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# How to add a new (major) version of the Linux kernel to Nixpkgs:
1. Copy the old Nix expression (e.g., `linux-2.6.21.nix`) to the new one (e.g., `linux-2.6.22.nix`) and update it.
2. Add the new kernel to the `kernels` attribute set in [`linux-kernels.nix`](./linux-kernels.nix) (e.g., create an attribute `kernel_2_6_22`).
3. Update the kernel configuration. First unpack the kernel. Then for each supported platform (`i686`, `x86_64`, `uml`) do the following:
1. Make a copy from the old config (e.g., `config-2.6.21-i686-smp`) to the new one (e.g., `config-2.6.22-i686-smp`).
2. Copy the config file for this platform (e.g., `config-2.6.22-i686-smp`) to `.config` in the kernel source tree.
3. Run `make oldconfig ARCH={i386,x86_64,um}` and answer all questions. (For the uml configuration, also add `SHELL=bash`.) Make sure to keep the configuration consistent between platforms (i.e., don’t enable some feature on `i686` and disable it on `x86_64`).
4. If needed, you can also run `make menuconfig`:
```ShellSession
$ nix-env -f "<nixpkgs>" -iA ncurses
$ export NIX_CFLAGS_LINK=-lncurses
$ make menuconfig ARCH=arch
```
5. Copy `.config` over the new config file (e.g., `config-2.6.22-i686-smp`).
4. Test building the kernel:
```ShellSession
nix-build -A linuxKernel.kernels.kernel_2_6_22
```
If it compiles, ship it! For extra credit, try booting NixOS with it.
5. It may be that the new kernel requires updating the external kernel modules and kernel-dependent packages listed in the `linuxPackagesFor` function in `linux-kernels.nix` (such as the NVIDIA drivers, AUFS, etc.). If the updated packages aren’t backwards compatible with older kernels, you may need to keep the older versions around.
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