How to Set Up Debian 7.3 and Compile the Linux 3.2.54 Kernel

1. Choose a Linux Distribution

The author tried many distributions (Gentoo, Arch, Fedora) and finally selected Debian 7.3 because of its free design philosophy, strong community support, and a large package repository. Debian 7.3 (released Dec 2013) uses kernel 3.2, which is sufficient for compiling newer kernels.

2. Choose the Host Environment

Two host setups are described:

Windows 7 + VMware 10.0.1 with a Debian 7.3 virtual machine.

A physical x86‑64 machine dual‑booting Windows 7 and Debian 7.3.

VMware is convenient for most users, while a real machine is required for testing hardware‑related drivers.

3. Install Debian 7.3

Download the Debian DVD ISO (≈3 GB) from www.debian.org/CD/http-ftp. For VMware, attach the ISO as a virtual CD‑ROM; for a physical machine, create a bootable USB using Universal‑USB‑Installer (v1.9.5.1).

Installation steps (both VM and real machine):

Select "Advanced options" → "Expert install".

Use default language and keyboard (English).

Load installer components from the CD/ISO.

Set up a non‑root user (use sudo for privileged actions).

Manually partition the disk (e.g., a single / partition, ext4, 20 GB).

Choose the kernel package linux-image-3.2.0-4-amd64.

Skip network mirrors and optional services.

Install only "Standard system utilities".

Install the GRUB2 boot loader.

4. Install Development Tools

Configure apt sources to use the DVD as a local repository:

Mount the ISO: sudo mount /dev/cdrom /media/cdrom Add the CD source: sudo apt-cdrom add Update the package list: sudo apt-get update Install essential packages:

Vim: sudo apt-get install vim (replace vim.tiny with full Vim).

Configure Vim ( /etc/vim/vimrc) with settings such as set nobackup, set ts=4, set autoindent, set cindent, set shiftwidth=4, syntax on.

Build tools: sudo apt-get install build-essential (gcc, g++, make).

Kernel headers: sudo apt-get install linux-headers-3.2.0-4-amd64.

ncurses development library: sudo apt-get install libncurses5-dev (required for kernel configuration scripts).

Git: sudo apt-get install git and configure user name/email.

git config --global user.name "Your Name"
git config --global user.email "[email protected]"

5. Build the Linux Kernel

Select a kernel version from www.kernel.org. The author chose linux-3.2.54.tar.xz to stay close to the Debian 7.3 kernel (3.2) while getting the latest patches.

Prepare the source:

sudo tar -xvf /mnt/hgfs/workspace/linux-3.2.54.tar.xz -C /usr/src

Rename the source directory and adjust the Makefile to add the .x86_64 suffix:

sudo mv /usr/src/linux-3.2.54 /usr/src/linux-3.2.54.x86_64
sudo vim /usr/src/linux-3.2.54.x86_64/Makefile   # edit EXTRAVERSION to ".x86_64"

Copy the current Debian kernel configuration as a starting point:

sudo cp /boot/config-3.2.0-4-amd64 /usr/src/linux-3.2.54.x86_64/.config
cd /usr/src/linux-3.2.54.x86_64
sudo make menuconfig   # accept defaults or adjust as needed

Compile and install the kernel:

sudo make
sudo make modules_install
sudo make install

The make install step copies the kernel image to /boot, generates an initramfs, and updates GRUB. After reboot, select the new entry (e.g., 3.2.54.x86_64) and verify with uname -r.

If compilation fails due to optional drivers (e.g., drivers/staging/rts5139), disable them via make menuconfig and re‑run make.

6. Fix VMware Tools After Kernel Rebuild

Rebuilding the kernel breaks the VMware Tools shared‑folder module. Reconfigure it with:

sudo vmware-config-tools.pl   # accept defaults

After this, the shared folder functionality works again.

With the environment ready and the kernel compiled, you can now begin deeper Linux kernel studies.