[Software] Bullseye/Win11 DualBoot - How to compile a old version of kernel in the Bullseye partition

Hello,

I am running Debian Bullseye. For some analysis of an old codebase requiring older versions VirtualBox that in turn can only be usable with a older linux kernel (eg. v4.x), I want to compile the same on my Bullseye.


I indeed followed an older forum that explains the same, but after resolving issues with the following command, I was able to see the kernel in my boot -> Advanced Linux
As I mentioned, just running the above command after compiling the linux kernel gave an error, which I fixed by setting this:But however, booting into that kernel (4.4.31), gave me a bunch of errors on boot time such as the following:
https://forum.manjaro.org/t/proc-unreco ... alue/71561

In addition, I pretty much can't use any device except my keyboard. This I understand is because (1) I needed the firmwares and (2) the drivers for all such devices e.g. for wifi - I needed the ones for RTL8822CE. I use a Lenovo ideapad3 i5 btw.

Since I am not so much fancy the idea of seeing errors/warnings (especially when even though harmless, but been spit more than once, in which case I take those seriously), I started with first tackling all the errors/warnings outside the firmware/driver/devices issue. Basically, I de-prioritized my old kernel driver/firmware installation stuff and after googling to fix the basic boot warnings, figured out I needed to patch systemd for the above error, again mentioned below:

https://forum.manjaro.org/t/proc-unreco ... alue/71561

And learning meson/ninja and figuring out why something as simple as a unistd.h header related warning can't be handled, why meson cannot suppress --werror and all that, I fixed them (basically I added #include unistd.h in one file and then removed everything that in systemd source that had to do with --werror appended and got the systemd patched and compiled. Safely assuming those changes are just cosmetic for me, but I only found out after doing all this, systemd services will now hang at boot time waiting for its services or modules (or whatever you call it in Linux for e.g. systemd-networkd-wait-online, even while booting the existing Bullseye kernel, which used to work fine before the "systemd install ceremony".

As a side note, even though had been using Linux since 1998, I only restricted myself to retain basic command knowledge for my work, for I had to remember lots of stuff, living a life coding software, mainly Java/PHP/Python/Angular/React/Ruby and its frameworks and toolkits, I simply didn't had to do any more of the networking C development (that uses BSD Unix).

Anyways to get my linux machine up, I again googled, and found many reddit forums that asks to unmask/mask (not sure which prevents it, but did what was suggested) and also disable the same. This was just the start as I only figured out that another service would fail. Most of the reddit forums suggested against using systemd etc as Debian/Ubuntu opted for something else, but there was one forum which suggested against specifically not going the way of following the reddit forum advices, which the commenter also did long back and knew the consequences, which I assumed were not good. So there I stopped..

So now today, after 3 days of failure, but learning all the other stuff, I reinstalled Bullseye and now want to install the old kernel again. But to be sure not to fall into the same pitfalls, I now need the basic questions answered first, if you would please:

• Is it advisable to compile and use drivers (assuming I can get all these drivers/firmware online) for an older kernel such as v4.4.31 on Debian Bullseye. I do noticed now (strangely google would not show this as the top result), the actual guide to do this, which would have saved me lots of googling, but anyways that I believe google does profiling and did a racial profiling, figured I am from India, so their algorithms chose the way of - why bother giving this right away, when they can make me follow all links with more ads related to realestate, mutual funds and all that our "big brass" is trying to see, and hence more revenue, so just made me run around in circles. Anyways, I only assume it and can tell that with some certainty as after installing Bullseye again deleting my old partition and then using firefox (instead of google chrome), I straight up ended with this link, so perhaps right to blame google. Coincidentally, google also keeps sending its usage-legal-verbiage-consent-if-you-read-it-then-you-approve-its-actions-sort-of emails to my google accounts gmail (I ignore it given that in any case, google doesn't have jurisdiction in India, which being part of non-alignment movement has no interests in what NATO/CENTO/SEATO countries do, but then those profiles I used for the searching previously in the older system installation and hence the racial profiling, I guess. But then it is a bloody capitalistic business, so let it be. Legally, well no, nothing can be done, you are from another country, that much I know. Anyway, please pardon me for all this anti-google propoganda, but I do dislike google and given that I am from the AltaVista era, and I know I use Tor and use openvpn and duckduckgo and all that stuff, but that's just me to use google (may be because I like the idea of sleeping with the enemy, only that I am allowed to say, sorry).
  https://kernel-team.pages.debian.net/ke ... n-official

• Should I use systemd at all for either bullseye or the older kernel or replace it with the whatever-debian-uses?

• What are my chances of, assuming I can do the above two, getting firmware and drivers. I know "I am on my own" in this, but a direct answer from debian will be great.

Thanks for reading my long mail. But I had been faithful and happy using Linux for all my work needs, but then now I am on my own with this one requirement I have. Hope to hear from you soon.

Statistics: Posted by welldonewisher — 2024-07-18 04:08 — Replies 1 — Views 34

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