Compiling my own kernel that is exactly like the one fedora distributed...

[Brian Anderson]

I am running FC2, but I have been confused by this since FC1.  I 
successfully built and run my own kernels before, but I have never 
understood the steps to build a kernel just like the one distributed.

For example,  take the latest FC2 kernel. 

1) I've previously  installed the latest kernel and kernel source 
2.6.2-2.1.253.2.1
2) droping into /usr/src/linux-2.6.2-2.1.253.2.1
3) I do make mrproper
3) I copy /boot/config-2.6.2-2.1.253.2.1 to .config
4) I do make oldconfig
5) I do make install

I now have a 2.6.2-2.1.253.2.1custom kernel and initrd and and entry in 
grup.  Cool I think.
However, when I go to boot it it panics because there is no ext3.  Now I 
have gotten this to work
by going back and adding ext3 into the kernel, but my question is:  why 
do I need to do this?  I
copied the distribution config, shouldn't everything be the same?  
Shouldn't it work just like the
distribution, with the only difference being the name and when and where 
it was built?

-Brian