Guide to Compile Android Kernel

Guide on Compiling Android Kernel from Source

This guide will walk you through the process of compiling the Android kernel from its source code. By compiling the kernel yourself, you gain the ability to customize and optimize it for your specific device. Before we begin, make sure you have all the required tools and dependencies installed on your computer.

Table of Contents

1. Prerequisites
2. Downloading the Source Code
3. Configuring the Kernel
4. Compiling the Kernel
5. Installing the Kernel

Prerequisites

To compile the Android kernel, you’ll need the following tools and dependencies:

• A Linux-based operating system (Ubuntu, Fedora, etc.)
• Git
• Build-essential package
• ncurses-dev package
• Android NDK
• Android SDK

Install these packages using your preferred package manager.

Downloading the Source Code

1. First, create a working directory for the kernel source code:

mkdir ~/android_kernel
cd ~/android_kernel

1. Clone the Android kernel source code from the official repository:

git clone <repository-url> 

Replace <repository-url> with the correct URL for your device’s kernel.

Configuring the Kernel

1. Navigate to the kernel source directory:

cd msm

1. Run the following command to configure the kernel:

make ARCH=arm64 CROSS_COMPILE=~/android-ndk-r21d/toolchains/<ndk-path>

Replace <ndk-path> with the correct path to your Android NDK on your system.

1. To further customize your kernel, run:

make menuconfig

This will open a graphical interface for kernel configuration.

Compiling the Kernel

1. To compile the kernel, run:

make -j$(nproc) ARCH=arm64 CROSS_COMPILE=~/android-ndk-r21d/toolchains/<ndk-path>

Replace <ndk-path> with the correct path to your Android NDK on your system.

1. Wait for the compilation process to complete. This may take a while depending on your system’s resources.

Installing the Kernel

1. Locate the compiled kernel image in the arch/arm64/boot directory. It is usually named <kernel-image>.

2. Copy the kernel image to your pc.

3. Boot into fastboot.

4. Flash the kernel image using the following command:

fastboot flash boot <kernel-image>

1. Reboot your device.

2. Done!

Congratulations! You have successfully compiled and installed the Android kernel from source.

• Please note that I’ve replaced and with placeholders. Make sure to replace them with the correct values before using the code.

Sources

• [The Quint]
• [Youtube]
• [Ventures Africa]
• [Technext24]
• [Twitter]
• [Hot Hardware]
• [Tech Spot]
• [Hackmd]
• [Fresh Plaza]