BORE Kernel Builder

Universal Linux kernel builder with CachyOS patches and BORE (Burst-Oriented Response Enhancer) scheduler.

Features

• Automatic hardware detection - CPU architecture, GPU vendor, storage type
• Auto-fetches latest kernel versions from kernel.org
• Optimized for your hardware - Intel/AMD CPU optimizations, GPU drivers, I/O schedulers
• Multi-distro support - Void, Arch, Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora
• BORE scheduler - Improved system responsiveness under load
• Clang + ThinLTO - Fast compilation with link-time optimization
• Gaming optimizations - FUTEX2, NTSYNC for Wine/Proton

Quick Start

# 1. Clone repository
git clone https://github.com/prostitutionofthesoul/bore-kernel-builder.git
cd bore-kernel-builder

# 2. Install dependencies (see Requirements section below)

# 3. Build kernel
./bore-kernel-builder.sh

# 4. Install kernel
sudo ./bore-kernel-builder.sh install

# 5. Update bootloader (see Bootloader Configuration section)

# 6. Reboot
sudo reboot

Requirements

Void Linux

sudo xbps-install -S base-devel ncurses-devel openssl-devel elfutils-devel \
    bc pahole flex bison perl zstd xz wget patch clang lld llvm dracut

Arch Linux / Manjaro

sudo pacman -S base-devel bc pahole flex bison perl zstd xz wget patch clang lld llvm

Debian / Ubuntu

sudo apt update
sudo apt install build-essential bc pahole flex bison libelf-dev libssl-dev \
    libncurses-dev perl zstd xz-utils wget patch clang lld llvm

Fedora

sudo dnf install @development-tools bc dwarves flex bison elfutils-libelf-devel \
    openssl-devel ncurses-devel perl zstd xz wget patch clang lld llvm

Usage

Interactive Build

Run the script and follow the prompts:

./bore-kernel-builder.sh

The script will:

1. Check latest kernel versions on kernel.org
2. Ask which version to install (latest stable, LTS, or manual entry)
3. Auto-detect your hardware:
   • CPU architecture (Intel Haswell→Raptor Lake, AMD Zen→Zen4)
   • GPU vendor (AMD, NVIDIA, Intel)
   • Storage type (NVMe, SATA SSD, HDD)
4. Download kernel source and CachyOS patches
5. Configure kernel with ~200 optimizations
6. Compile (40-200 minutes depending on CPU)

Install Kernel

After successful build:

sudo ./bore-kernel-builder.sh install

This will:

• Install kernel to /boot/vmlinuz-{VERSION}-bore
• Install modules to /lib/modules/{VERSION}-bore/
• Generate initramfs
• Copy System.map and .config

Clean Build Directory

Remove build directory (~20GB):

./bore-kernel-builder.sh clean

Bootloader Configuration

After installation, you must update your bootloader before rebooting.

GRUB

sudo grub-mkconfig -o /boot/grub/grub.cfg
sudo reboot

systemd-boot

Edit or create boot entry in /boot/loader/entries/:

sudo nano /boot/loader/entries/linux-bore.conf

Example entry:

title   Linux BORE
linux   /vmlinuz-7.0-bore
initrd  /initramfs-7.0-bore.img
options root=UUID=YOUR-ROOT-UUID rw quiet

Find your root UUID:

lsblk -f

Then update and reboot:

sudo bootctl update
sudo reboot

rEFInd

rEFInd auto-detects kernels in /boot/. Just reboot:

sudo reboot

EFI Stub

If you boot directly via UEFI without a bootloader:

# Find your root UUID
ROOT_UUID=$(lsblk -f | grep "/$" | awk '{print $4}')

# Create EFI boot entry
sudo efibootmgr --create \
    --disk /dev/sda \
    --part 1 \
    --label "Linux BORE" \
    --loader /vmlinuz-7.0-bore \
    --unicode "root=UUID=${ROOT_UUID} rw initrd=\\initramfs-7.0-bore.img"

sudo reboot

Note: Adjust /dev/sda and partition number (--part 1) to match your EFI partition.

Kernel Features

BORE Scheduler

Burst-Oriented Response Enhancer - improves system responsiveness under load, especially for interactive workloads and gaming.

CPU Optimizations

• Intel: Haswell, Broadwell, Skylake, Coffee Lake, Comet Lake, Tiger Lake, Alder Lake, Raptor Lake
• AMD: Zen, Zen2, Zen3, Zen4
• Generic: GENERIC_CPU for universal x86-64 compatibility

Performance Features

• Preemption: Full preemption (CONFIG_PREEMPT=y) for low latency
• Timer: 1000 Hz for better responsiveness
• Compiler: Clang with ThinLTO and -O3 optimization
• Memory: Multi-Gen LRU, THP on demand, ZSWAP with zstd compression
• Network: BBR congestion control

Gaming Features

• FUTEX2: Improved futex implementation for better Wine/Proton performance
• NTSYNC: Windows synchronization primitives for gaming

GPU Support

• AMD: amdgpu driver (RX 5000/6000/7000 series, legacy SI/CIK support)
• NVIDIA: nouveau driver (open-source)
• Intel: i915 and xe drivers

Storage Optimizations

• NVMe: No I/O scheduler (best for NVMe)
• SATA SSD: mq-deadline scheduler
• HDD: BFQ scheduler

Container Support

• Full Docker/Podman support (namespaces, cgroups, memory cgroups)

Build Time

Compilation time depends on your CPU:

• 20 threads: ~40 minutes
• 16 threads: ~50 minutes
• 8 threads: ~100 minutes
• 4 threads: ~200 minutes

Disk Space

• During build: ~20 GB
• After installation: ~500 MB (kernel + modules)
• Tip: Run ./bore-kernel-builder.sh clean after installation to free up space

Advanced Usage

Manual Kernel Version

If you want a specific kernel version not listed:

./bore-kernel-builder.sh
# Select option 2 (Choose another version)
# Select option 4 (Enter manually)
# Enter version: 6.19.12

Custom CPU Architecture

If auto-detection fails or you want a different optimization:

./bore-kernel-builder.sh
# When prompted for CPU optimization, select option 3 (Enter manually)
# Available: BROADWELL, SKYLAKE, COFFEELAKE, ALDERLAKE, RAPTORLAKE, 
#            ZEN, ZEN2, ZEN3, ZEN4, GENERIC_CPU

Build for Different Hardware

You can override auto-detection during interactive setup:

• CPU: Choose different architecture optimization
• GPU: Select different GPU vendor
• Storage: Select different storage type

Updating Kernel

To update to a newer kernel version:

# Clean old build
./bore-kernel-builder.sh clean

# Build new version
./bore-kernel-builder.sh
# Select new version when prompted

# Install
sudo ./bore-kernel-builder.sh install

# Update bootloader
sudo grub-mkconfig -o /boot/grub/grub.cfg  # or your bootloader

# Reboot
sudo reboot

Uninstalling

To remove a kernel:

# Remove kernel files
sudo rm /boot/vmlinuz-7.0-bore
sudo rm /boot/initramfs-7.0-bore.img
sudo rm /boot/System.map-7.0-bore
sudo rm /boot/config-7.0-bore

# Remove modules
sudo rm -rf /lib/modules/7.0-bore

# Update bootloader
sudo grub-mkconfig -o /boot/grub/grub.cfg  # or your bootloader

Credits

• CachyOS - BORE scheduler and kernel patches
• Linux Kernel - The Linux kernel

License

This script is provided as-is under the MIT License. The Linux kernel is licensed under GPL-2.0.