2 # For a description of the syntax of this configuration file,
3 # see scripts/kbuild/config-language.txt.
6 menu "Linux System Utilities"
13 dmesg is used to examine or control the kernel ring buffer. When the
14 Linux kernel prints messages to the system log, they are stored in
15 the kernel ring buffer. You can use dmesg to print the kernel's ring
16 buffer, clear the kernel ring buffer, change the size of the kernel
17 ring buffer, and change the priority level at which kernel messages
18 are also logged to the system console. Enable this option if you
19 wish to enable the 'dmesg' utility.
25 fbset is used to show or change the settings of a Linux frame buffer
26 device. The frame buffer device provides a simple and unique
27 interface to access a graphics display. Enable this option
28 if you wish to enable the 'fbset' utility.
31 config CONFIG_FEATURE_FBSET_FANCY
32 bool " Turn on extra fbset options"
34 depends on CONFIG_FBSET
36 This option enables extended fbset options, allowing one to set the
37 framebuffer size, color depth, etc. interface to access a graphics
38 display. Enable this option if you wish to enable extended fbset
41 config CONFIG_FEATURE_FBSET_READMODE
42 bool " Turn on fbset readmode support"
44 depends on CONFIG_FBSET
46 This option allows fbset to read the video mode database stored by
47 default as /etc/fb.modes, which can be used to set frame buffer
48 device to pre-defined video modes.
54 fdflush is only needed when changing media on slightly-broken
55 removable media drives. It is used to make Linux believe that a
56 hardware disk-change switch has been actuated, which causes Linux to
57 forget anything it has cached from the previous media. If you have
58 such a slightly-broken drive, you will need to run fdflush every time
59 you change a disk. Most people have working hardware and can safely
62 config CONFIG_FDFORMAT
66 fdformat is used to low-level format a floppy disk.
72 The fdisk utility is used to divide hard disks into one or more
73 logical disks, which are generally called partitions. This utility
74 can be used to list and edit the set of partitions or BSD style
75 'disk slices' that are defined on a hard drive.
77 config FDISK_SUPPORT_LARGE_DISKS
78 bool " support over 4GB disks"
80 depends on CONFIG_FDISK
82 Enable this option to support large disks > 4GB.
84 config CONFIG_FEATURE_FDISK_WRITABLE
87 depends on CONFIG_FDISK
89 Enabling this option allows you to create or change a partition table
90 and write those changes out to disk. If you leave this option
91 disabled, you will only be able to view the partition table.
93 config CONFIG_FEATURE_AIX_LABEL
94 bool " Support AIX disklabels"
96 depends on CONFIG_FDISK && CONFIG_FEATURE_FDISK_WRITABLE
98 Enabling this option allows you to create or change AIX disklabels.
99 Most people can safely leave this option disabled.
101 config CONFIG_FEATURE_SGI_LABEL
102 bool " Support SGI disklabels"
104 depends on CONFIG_FDISK && CONFIG_FEATURE_FDISK_WRITABLE
106 Enabling this option allows you to create or change SGI disklabels.
107 Most people can safely leave this option disabled.
109 config CONFIG_FEATURE_SUN_LABEL
110 bool " Support SUN disklabels"
112 depends on CONFIG_FDISK && CONFIG_FEATURE_FDISK_WRITABLE
114 Enabling this option allows you to create or change SUN disklabels.
115 Most people can safely leave this option disabled.
117 config CONFIG_FEATURE_OSF_LABEL
118 bool " Support BSD disklabels"
120 depends on CONFIG_FDISK && CONFIG_FEATURE_FDISK_WRITABLE
122 Enabling this option allows you to create or change BSD disklabels
123 and define and edit BSD disk slices.
125 config CONFIG_FEATURE_FDISK_ADVANCED
126 bool " Support expert mode"
128 depends on CONFIG_FDISK && CONFIG_FEATURE_FDISK_WRITABLE
130 Enabling this option allows you to do terribly unsafe things like
131 define arbitrary drive geometry, move the beginning of data in a
132 partition, and similarly evil things. Unless you have a very good
133 reason you would be wise to leave this disabled.
135 config CONFIG_FREERAMDISK
139 Linux allows you to create ramdisks. This utility allows you to
140 delete them and completely free all memory that was used for the
141 ramdisk. For example, if you boot Linux into a ramdisk and later
142 pivot_root, you may want to free the memory that is allocated to the
143 ramdisk. If you have no use for freeing memory from a ramdisk, leave
146 config CONFIG_FSCK_MINIX
150 The minix filesystem is a nice, small, compact, read-write filesystem
151 with little overhead. It is not a journaling filesystem however and
152 can experience corruption if it is not properly unmounted or if the
153 power goes off in the middle of a write. This utility allows you to
154 check for and attempt to repair any corruption that occurs to a minix
157 config CONFIG_MKFS_MINIX
161 The minix filesystem is a nice, small, compact, read-write filesystem
162 with little overhead. If you wish to be able to create minix filesystems
163 this utility will do the job for you.
165 comment "Minix filesystem support"
166 depends on CONFIG_FSCK_MINIX || CONFIG_MKFS_MINIX
168 config CONFIG_FEATURE_MINIX2
169 bool " Support Minix fs v2 (fsck_minix/mkfs_minix)"
171 depends on CONFIG_FSCK_MINIX || CONFIG_MKFS_MINIX
173 If you wish to be able to create version 2 minix filesystems, enable this.
174 If you enabled 'mkfs_minix' then you almost certainly want to be using the
175 version 2 filesystem support.
181 The getopt utility is used to break up (parse) options in command
182 lines to make it easy to write complex shell scripts that also check
183 for legal (and illegal) options. If you want to write horribly
184 complex shell scripts, or use some horribly complex shell script
185 written by others, this utility may be for you. Most people will
186 wisely leave this disabled.
188 config CONFIG_HEXDUMP
192 The hexdump utility is used to display binary data in a readable
193 way that is comparable to the output from most hex editors.
195 config CONFIG_HWCLOCK
199 The hwclock utility is used to read and set the hardware clock
200 on a system. This is primarily used to set the current time on
201 shutdown in the hardware clock, so the hardware will keep the
202 correct time when Linux is _not_ running.
204 config CONFIG_FEATURE_HWCLOCK_LONGOPTIONS
205 bool " Support long options (--hctosys,...)"
207 depends on CONFIG_HWCLOCK
209 By default, the hwclock utility only uses short options. If you
210 are overly fond of its long options, such as --hctosys, --utc, etc)
211 then enable this option.
213 config CONFIG_LOSETUP
217 losetup is used to associate or detach a loop device with a regular
218 file or block device, and to query the status of a loop device. This
219 version does not currently support enabling data encryption.
224 select CONFIG_FEATURE_SUID
226 The mkswap utility is used to configure a file or disk partition as
227 Linux swap space. This allows Linux to use the entire file or
228 partition as if it were additional RAM, which can greatly increase
229 the capability of low-memory machines. This additional memory is
230 much slower than real RAM, but can be very helpful at preventing your
231 applications being killed by the Linux out of memory (OOM) killer.
232 Once you have created swap space using 'mkswap' you need to enable
233 the swap space using the 'swapon' utility.
238 select CONFIG_FEATURE_SUID
240 more is a simple utility which allows you to read text one screen
241 sized page at a time. If you want to read text that is larger than
242 the screen, and you are using anything faster than a 300 baud modem,
243 you will probably find this utility very helpful. If you don't have
244 any need to reading text files, you can leave this disabled.
246 config CONFIG_FEATURE_USE_TERMIOS
247 bool " Use termios to manipulate the screen"
249 depends on CONFIG_MORE
251 This option allows utilities such as 'more' and 'top' to determine
252 the size of the screen. If you leave this disabled, your utilities
253 that display things on the screen will be especially primitive and
254 will be unable to determine the current screen size, and will be
255 unable to move the cursor.
257 config CONFIG_PIVOT_ROOT
261 The pivot_root utility swaps the mount points for the root filesystem
262 with some other mounted filesystem. This allows you to do all sorts
263 of wild and crazy things with your Linux system and is far more
264 powerful than 'chroot'.
270 The rdate utility allows you to synchronize the date and time of your
271 system clock with the date and time of a remote networked system using
272 the RFC868 protocol, which is built into the inetd daemon on most
275 config CONFIG_SWAPONOFF
279 This option enables both the 'swapon' and the 'swapoff' utilities.
280 Once you have created some swap space using 'mkswap', you also need
281 to enable your swap space with the 'swapon' utility. The 'swapoff'
282 utility is used, typically at system shutdown, to disable any swap
283 space. If you are not using any swap space, you can leave this
290 All files and filesystems in Unix are arranged into one big directory
291 tree. The 'mount' utility is used to graft a filesystem onto a
292 particular part of the tree. A filesystem can either live on a block
293 device, or it can be accessible over the network, as is the case with
294 NFS filesystems. Most people using BusyBox will also want to enable
297 config CONFIG_NFSMOUNT
298 bool " Support mounting NFS file systems"
300 depends on CONFIG_MOUNT
302 Enable mounting of NFS file systems.
308 When you want to remove a mounted filesystem from its current mount point,
309 for example when you are shutting down the system, the 'umount' utility is
310 the tool to use. If you enabled the 'mount' utility, you almost certainly
311 also want to enable 'umount'.
313 config CONFIG_FEATURE_MOUNT_FORCE
314 bool " Support forced filesystem unmounting"
316 depends on CONFIG_UMOUNT
318 This allows you to _force_ a filesystem to be umounted. This is generally
319 only useful when you want to get rid of an unreachable NFS system.
321 comment "Common options for mount/umount"
322 depends on CONFIG_MOUNT || CONFIG_UMOUNT
324 config CONFIG_FEATURE_MOUNT_LOOP
325 bool " Support for loop devices"
327 depends on CONFIG_MOUNT || CONFIG_UMOUNT
329 Enabling this feature allows mount to use the '-o' loop options,
330 which lets you loop mount files. Mount will automagically setup and
331 free the necessary loop devices so you do not need to mess with the
332 'losetup' utility unless you really want to. This is really
333 only useful if you plan to loop mount files.
335 config CONFIG_FEATURE_MTAB_SUPPORT
336 bool " Support for a real /etc/mtab (instead of /proc/mounts)"
338 depends on CONFIG_MOUNT || CONFIG_UMOUNT
340 If your root filesystem is writable and you wish to have the 'mount'
341 utility create an mtab file listing the filesystems which have been
342 mounted then you should enable this option. Most people that use
343 BusyBox have a read-only root filesystem, so they will leave this
344 option disabled and BusyBox will use the /proc/mounts file.
346 config CONFIG_FEATURE_MTAB_FILENAME
347 string " mtab file location"
349 depends on CONFIG_FEATURE_MTAB_SUPPORT
351 Some people have a read only root filesystem, but they also wish to
352 have the 'mount' utility create an mtab file listing the filesystems
353 which have been mounted. This option allows you to specify an alternative
354 location for the mtab file, such as /var/mtab, or /tmp/mtab. The default
355 value is /etc/mtab, which is where this file is located on most desktop