Boost Your Penguin Power

Do you want to make your Linux PC run even better than it already does? You're probably not experiencing any performance or stability problems--Linux has earned its reputation as a rock-solid OS, after all--but there's at least one Linux power-user trick you should be aware of. Recompiling your Linux kernel may sound about as fun as a root canal, but it's a relatively simple process that leaves you with a leaner, faster Linux system. How? A smaller kernel--the very nucleus of the OS--takes less time to boot, takes up less space in memory, and rids you of system components you simply don't need.

Let's get more specific: At the heart of Linux is the kernel--the core code that controls every aspect of your system, divvying up resources to programs and coordinating the flow of data to and from your computer's hardware and peripherals. Unlike the Windows kernel, Linux's kernel is completely configurable. You can add and remove support for various types of hardware, optimize the kernel for your particular processor, and more.

Linux was designed to run as easily as possible "out of the box," so most versions ship already configured for every type of hardware and every networking protocol imaginable. By tailoring your Linux kernel to your particular machine and eliminating support for devices you don't own and protocols you'll never use, you can boost Linux's performance to new levels. This process is called recompiling the kernel, because after we tell Linux exactly what we want (and what we don't), we then let it compile a new, customized kernel, converting the source code into machine language your computer can understand.

For the sake of simplicity, we'll assume for this article that you're using Red Hat Linux (for instructions on installing it, see "Get Started With Linux"). But most of the kernel recompilation process is the same for all distributions (including Caldera, Debian, and Mandrake), so users running non-Red Hat flavors can benefit, too.

One warning: While recompiling the kernel isn't difficult, one wrong move can render the Linux side of your machine unbootable. Read through this entire article first, to be sure you're comfortable with the task ahead of time. If you're not, leave well enough alone; your Linux system will function fine with its default kernel. If you think you can handle it, before you do anything else, back up crucial data to removable media, and be sure you have a Linux boot disk ready in case disaster strikes (you should have created one when you installed the OS).

But if you carefully follow our instructions and pay attention to the information Linux provides--built-in help is available during the most difficult part of the process--you should pull through safely, and with a better setup to boot (pun intended).