconf') programs also
6have embedded help text. Be sure to check it for navigation,
7search, and other general help text.
8
9======================================================================
10General
11--------------------------------------------------
12
13New kernel releases often introduce new config symbols. Often more
14important, new kernel releases may rename config symbols. When
15this happens, using a previously working .config file and running
16"make oldconfig" won't necessarily produce a working new kernel
17for you, so you may find that you need to see what NEW kernel
18symbols have been introduced.
19
20To see a list of new config symbols when using "make oldconfig", use
21
22 cp user/some/old.config .config
23 yes "" | make oldconfig >conf.new
24
25and the config program will list as (NEW) any new symbols that have
26unknown values. Of course, the .config file is also updated with
27new (default) values, so you can use:
28
29 grep "(NEW)" conf.new
30
Javi Merino673d29f2012-03-30 13:37:02 -070031to see the new config symbols or you can use diffconfig to see the
32differences between the previous and new .config files:
Randy Dunlap2af238e2008-02-29 14:21:53 -080033
Javi Merino673d29f2012-03-30 13:37:02 -070034 scripts/diffconfig .config.old .config | less
Randy Dunlap2af238e2008-02-29 14:21:53 -080035
Markus Heidelberg98f540d2009-05-18 01:36:47 +020036______________________________________________________________________
37Environment variables for '*config'
38
39KCONFIG_CONFIG
40--------------------------------------------------
41This environment variable can be used to specify a default kernel config
42file name to override the default name of ".config".
43
44KCONFIG_OVERWRITECONFIG
45--------------------------------------------------
46If you set KCONFIG_OVERWRITECONFIG in the environment, Kconfig will not
47break symlinks when .config is a symlink to somewhere else.
48
Yann E. MORIN16974322012-12-19 19:17:00 +010049CONFIG_
50--------------------------------------------------
51If you set CONFIG_ in the environment, Kconfig will prefix all symbols
52with its value when saving the configuration, instead of using the default,
53"CONFIG_".
54
Markus Heidelberg98f540d2009-05-18 01:36:47 +020055______________________________________________________________________
56Environment variables for '{allyes/allmod/allno/rand}config'
57
58KCONFIG_ALLCONFIG
59--------------------------------------------------
60(partially based on lkml email from/by Rob Landley, re: miniconfig)
61--------------------------------------------------
Eric W. Biederman5efe2412012-04-26 01:51:32 -070062The allyesconfig/allmodconfig/allnoconfig/randconfig variants can also
63use the environment variable KCONFIG_ALLCONFIG as a flag or a filename
64that contains config symbols that the user requires to be set to a
65specific value. If KCONFIG_ALLCONFIG is used without a filename where
66KCONFIG_ALLCONFIG == "" or KCONFIG_ALLCONFIG == "1", "make *config"
67checks for a file named "all{yes/mod/no/def/random}.config"
68(corresponding to the *config command that was used) for symbol values
69that are to be forced. If this file is not found, it checks for a
70file named "all.config" to contain forced values.
Markus Heidelberg98f540d2009-05-18 01:36:47 +020071
72This enables you to create "miniature" config (miniconfig) or custom
73config files containing just the config symbols that you are interested
74in. Then the kernel config system generates the full .config file,
75including symbols of your miniconfig file.
76
77This 'KCONFIG_ALLCONFIG' file is a config file which contains
78(usually a subset of all) preset config symbols. These variable
79settings are still subject to normal dependency checks.
80
81Examples:
82 KCONFIG_ALLCONFIG=custom-notebook.config make allnoconfig
83or
84 KCONFIG_ALLCONFIG=mini.config make allnoconfig
85or
86 make KCONFIG_ALLCONFIG=mini.config allnoconfig
87
88These examples will disable most options (allnoconfig) but enable or
89disable the options that are explicitly listed in the specified
90mini-config files.
91
92______________________________________________________________________
Yann E. MORIN0d8024c2013-04-13 22:49:13 +020093Environment variables for 'randconfig'
94
95KCONFIG_SEED
96--------------------------------------------------
97You can set this to the integer value used to seed the RNG, if you want
98to somehow debug the behaviour of the kconfig parser/frontends.
99If not set, the current time will be used.
100
101______________________________________________________________________
Markus Heidelberg98f540d2009-05-18 01:36:47 +0200102Environment variables for 'silentoldconfig'
103
104KCONFIG_NOSILENTUPDATE
105--------------------------------------------------
106If this variable has a non-blank value, it prevents silent kernel
Thomas Weber88393162010-03-16 11:47:56 +0100107config updates (requires explicit updates).
Markus Heidelberg98f540d2009-05-18 01:36:47 +0200108
109KCONFIG_AUTOCONFIG
110--------------------------------------------------
111This environment variable can be set to specify the path & name of the
112"auto.conf" file. Its default value is "include/config/auto.conf".
113
Michal Marekbc081dd2009-12-07 16:38:33 +0100114KCONFIG_TRISTATE
115--------------------------------------------------
116This environment variable can be set to specify the path & name of the
117"tristate.conf" file. Its default value is "include/config/tristate.conf".
118
Markus Heidelberg98f540d2009-05-18 01:36:47 +0200119KCONFIG_AUTOHEADER
120--------------------------------------------------
121This environment variable can be set to specify the path & name of the
Sam Ravnborg264a2682009-10-18 00:49:24 +0200122"autoconf.h" (header) file.
123Its default value is "include/generated/autoconf.h".
Markus Heidelberg98f540d2009-05-18 01:36:47 +0200124
Randy Dunlap2af238e2008-02-29 14:21:53 -0800125
126======================================================================
127menuconfig
128--------------------------------------------------
129
130SEARCHING for CONFIG symbols
131
132Searching in menuconfig:
133
134 The Search function searches for kernel configuration symbol
135 names, so you have to know something close to what you are
136 looking for.
137
138 Example:
139 /hotplug
140 This lists all config symbols that contain "hotplug",
141 e.g., HOTPLUG, HOTPLUG_CPU, MEMORY_HOTPLUG.
142
143 For search help, enter / followed TAB-TAB-TAB (to highlight
144 <Help>) and Enter. This will tell you that you can also use
145 regular expressions (regexes) in the search string, so if you
146 are not interested in MEMORY_HOTPLUG, you could try
147
148 /^hotplug
149
Randy Dunlap2af238e2008-02-29 14:21:53 -0800150______________________________________________________________________
Markus Heidelberg98f540d2009-05-18 01:36:47 +0200151User interface options for 'menuconfig'
Randy Dunlap2af238e2008-02-29 14:21:53 -0800152
Markus Heidelberg98f540d2009-05-18 01:36:47 +0200153MENUCONFIG_COLOR
154--------------------------------------------------
Randy Dunlap2af238e2008-02-29 14:21:53 -0800155It is possible to select different color themes using the variable
156MENUCONFIG_COLOR. To select a theme use:
157
158 make MENUCONFIG_COLOR=<theme> menuconfig
159
160Available themes are:
161 mono => selects colors suitable for monochrome displays
162 blackbg => selects a color scheme with black background
163 classic => theme with blue background. The classic look
164 bluetitle => a LCD friendly version of classic. (default)
165
Randy Dunlap2af238e2008-02-29 14:21:53 -0800166MENUCONFIG_MODE
167--------------------------------------------------
168This mode shows all sub-menus in one large tree.
169
170Example:
Markus Heidelberg98f540d2009-05-18 01:36:47 +0200171 make MENUCONFIG_MODE=single_menu menuconfig
172
Randy Dunlap2af238e2008-02-29 14:21:53 -0800173
174======================================================================
175xconfig
176--------------------------------------------------
177
178Searching in xconfig:
179
180 The Search function searches for kernel configuration symbol
181 names, so you have to know something close to what you are
182 looking for.
183
184 Example:
185 Ctrl-F hotplug
186 or
187 Menu: File, Search, hotplug
188
189 lists all config symbol entries that contain "hotplug" in
190 the symbol name. In this Search dialog, you may change the
191 config setting for any of the entries that are not grayed out.
192 You can also enter a different search string without having
193 to return to the main menu.
194
195
196======================================================================
197gconfig
198--------------------------------------------------
199
200Searching in gconfig:
201
202 None (gconfig isn't maintained as well as xconfig or menuconfig);
203 however, gconfig does have a few more viewing choices than
204 xconfig does.
205
206###