Related Resources • Linux Newbie Administrator Guide • 0. Linux Benefit • 1. Before Installation • 2. Linux Resources/Help • 3. Basic Operations FAQ • 4. Newbie Admin FAQ • ~ 4.1 Lilo • ~ 4.2 Drives • ~ 4.3 X-Windows • ~ 4.4 Configurations • ~ 4.5 Networking • 5. Shortcuts / Commands • 6. Linux Applications • 7. Learn Linux Commands • A. How to Upgrade Kernel?

A.5 Should I download full source or the patch only?

Now you have a choice to download either the patch or the full source.
If you're upgrading from 2.0.x kernel series you will have to download the full source.
If you're upgrading a 2.2.x kernel series you can download only the patch, which is of course much smaller than the full source. The patch contains only the differences.
If you would like more detailed info on patches and diff take a look at this link: http://www.linuxpower.org/display_item.phtml?id=101 .
Now grab your choice and download it. I highly suggest you download it to /usr/src/ directory.
I suggest downloading the file with the .tar.gz extension (if you're downloading the full source). For patches I suggest .bz2 extension. The examples which follow assume these file types

Next > A.6 Unpacking the download file