CONFIG_SMP
  This enables support for systems with more than one CPU. If you have
  a system with only one CPU, like most personal computers, say N. If
  you have a system with more than one CPU, say Y.

  If you say N here, the kernel will run on single and multiprocessor
  machines, but will use only one CPU of a multiprocessor machine. If
  you say Y here, the kernel will run on many, but not all,
  singleprocessor machines. On a singleprocessor machine, the kernel
  will run faster if you say N here.

  Note that if you say Y here and choose architecture "586" or
  "Pentium" under "Processor family", the kernel will not work on 486
  architectures. Similarly, multiprocessor kernels for the "PPro"
  architecture may not work on all Pentium based boards.

  People using multiprocessor machines who say Y here should also say
  Y to "Enhanced Real Time Clock Support", below. The "Advanced Power
  Management" code will be disabled if you say Y here.

  See also the <file:Documentation/smp.tex>,
  <file:Documentation/smp.txt>, <file:Documentation/i386/IO-APIC.txt>,
  <file:Documentation/nmi_watchdog.txt> and the SMP-HOWTO available at
  <http://www.linuxdoc.org/docs.html#howto>.

  If you don't know what to do here, say N.

CONFIG_SPARC32
  SPARC is a family of RISC microprocessors designed and marketed by
  Sun Microsystems, incorporated.  They are very widely found in Sun
  workstations and clones. This port covers the original 32-bit SPARC;
  it is old and stable and usually considered one of the "big three"
  along with the Intel and Alpha ports.  The UltraLinux project
  maintains both the SPARC32 and SPARC64 ports; its web page is
  available at <http://www.ultralinux.org/>.

SPARC power management support
CONFIG_SUN_PM
  Enable power management and CPU standby features on supported 
  SPARC platforms. 

CONFIG_BLK_DEV_FD
  If you want to use the floppy disk drive(s) of your PC under Linux,
  say Y. Information about this driver, especially important for IBM
  Thinkpad users, is contained in <file:Documentation/floppy.txt>.
  That file also contains the location of the Floppy driver FAQ as
  well as location of the fdutils package used to configure additional
  parameters of the driver at run time.

  This driver is also available as a module ( = code which can be
  inserted in and removed from the running kernel whenever you want).
  The module will be called floppy.o. If you want to compile it as a
  module, say M here and read <file:Documentation/modules.txt>.

CONFIG_BLK_DEV_RAM
  Saying Y here will allow you to use a portion of your RAM memory as
  a block device, so that you can make file systems on it, read and
  write to it and do all the other things that you can do with normal
  block devices (such as hard drives). It is usually used to load and
  store a copy of a minimal root file system off of a floppy into RAM
  during the initial install of Linux.

  Note that the kernel command line option "ramdisk=XX" is now
  obsolete. For details, read <file:Documentation/ramdisk.txt>.

  If you want to compile this as a module ( = code which can be
  inserted in and removed from the running kernel whenever you want),
  say M and read <file:Documentation/modules.txt>. The module will be
  called rd.o.

  Most normal users won't need the RAM disk functionality, and can
  thus say N here.

CONFIG_BLK_DEV_RAM_SIZE
  The default value is 4096. Only change this if you know what are
  you doing. If you are using IBM S/390, then set this to 8192.

CONFIG_BLK_DEV_INITRD
  The initial RAM disk is a RAM disk that is loaded by the boot loader
  (loadlin or lilo) and that is mounted as root before the normal boot
  procedure. It is typically used to load modules needed to mount the
  "real" root file system, etc. See <file:Documentation/initrd.txt>
  for details.

CONFIG_BLK_DEV_LOOP
  Saying Y here will allow you to use a regular file as a block
  device; you can then create a file system on that block device and
  mount it just as you would mount other block devices such as hard
  drive partitions, CD-ROM drives or floppy drives. The loop devices
  are block special device files with major number 7 and typically
  called /dev/loop0, /dev/loop1 etc.

  This is useful if you want to check an ISO 9660 file system before
  burning the CD, or if you want to use floppy images without first
  writing them to floppy. Furthermore, some Linux distributions avoid
  the need for a dedicated Linux partition by keeping their complete
  root file system inside a DOS FAT file using this loop device
  driver.

  The loop device driver can also be used to "hide" a file system in a
  disk partition, floppy, or regular file, either using encryption
  (scrambling the data) or steganography (hiding the data in the low
  bits of, say, a sound file). This is also safe if the file resides
  on a remote file server. If you want to do this, you will first have
  to acquire and install a kernel patch from
  <ftp://ftp.kerneli.org/pub/kerneli/>, and then you need to
  say Y to this option.

  Note that alternative ways to use encrypted file systems are
  provided by the cfs package, which can be gotten from
  <ftp://ftp.kerneli.org/pub/kerneli/net-source/>, and the newer tcfs
  package, available at <http://tcfs.dia.unisa.it/>. You do not need
  to say Y here if you want to use one of these. However, using cfs
  requires saying Y to "NFS file system support" below while using
  tcfs requires applying a kernel patch. An alternative steganography
  solution is provided by StegFS, also available from
  <ftp://ftp.kerneli.org/pub/kerneli/net-source/>.

  To use the loop device, you need the losetup utility and a recent
  version of the mount program, both contained in the util-linux
  package. The location and current version number of util-linux is
  contained in the file <file:Documentation/Changes>.

  Note that this loop device has nothing to do with the loopback
  device used for network connections from the machine to itself.

  If you want to compile this driver as a module ( = code which can be
  inserted in and removed from the running kernel whenever you want),
  say M here and read <file:Documentation/modules.txt>. The module
  will be called loop.o.

  Most users will answer N here.

CONFIG_BLK_DEV_NBD
  Saying Y here will allow your computer to be a client for network
  block devices, i.e. it will be able to use block devices exported by
  servers (mount file systems on them etc.). Communication between
  client and server works over TCP/IP networking, but to the client
  program this is hidden: it looks like a regular local file access to
  a block device special file such as /dev/nd0.

  Network block devices also allows you to run a block-device in
  userland (making server and client physically the same computer,
  communicating using the loopback network device).

  Read <file:Documentation/nbd.txt> for more information, especially
  about where to find the server code, which runs in user space and
  does not need special kernel support.

  Note that this has nothing to do with the network file systems NFS
  or Coda; you can say N here even if you intend to use NFS or Coda.

  If you want to compile this driver as a module ( = code which can be
  inserted in and removed from the running kernel whenever you want),
  say M here and read <file:Documentation/modules.txt>. The module
  will be called nbd.o.

  If unsure, say N.

CONFIG_IDE
  If you say Y here, your kernel will be able to manage low cost mass
  storage units such as ATA/(E)IDE and ATAPI units. The most common
  cases are IDE hard drives and ATAPI CD-ROM drives.

  If your system is pure SCSI and doesn't use these interfaces, you
  can say N here.

  Integrated Disk Electronics (IDE aka ATA-1) is a connecting standard
  for mass storage units such as hard disks. It was designed by
  Western Digital and Compaq Computer in 1984. It was then named
  ST506. Quite a number of disks use the IDE interface.

  AT Attachment (ATA) is the superset of the IDE specifications.
  ST506 was also called ATA-1.

  Fast-IDE is ATA-2 (also named Fast ATA), Enhanced IDE (EIDE) is
  ATA-3. It provides support for larger disks (up to 8.4GB by means of
  the LBA standard), more disks (4 instead of 2) and for other mass
  storage units such as tapes and cdrom. UDMA/33 (aka UltraDMA/33) is
  ATA-4 and provides faster (and more CPU friendly) transfer modes
  than previous PIO (Programmed processor Input/Output) from previous
  ATA/IDE standards by means of fast DMA controllers.

  ATA Packet Interface (ATAPI) is a protocol used by EIDE tape and
  CD-ROM drives, similar in many respects to the SCSI protocol.

  SMART IDE (Self Monitoring, Analysis and Reporting Technology) was
  designed in order to prevent data corruption and disk crash by
  detecting pre hardware failure conditions (heat, access time, and
  the like...). Disks built since June 1995 may follow this standard.
  The kernel itself don't manage this; however there are quite a
  number of user programs such as smart that can query the status of
  SMART parameters disk.

  If you want to compile this driver as a module ( = code which can be
  inserted in and removed from the running kernel whenever you want),
  say M here and read <file:Documentation/modules.txt>. The module
  will be called ide.o.

  For further information, please read <file:Documentation/ide.txt>.

  If unsure, say Y.

CONFIG_BLK_DEV_LVM
  This driver lets you combine several hard disks, hard disk
  partitions, multiple devices or even loop devices (for evaluation
  purposes) into a volume group.  Imagine a volume group as a kind of
  virtual disk. Logical volumes, which can be thought of as virtual
  partitions, can be created in the volume group.  You can resize
  volume groups and logical volumes after creation time, corresponding
  to new capacity needs.  Logical volumes are accessed as block
  devices named /dev/VolumeGroupName/LogicalVolumeName.

  For details see <file:Documentation/LVM-HOWTO>.  You will need
  supporting user space software; location is in
  <file:Documentation/Changes>.

  If you want to compile this support as a module ( = code which can
  be inserted in and removed from the running kernel whenever you
  want), say M here and read <file:Documentation/modules.txt>.  The
  module will be called lvm-mod.o.

CONFIG_ISA
  Find out whether you have ISA slots on your motherboard.  ISA is the
  name of a bus system, i.e. the way the CPU talks to the other stuff
  inside your box.  Other bus systems are PCI, EISA, MicroChannel
  (MCA) or VESA.  ISA is an older system, now being displaced by PCI;
  newer boards don't support it.  If you have ISA, say Y, otherwise N.

CONFIG_PCI
  Find out whether you have a PCI motherboard. PCI is the name of a
  bus system, i.e. the way the CPU talks to the other stuff inside
  your box. Other bus systems are ISA, EISA, MicroChannel (MCA) or
  VESA. If you have PCI, say Y, otherwise N.

  The PCI-HOWTO, available from
  <http://www.linuxdoc.org/docs.html#howto>, contains valuable
  information about which PCI hardware does work under Linux and which
  doesn't.

CONFIG_MCA
  MicroChannel Architecture is found in some IBM PS/2 machines and
  laptops.  It is a bus system similar to PCI or ISA. See
  <file:Documentation/mca.txt> (and especially the web page given
  there) before attempting to build an MCA bus kernel.

CONFIG_EISA
  The Extended Industry Standard Architecture (EISA) bus was
  developed as an open alternative to the IBM MicroChannel bus.

  The EISA bus provided some of the features of the IBM MicroChannel
  bus while maintaining backward compatibility with cards made for
  the older ISA bus.  The EISA bus saw limited use between 1988 and
  1995 when it was made obsolete by the PCI bus.

  Say Y here if you are building a kernel for an EISA-based machine.

  Otherwise, say N.

CONFIG_PCMCIA
  Say Y here if you want to attach PCMCIA- or PC-cards to your Linux
  computer.  These are credit-card size devices such as network cards,
  modems or hard drives often used with laptops computers.  There are
  actually two varieties of these cards: the older 16 bit PCMCIA cards
  and the newer 32 bit CardBus cards.  If you want to use CardBus
  cards, you need to say Y here and also to "CardBus support" below.

  To use your PC-cards, you will need supporting software from David
  Hinds' pcmcia-cs package (see the file <file:Documentation/Changes>
  for location).  Please also read the PCMCIA-HOWTO, available from
  <http://www.linuxdoc.org/docs.html#howto>.

  This driver is also available as a module ( = code which can be
  inserted in and removed from the running kernel whenever you want).
  When compiled this way, there will be modules called pcmcia_core.o
  and ds.o.  If you want to compile it as a module, say M here and
  read <file:Documentation/modules.txt>.

CONFIG_KCORE_ELF
  If you enabled support for /proc file system then the file
  /proc/kcore will contain the kernel core image. This can be used
  in gdb:

  $ cd /usr/src/linux ; gdb vmlinux /proc/kcore

  You have two choices here: ELF and A.OUT. Selecting ELF will make
  /proc/kcore appear in ELF core format as defined by the Executable
  and Linking Format specification. Selecting A.OUT will choose the
  old "a.out" format which may be necessary for some old versions
  of binutils or on some architectures.

  This is especially useful if you have compiled the kernel with the
  "-g" option to preserve debugging information. It is mainly used
  for examining kernel data structures on the live kernel so if you
  don't understand what this means or are not a kernel hacker, just
  leave it at its default value ELF.

CONFIG_BINFMT_ELF
  ELF (Executable and Linkable Format) is a format for libraries and
  executables used across different architectures and operating
  systems. Saying Y here will enable your kernel to run ELF binaries
  and enlarge it by about 13 KB. ELF support under Linux has now all
  but replaced the traditional Linux a.out formats (QMAGIC and ZMAGIC)
  because it is portable (this does *not* mean that you will be able
  to run executables from different architectures or operating systems
  however) and makes building run-time libraries very easy. Many new
  executables are distributed solely in ELF format. You definitely
  want to say Y here.

  Information about ELF is contained in the ELF HOWTO available from
  <http://www.linuxdoc.org/docs.html#howto>.

  If you find that after upgrading from Linux kernel 1.2 and saying Y
  here, you still can't run any ELF binaries (they just crash), then
  you'll have to install the newest ELF runtime libraries, including
  ld.so (check the file <file:Documentation/Changes> for location and
  latest version).

  If you want to compile this as a module ( = code which can be
  inserted in and removed from the running kernel whenever you want),
  say M here and read <file:Documentation/modules.txt>.  The module
  will be called binfmt_elf.o. Saying M or N here is dangerous because
  some crucial programs on your system might be in ELF format.

CONFIG_BINFMT_AOUT
  A.out (Assembler.OUTput) is a set of formats for libraries and
  executables used in the earliest versions of UNIX. Linux used the
  a.out formats QMAGIC and ZMAGIC until they were replaced with the
  ELF format.

  As more and more programs are converted to ELF, the use for a.out
  will gradually diminish. If you disable this option it will reduce
  your kernel by one page. This is not much and by itself does not
  warrant removing support. However its removal is a good idea if you
  wish to ensure that absolutely none of your programs will use this
  older executable format. If you don't know what to answer at this
  point then answer Y. If someone told you "You need a kernel with
  QMAGIC support" then you'll have to say Y here. You may answer M to
  compile a.out support as a module and later load the module when you
  want to use a program or library in a.out format. The module will be
  called binfmt_aout.o. Saying M or N here is dangerous though,
  because some crucial programs on your system might still be in A.OUT
  format.

CONFIG_BINFMT_MISC
  If you say Y here, it will be possible to plug wrapper-driven binary
  formats into the kernel. You will like this especially when you use
  programs that need an interpreter to run like Java, Python or
  Emacs-Lisp. It's also useful if you often run DOS executables under
  the Linux DOS emulator DOSEMU (read the DOSEMU-HOWTO, available from
  <http://www.linuxdoc.org/docs.html#howto>). Once you have
  registered such a binary class with the kernel, you can start one of
  those programs simply by typing in its name at a shell prompt; Linux
  will automatically feed it to the correct interpreter.

  You can do other nice things, too. Read the file
  <file:Documentation/binfmt_misc.txt> to learn how to use this
  feature, and <file:Documentation/java.txt> for information about how
  to include Java support.

  You must say Y to "/proc file system support" (CONFIG_PROC_FS) to
  use this part of the kernel.

  You may say M here for module support and later load the module when
  you have use for it; the module is called binfmt_misc.o. If you
  don't know what to answer at this point, say Y.

CONFIG_SCSI
  If you want to use a SCSI hard disk, SCSI tape drive, SCSI CD-ROM or
  any other SCSI device under Linux, say Y and make sure that you know
  the name of your SCSI host adapter (the card inside your computer
  that "speaks" the SCSI protocol, also called SCSI controller),
  because you will be asked for it.

  You also need to say Y here if you want support for the parallel
  port version of the 100 MB IOMEGA ZIP drive.

  This driver is also available as a module ( = code which can be
  inserted in and removed from the running kernel whenever you want).
  The module will be called scsi_mod.o.  If you want to compile it as
  a module, say M here and read <file:Documentation/modules.txt> and
  <file:Documentation/scsi.txt>.  However, do not compile this as a
  module if your root file system (the one containing the directory /)
  is located on a SCSI device.

CONFIG_BLK_DEV_SD
  If you want to use a SCSI hard disk or the SCSI or parallel port
  version of the IOMEGA ZIP drive under Linux, say Y and read the
  SCSI-HOWTO, the Disk-HOWTO and the Multi-Disk-HOWTO, available from
  <http://www.linuxdoc.org/docs.html#howto>. This is NOT for SCSI
  CD-ROMs.

  This driver is also available as a module ( = code which can be
  inserted in and removed from the running kernel whenever you want).
  The module will be called sd_mod.o.  If you want to compile it as a
  module, say M here and read <file:Documentation/modules.txt> and
  <file:Documentation/scsi.txt>.  Do not compile this driver as a
  module if your root file system (the one containing the directory /)
  is located on a SCSI disk. In this case, do not compile the driver
  for your SCSI host adapter (below) as a module either.

CONFIG_SD_EXTRA_DEVS
  This controls the amount of additional space allocated in tables for
  drivers that are loaded as modules after the kernel is booted.  In
  the event that the SCSI core itself was loaded as a module, this
  value is the number of additional disks that can be loaded after the
  first host driver is loaded.

  Admittedly this isn't pretty, but there are tons of race conditions
  involved with resizing the internal arrays on the fly.  Someday this
  flag will go away, and everything will work automatically.

  If you don't understand what's going on, go with the default.

CONFIG_CHR_DEV_ST
  If you want to use a SCSI tape drive under Linux, say Y and read the
  SCSI-HOWTO, available from
  <http://www.linuxdoc.org/docs.html#howto>, and
  <file:drivers/scsi/README.st> in the kernel source.  This is NOT for
  SCSI CD-ROMs.

  This driver is also available as a module ( = code which can be
  inserted in and removed from the running kernel whenever you want).
  The module will be called st.o. If you want to compile it as a
  module, say M here and read <file:Documentation/modules.txt> and
  <file:Documentation/scsi.txt>.

CONFIG_CHR_DEV_OSST
  The OnStream SC-x0 SCSI tape drives can not be driven by the
  standard st driver, but instead need this special osst driver and
  use the  /dev/osstX char device nodes (major 206).  Via usb-storage
  and ide-scsi, you may be able to drive the USB-x0 and DI-x0 drives
  as well.  Note that there is also a second generation of OnStream
  tape drives (ADR-x0) that supports the standard SCSI-2 commands for
  tapes (QIC-157) and can be driven by the standard driver st.
  For more information, you may have a look at the SCSI-HOWTO
  <http://www.linuxdoc.org/docs.html#howto>  and
  <file:drivers/scsi/README.osst>  in the kernel source.
  More info on the OnStream driver may be found on
  <http://linux1.onstream.nl/test/>
  Please also have a look at the standard st docu, as most of it
  applies to osst as well.

  This driver is also available as a module ( = code which can be
  inserted in and removed from the running kernel whenever you want).
  The module will be called osst.o. If you want to compile it as a
  module, say M here and read <file:Documentation/modules.txt> and
  <file:Documentation/scsi.txt>.

CONFIG_BLK_DEV_SR
  If you want to use a SCSI CD-ROM under Linux, say Y and read the
  SCSI-HOWTO and the CD-ROM-HOWTO at
  <http://www.linuxdoc.org/docs.html#howto>. Also make sure to say Y
  or M to "ISO 9660 CD-ROM file system support" later.

  This driver is also available as a module ( = code which can be
  inserted in and removed from the running kernel whenever you want).
  The module will be called sr_mod.o. If you want to compile it as a
  module, say M here and read <file:Documentation/modules.txt> and
  <file:Documentation/scsi.txt>.

CONFIG_SR_EXTRA_DEVS
  This controls the amount of additional space allocated in tables for
  drivers that are loaded as modules after the kernel is booted. In
  the event that the SCSI core itself was loaded as a module, this
  value is the number of additional CD-ROMs that can be loaded after
  the first host driver is loaded.

  Admittedly this isn't pretty, but there are tons of race conditions
  involved with resizing the internal arrays on the fly.  Someday this
  flag will go away, and everything will work automatically.

  If you don't understand what's going on, go with the default.

CONFIG_BLK_DEV_SR_VENDOR
  This enables the usage of vendor specific SCSI commands. This is
  required to support multisession CDs with old NEC/TOSHIBA cdrom
  drives (and HP Writers). If you have such a drive and get the first
  session only, try saying Y here; everybody else says N.

CONFIG_CHR_DEV_SG
  If you want to use SCSI scanners, synthesizers or CD-writers or just
  about anything having "SCSI" in its name other than hard disks,
  CD-ROMs or tapes, say Y here. These won't be supported by the kernel
  directly, so you need some additional software which knows how to
  talk to these devices using the SCSI protocol:

  For scanners, look at SANE (<http://www.mostang.com/sane/>). For CD
  writer software look at Cdrtools
  (<http://www.fokus.gmd.de/research/cc/glone/employees/joerg.schilling/private/cdrecord.html>)
  and for burning a "disk at once": CDRDAO
  (<http://cdrdao.sourceforge.net/>). Cdparanoia is a high
  quality digital reader of audio CDs (<http://www.xiph.org/paranoia/>).
  For other devices, it's possible that you'll have to write the
  driver software yourself. Please read the file
  <file:Documentation/scsi-generic.txt> for more information.

  If you want to compile this as a module ( = code which can be
  inserted in and removed from the running kernel whenever you want),
  say M here and read <file:Documentation/modules.txt> and
  <file:Documentation/scsi.txt>. The module will be called sg.o. If unsure,
  say N.

CONFIG_SCSI_MULTI_LUN
  If you have a SCSI device that supports more than one LUN (Logical
  Unit Number), e.g. a CD jukebox, and only one LUN is detected, you
  can say Y here to force the SCSI driver to probe for multiple LUNs.
  A SCSI device with multiple LUNs acts logically like multiple SCSI
  devices. The vast majority of SCSI devices have only one LUN, and
  so most people can say N here and should in fact do so, because it
  is safer.

CONFIG_SCSI_CONSTANTS
  The error messages regarding your SCSI hardware will be easier to
  understand if you say Y here; it will enlarge your kernel by about
  12 KB. If in doubt, say Y.

CONFIG_SCSI_LOGGING
  This turns on a logging facility that can be used to debug a number
  of SCSI related problems.

  If you say Y here, no logging output will appear by default, but you
  can enable logging by saying Y to "/proc file system support" and
  "Sysctl support" below and executing the command

     echo "scsi log token [level]" > /proc/scsi/scsi

  at boot time after the /proc file system has been mounted.

  There are a number of things that can be used for 'token' (you can
  find them in the source: <file:drivers/scsi/scsi.c>), and this
  allows you to select the types of information you want, and the
  level allows you to select the level of verbosity.

  If you say N here, it may be harder to track down some types of SCSI
  problems. If you say Y here your kernel will be somewhat larger, but
  there should be no noticeable performance impact as long as you have
  logging turned off.

CONFIG_NETDEVICES
  You can say N here if you don't intend to connect your Linux box to
  any other computer at all or if all your connections will be over a
  telephone line with a modem either via UUCP (UUCP is a protocol to
  forward mail and news between unix hosts over telephone lines; read
  the UUCP-HOWTO, available from
  <http://www.linuxdoc.org/docs.html#howto>) or dialing up a shell
  account or a BBS, even using term (term is a program which gives you
  almost full Internet connectivity if you have a regular dial up
  shell account on some Internet connected Unix computer. Read
  <http://www.bart.nl/~patrickr/term-howto/Term-HOWTO.html>).

  You'll have to say Y if your computer contains a network card that
  you want to use under Linux (make sure you know its name because you
  will be asked for it and read the Ethernet-HOWTO (especially if you
  plan to use more than one network card under Linux)) or if you want
  to use SLIP (Serial Line Internet Protocol is the protocol used to
  send Internet traffic over telephone lines or null modem cables) or
  CSLIP (compressed SLIP) or PPP (Point to Point Protocol, a better
  and newer replacement for SLIP) or PLIP (Parallel Line Internet
  Protocol is mainly used to create a mini network by connecting the
  parallel ports of two local machines) or AX.25/KISS (protocol for
  sending Internet traffic over amateur radio links).

  Make sure to read the NET-3-HOWTO. Eventually, you will have to read
  Olaf Kirch's excellent and free book "Network Administrator's
  Guide", to be found in <http://www.linuxdoc.org/docs.html#guide>. If
  unsure, say Y.

CONFIG_DUMMY
  This is essentially a bit-bucket device (i.e. traffic you send to
  this device is consigned into oblivion) with a configurable IP
  address. It is most commonly used in order to make your currently
  inactive SLIP address seem like a real address for local programs.
  If you use SLIP or PPP, you might want to say Y here. Since this
  thing often comes in handy, the default is Y. It won't enlarge your
  kernel either. What a deal. Read about it in the Network
  Administrator's Guide, available from
  <http://www.linuxdoc.org/docs.html#guide>.

  If you want to compile this as a module ( = code which can be
  inserted in and removed from the running kernel whenever you want),
  say M here and read <file:Documentation/modules.txt>.  The module
  will be called dummy.o.  If you want to use more than one dummy
  device at a time, you need to compile this driver as a module.
  Instead of 'dummy', the devices will then be called 'dummy0',
  'dummy1' etc.

CONFIG_BONDING
  Say 'Y' or 'M' if you wish to be able to 'bond' multiple Ethernet
  Channels together. This is called 'Etherchannel' by Cisco,
  'Trunking' by Sun, and 'Bonding' in Linux.

  If you have two Ethernet connections to some other computer, you can
  make them behave like one double speed connection using this driver.
  Naturally, this has to be supported at the other end as well, either
  with a similar Bonding Linux driver, a Cisco 5500 switch or a
  SunTrunking SunSoft driver.

  This is similar to the EQL driver, but it merges Ethernet segments
  instead of serial lines.

  If you want to compile this as a module ( = code which can be
  inserted in and removed from the running kernel whenever you want),
  say M here and read <file:Documentation/modules.txt>.  The module
  will be called bonding.o.

CONFIG_SLIP
  Say Y if you intend to use SLIP or CSLIP (compressed SLIP) to
  connect to your Internet service provider or to connect to some
  other local Unix box or if you want to configure your Linux box as a
  Slip/CSlip server for other people to dial in. SLIP (Serial Line
  Internet Protocol) is a protocol used to send Internet traffic over
  serial connections such as telephone lines or null modem cables;
  nowadays, the protocol PPP is more commonly used for this same
  purpose.

  Normally, your access provider has to support SLIP in order for you
  to be able to use it, but there is now a SLIP emulator called SLiRP
  around (available from
  <ftp://ibiblio.org/pub/Linux/system/network/serial/>) which
  allows you to use SLIP over a regular dial up shell connection. If
  you plan to use SLiRP, make sure to say Y to CSLIP, below. The
  NET-3-HOWTO, available from
  <http://www.linuxdoc.org/docs.html#howto>, explains how to
  configure SLIP. Note that you don't need this option if you just
  want to run term (term is a program which gives you almost full
  Internet connectivity if you have a regular dial up shell account on
  some Internet connected Unix computer. Read
  <http://www.bart.nl/~patrickr/term-howto/Term-HOWTO.html>). SLIP
  support will enlarge your kernel by about 4 KB. If unsure, say N.

  If you want to compile this as a module ( = code which can be
  inserted in and removed from the running kernel whenever you want),
  say M here and read <file:Documentation/modules.txt> as well as
  <file:Documentation/networking/net-modules.txt>. The module will be
  called slip.o.

CONFIG_SLIP_COMPRESSED
  This protocol is faster than SLIP because it uses compression on the
  TCP/IP headers (not on the data itself), but it has to be supported
  on both ends. Ask your access provider if you are not sure and
  answer Y, just in case. You will still be able to use plain SLIP. If
  you plan to use SLiRP, the SLIP emulator (available from
  <ftp://ibiblio.org/pub/Linux/system/network/serial/>) which
  allows you to use SLIP over a regular dial up shell connection, you
  definitely want to say Y here. The NET-3-HOWTO, available from
  <http://www.linuxdoc.org/docs.html#howto>, explains how to configure
  CSLIP. This won't enlarge your kernel.

CONFIG_SLIP_SMART
  Adds additional capabilities to the SLIP driver to support the
  RELCOM line fill and keepalive monitoring. Ideal on poor quality
  analogue lines.

CONFIG_SLIP_MODE_SLIP6
  Just occasionally you may need to run IP over hostile serial
  networks that don't pass all control characters or are only seven
  bit. Saying Y here adds an extra mode you can use with SLIP:
  "slip6". In this mode, SLIP will only send normal ASCII symbols over
  the serial device. Naturally, this has to be supported at the other
  end of the link as well. It's good enough, for example, to run IP
  over the async ports of a Camtec JNT Pad. If unsure, say N.

CONFIG_PPP
  PPP (Point to Point Protocol) is a newer and better SLIP.  It serves
  the same purpose: sending Internet traffic over telephone (and other
  serial) lines.  Ask your access provider if they support it, because
  otherwise you can't use it; most Internet access providers these
  days support PPP rather than SLIP.

  To use PPP, you need an additional program called pppd as described
  in the PPP-HOWTO, available at
  <http://www.linuxdoc.org/docs.html#howto>.  Make sure that you have
  the version of pppd recommended in <file:Documentation/Changes>.
  The PPP option enlarges your kernel by about 16 KB.

  There are actually two versions of PPP: the traditional PPP for
  asynchronous lines, such as regular analog phone lines, and
  synchronous PPP which can be used over digital ISDN lines for
  example.  If you want to use PPP over phone lines or other
  asynchronous serial lines, you need to say Y (or M) here and also to
  the next option, "PPP support for async serial ports".  For PPP over
  synchronous lines, you should say Y (or M) here and to "Support
  synchronous PPP", below.

  This driver is also available as a module ( = code which can be
  inserted in and removed from the running kernel whenever you want).
  If you said Y to "Version information on all symbols" above, then
  you cannot compile the PPP driver into the kernel; you can then only
  compile it as a module.  The module will be called ppp_generic.o.
  If you want to compile it as a module, say M here and read
  <file:Documentation/modules.txt> as well as
  <file:Documentation/networking/net-modules.txt>.

CONFIG_PPP_ASYNC
  Say Y (or M) here if you want to be able to use PPP over standard
  asynchronous serial ports, such as COM1 or COM2 on a PC.  If you use
  a modem (not a synchronous or ISDN modem) to contact your ISP, you
  need this option.

  This code is also available as a module (code which can be inserted
  into and removed from the running kernel).  If you want to compile
  it as a module, say M here and read <file:Documentation/modules.txt>.

  If unsure, say Y.

CONFIG_PPP_SYNC_TTY
  Say Y (or M) here if you want to be able to use PPP over synchronous
  (HDLC) tty devices, such as the SyncLink adapter. These devices
  are often used for high-speed leased lines like T1/E1.

  This code is also available as a module (code which can be inserted
  into and removed from the running kernel).  If you want to compile
  it as a module, say M here and read
  <file:Documentation/modules.txt>.

CONFIG_PPP_DEFLATE
  Support for the Deflate compression method for PPP, which uses the
  Deflate algorithm (the same algorithm that gzip uses) to compress
  each PPP packet before it is sent over the wire.  The machine at the
  other end of the PPP link (usually your ISP) has to support the
  Deflate compression method as well for this to be useful.  Even if
  they don't support it, it is safe to say Y here.

  This code is also available as a module (code which can be inserted
  into and removed from the running kernel).  If you want to compile
  it as a module, say M here and read
  <file:Documentation/modules.txt>.

CONFIG_PPP_BSDCOMP
  Support for the BSD-Compress compression method for PPP, which uses
  the LZW compression method to compress each PPP packet before it is
  sent over the wire. The machine at the other end of the PPP link
  (usually your ISP) has to support the BSD-Compress compression
  method as well for this to be useful. Even if they don't support it,
  it is safe to say Y here.

  The PPP Deflate compression method ("PPP Deflate compression",
  above) is preferable to BSD-Compress, because it compresses better
  and is patent-free.

  Note that the BSD compression code will always be compiled as a
  module; it is called bsd_comp.o and will show up in the directory
  modules once you have said "make modules". If unsure, say N.

CONFIG_TUN
  TUN/TAP provides packet reception and transmission for user space
  programs.  It can be viewed as a simple Point-to-Point or Ethernet
  device, which instead of receiving packets from a physical media,
  receives them from user space program and instead of sending packets
  via physical media writes them to the user space program.

  When a program opens /dev/net/tun, driver creates and registers
  corresponding net device tunX or tapX.  After a program closed above
  devices, driver will automatically delete tunXX or tapXX device and
  all routes corresponding to it.

  Please read <file:Documentation/networking/tuntap.txt> for more
  information.

  This driver is also available as a module ( = code which can be
  inserted in and removed from the running kernel whenever you want).
  The module will be called tun.o.  If you want to compile it as a
  module, say M here and read <file:Documentation/modules.txt>.

  If you don't know what to use this for, you don't need it.

CONFIG_ETHERTAP
  If you say Y here (and have said Y to "Kernel/User network link
  driver", above) and create a character special file /dev/tap0 with
  major number 36 and minor number 16 using mknod ("man mknod"), you
  will be able to have a user space program read and write raw
  Ethernet frames from/to that special file.  tap0 can be configured
  with ifconfig and route like any other Ethernet device but it is not
  connected to any physical LAN; everything written by the user to
  /dev/tap0 is treated by the kernel as if it had come in from a LAN
  to the device tap0; everything the kernel wants to send out over the
  device tap0 can instead be read by the user from /dev/tap0: the user
  mode program replaces the LAN that would be attached to an ordinary
  Ethernet device. Please read the file
  <file:Documentation/networking/ethertap.txt> for more information.

  This driver is also available as a module ( = code which can be
  inserted in and removed from the running kernel whenever you want).
  The module will be called ethertap.o. If you want to compile it as a
  module, say M here and read <file:Documentation/modules.txt>.

  If you don't know what to use this for, you don't need it.

CONFIG_MYRI_SBUS
  This driver supports MyriCOM Sbus gigabit Ethernet cards.

  If you want to compile this driver as a module ( = code which can be
  inserted in and removed from the running kernel whenever you want),
  say M here and read <file:Documentation/modules.txt>.  This is
  recommended.  The module will be called myri_sbus.o.

CONFIG_VORTEX
  This option enables driver support for a large number of 10mbps and
  10/100mbps EISA, PCI and PCMCIA 3Com network cards:

  "Vortex"    (Fast EtherLink 3c590/3c592/3c595/3c597) EISA and PCI
  "Boomerang" (EtherLink XL 3c900 or 3c905)            PCI
  "Cyclone"   (3c540/3c900/3c905/3c980/3c575/3c656)    PCI and Cardbus
  "Tornado"   (3c905)                                  PCI
  "Hurricane" (3c555/3cSOHO)                           PCI

  If you have such a card, say Y and read the Ethernet-HOWTO,
  available from <http://www.linuxdoc.org/docs.html#howto>. More
  specific information is in
  <file:Documentation/networking/vortex.txt> and in the comments at
  the beginning of <file:drivers/net/3c59x.c>.

  If you want to compile this as a module ( = code which can be
  inserted in and removed from the running kernel whenever you want),
  say M here and read <file:Documentation/modules.txt> as well as
  <file:Documentation/networking/net-modules.txt>.

CONFIG_HAPPYMEAL
  This driver supports the "hme" interface present on most Ultra
  systems and as an option on older Sbus systems. This driver supports
  both PCI and Sbus devices. This driver also supports the "qfe" quad
  100baseT device available in both PCI and Sbus configurations.

  This support is also available as a module called sunhme.o ( = code
  which can be inserted in and removed from the running kernel
  whenever you want). If you want to compile it as a module, say M
  here and read <file:Documentation/modules.txt>.

CONFIG_SUNLANCE
  This driver supports the "le" interface present on all 32-bit Sparc
  systems, on some older Ultra systems and as an Sbus option.  These
  cards are based on the AMD Lance chipset, which is better known
  via the NE2100 cards.

  This support is also available as a module called sunlance.o ( =
  code which can be inserted in and removed from the running kernel
  whenever you want). If you want to compile it as a module, say M
  here and read <file:Documentation/modules.txt>.

CONFIG_SUNBMAC
  This driver supports the "be" interface available as an Sbus option.
  This is Sun's older 100baseT Ethernet device.

  This support is also available as a module called sunbmac.o ( = code
  which can be inserted in and removed from the running kernel
  whenever you want). If you want to compile it as a module, say M
  here and read <file:Documentation/modules.txt>.

CONFIG_SUNQE
  This driver supports the "qe" 10baseT Ethernet device, available as
  an Sbus option. Note that this is not the same as Quad FastEthernet
  "qfe" which is supported by the Happy Meal driver instead.

  This support is also available as a module called sunqe.o ( = code
  which can be inserted in and removed from the running kernel
  whenever you want). If you want to compile it as a module, say M
  here and read <file:Documentation/modules.txt>.

CONFIG_FDDI
  Fiber Distributed Data Interface is a high speed local area network
  design; essentially a replacement for high speed Ethernet. FDDI can
  run over copper or fiber. If you are connected to such a network and
  want a driver for the FDDI card in your computer, say Y here (and
  then also Y to the driver for your FDDI card, below). Most people
  will say N.

CONFIG_VT
  If you say Y here, you will get support for terminal devices with
  display and keyboard devices. These are called "virtual" because you
  can run several virtual terminals (also called virtual consoles) on
  one physical terminal. This is rather useful, for example one
  virtual terminal can collect system messages and warnings, another
  one can be used for a text-mode user session, and a third could run
  an X session, all in parallel. Switching between virtual terminals
  is done with certain key combinations, usually Alt-<function key>.

  The setterm command ("man setterm") can be used to change the
  properties (such as colors or beeping) of a virtual terminal. The
  man page console_codes(4) ("man console_codes") contains the special
  character sequences that can be used to change those properties
  directly. The fonts used on virtual terminals can be changed with
  the setfont ("man setfont") command and the key bindings are defined
  with the loadkeys ("man loadkeys") command.

  You need at least one virtual terminal device in order to make use
  of your keyboard and monitor. Therefore, only people configuring an
  embedded system would want to say N here in order to save some
  memory; the only way to log into such a system is then via a serial
  or network connection.

  If unsure, say Y, or else you won't be able to do much with your new
  shiny Linux system :-)

CONFIG_VT_CONSOLE
  The system console is the device which receives all kernel messages
  and warnings and which allows logins in single user mode. If you
  answer Y here, a virtual terminal (the device used to interact with
  a physical terminal) can be used as system console. This is the most
  common mode of operations, so you should say Y here unless you want
  the kernel messages be output only to a serial port (in which case
  you should say Y to "Console on serial port", below).

  If you do say Y here, by default the currently visible virtual
  terminal (/dev/tty0) will be used as system console. You can change
  that with a kernel command line option such as "console=tty3" which
  would use the third virtual terminal as system console. (Try "man
  bootparam" or see the documentation of your boot loader (lilo or
  loadlin) about how to pass options to the kernel at boot time.)

  If unsure, say Y.

CONFIG_SERIAL
  This selects whether you want to include the driver for the standard
  serial ports.  The standard answer is Y.  People who might say N
  here are those that are setting up dedicated Ethernet WWW/FTP
  servers, or users that have one of the various bus mice instead of a
  serial mouse and don't intend to use their machine's standard serial
  port for anything.  (Note that the Cyclades and Stallion multi
  serial port drivers do not need this driver built in for them to
  work.)

  If you want to compile this driver as a module, say M here and read
  <file:Documentation/modules.txt>.  The module will be called
  serial.o.
  [WARNING: Do not compile this driver as a module if you are using
  non-standard serial ports, since the configuration information will
  be lost when the driver is unloaded.  This limitation may be lifted
  in the future.]

  BTW1: If you have a mouseman serial mouse which is not recognized by
  the X window system, try running gpm first.

  BTW2: If you intend to use a software modem (also called Winmodem)
  under Linux, forget it.  These modems are crippled and require
  proprietary drivers which are only available under Windows.

  Most people will say Y or M here, so that they can use serial mice,
  modems and similar devices connecting to the standard serial ports.

CONFIG_SERIAL_CONSOLE
  If you say Y here, it will be possible to use a serial port as the
  system console (the system console is the device which receives all
  kernel messages and warnings and which allows logins in single user
  mode). This could be useful if some terminal or printer is connected
  to that serial port.

  Even if you say Y here, the currently visible virtual console
  (/dev/tty0) will still be used as the system console by default, but
  you can alter that using a kernel command line option such as
  "console=ttyS1". (Try "man bootparam" or see the documentation of
  your boot loader (lilo or loadlin) about how to pass options to the
  kernel at boot time.)

  If you don't have a VGA card installed and you say Y here, the
  kernel will automatically use the first serial line, /dev/ttyS0, as
  system console.

  If unsure, say N.

CONFIG_UNIX98_PTYS
  A pseudo terminal (PTY) is a software device consisting of two
  halves: a master and a slave. The slave device behaves identical to
  a physical terminal; the master device is used by a process to
  read data from and write data to the slave, thereby emulating a
  terminal. Typical programs for the master side are telnet servers
  and xterms.

  Linux has traditionally used the BSD-like names /dev/ptyxx for
  masters and /dev/ttyxx for slaves of pseudo terminals. This scheme
  has a number of problems. The GNU C library glibc 2.1 and later,
  however, supports the Unix98 naming standard: in order to acquire a
  pseudo terminal, a process opens /dev/ptmx; the number of the pseudo
  terminal is then made available to the process and the pseudo
  terminal slave can be accessed as /dev/pts/<number>. What was
  traditionally /dev/ttyp2 will then be /dev/pts/2, for example.

  The entries in /dev/pts/ are created on the fly by a virtual
  file system; therefore, if you say Y here you should say Y to
  "/dev/pts file system for Unix98 PTYs" as well.

  If you want to say Y here, you need to have the C library glibc 2.1
  or later (equal to libc-6.1, check with "ls -l /lib/libc.so.*").
  Read the instructions in <file:Documentation/Changes> pertaining to
  pseudo terminals. It's safe to say N.

CONFIG_UNIX98_PTY_COUNT
  The maximum number of Unix98 PTYs that can be used at any one time.
  The default is 256, and should be enough for desktop systems. Server
  machines which support incoming telnet/rlogin/ssh connections and/or
  serve several X terminals may want to increase this: every incoming
  connection and every xterm uses up one PTY.

  When not in use, each additional set of 256 PTYs occupy
  approximately 8 KB of kernel memory on 32-bit architectures.

CONFIG_PRINTER
  If you intend to attach a printer to the parallel port of your Linux
  box (as opposed to using a serial printer; if the connector at the
  printer has 9 or 25 holes ["female"], then it's serial), say Y.
  Also read the Printing-HOWTO, available from
  <http://www.linuxdoc.org/docs.html#howto>.

  It is possible to share one parallel port among several devices
  (e.g. printer and ZIP drive) and it is safe to compile the
  corresponding drivers into the kernel.  If you want to compile this
  driver as a module however ( = code which can be inserted in and
  removed from the running kernel whenever you want), say M here and
  read <file:Documentation/modules.txt> and
  <file:Documentation/parport.txt>.  The module will be called lp.o.

  If you have several parallel ports, you can specify which ports to
  use with the "lp" kernel command line option.  (Try "man bootparam"
  or see the documentation of your boot loader (lilo or loadlin) about
  how to pass options to the kernel at boot time.)  The syntax of the
  "lp" command line option can be found in <file:drivers/char/lp.c>.

  If you have more than 8 printers, you need to increase the LP_NO
  macro in lp.c and the PARPORT_MAX macro in parport.h.

CONFIG_BUSMOUSE
  Say Y here if your machine has a bus mouse as opposed to a serial
  mouse. Most people have a regular serial MouseSystem or
  Microsoft mouse (made by Logitech) that plugs into a COM port
  (rectangular with 9 or 25 pins). These people say N here. 

  If you have a laptop, you either have to check the documentation or
  experiment a bit to find out whether the trackball is a serial mouse
  or not; it's best to say Y here for you.

  This is the generic bus mouse driver code. If you have a bus mouse,
  you will have to say Y here and also to the specific driver for your
  mouse below.

  This code is also available as a module ( = code which can be
  inserted in and removed from the running kernel whenever you want).
  The module will be called busmouse.o. If you want to compile it as a
  module, say M here and read <file:Documentation/modules.txt>.

CONFIG_SOFT_WATCHDOG
  A software monitoring watchdog. This will fail to reboot your system
  from some situations that the hardware watchdog will recover
  from. Equally it's a lot cheaper to install.

  This driver is also available as a module ( = code which can be
  inserted in and removed from the running kernel whenever you want).
  If you want to compile it as a module, say M here and read
  <file:Documentation/modules.txt>. The module will be called
   softdog.o.

CONFIG_MAGIC_SYSRQ
  If you say Y here, you will have some control over the system even
  if the system crashes for example during kernel debugging (e.g., you
  will be able to flush the buffer cache to disk, reboot the system
  immediately or dump some status information). This is accomplished
  by pressing various keys while holding SysRq (Alt+PrintScreen). It
  also works on a serial console (on PC hardware at least), if you
  send a BREAK and then within 5 seconds a command keypress. The
  keys are documented in <file:Documentation/sysrq.txt>. Don't say Y
  unless you really know what this hack does.

CONFIG_SUN4
  Say Y here if, and only if, your machine is a Sun4. Note that
  a kernel compiled with this option will run only on Sun4.
  (And the current version will probably work only on sun4/330.)

CONFIG_SCSI_SUNESP
  This is the driver for the Sun ESP SCSI host adapter. The ESP
  chipset is present in most SPARC SBUS-based computers.

  This support is also available as a module called esp.o ( = code
  which can be inserted in and removed from the running kernel
  whenever you want). If you want to compile it as a module, say M
  here and read <file:Documentation/modules.txt>.

CONFIG_SCSI_QLOGICPTI
  This driver supports SBUS SCSI controllers from PTI or QLogic. These
  controllers are known under Solaris as qpti and in the openprom as
  PTI,ptisp or QLGC,isp. Note that PCI QLogic SCSI controllers are
  driven by a different driver.

  This support is also available as a module called qlogicpti.o ( =
  code which can be inserted in and removed from the running kernel
  whenever you want). If you want to compile it as a module, say M
  here and read <file:Documentation/modules.txt>.

CONFIG_PROM_CONSOLE
  Say Y to build a console driver for Sun machines that uses the
  terminal emulation built into their console PROMS.

CONFIG_SUN_OPENPROMFS
  If you say Y, the OpenPROM device tree will be available as a
  virtual file system, which you can mount to /proc/openprom by "mount
  -t openpromfs none /proc/openprom".

  If you want to compile the /proc/openprom support as a module ( =
  code which can be inserted in and removed from the running kernel
  whenever you want), say M here and read
  <file:Documentation/modules.txt>.
  The module will be called openpromfs.o.  If unsure, say M.

CONFIG_SUNOS_EMUL
  This allows you to run most SunOS binaries.  If you want to do this,
  say Y here and place appropriate files in /usr/gnemul/sunos. See
  <http://www.ultralinux.org/faq.html> for more information.  If you
  want to run SunOS binaries on an Ultra you must also say Y to
  "Kernel support for 32-bit a.out binaries" above.

CONFIG_SUN_KEYBOARD
  Say Y here to support the keyboard found on Sun 3 and 3x
  workstations.  It can also be used support Sun Type-5 keyboards
  through an adaptor.  See
  <http://www.suse.cz/development/input/adapters.html> and
  <http://sourceforge.net/projects/linuxconsole/> for details on the
  latter.