Now that you have created a kernel configuration that you wish to use, you need to build the kernel. This is as simple as entering a one-word command:

$ 
make

 CHK include/linux/version.h
 UPD include/linux/version.h
 SYMLINK include/asm -> include/asm-i386
 SPLIT include/linux/autoconf.h -> include/config/*
 CC arch/i386/kernel/asm-offsets.s
 GEN include/asm-i386/asm-offsets.h
 CC scripts/mod/empty.o
 HOSTCC scripts/mod/mk_elfconfig
 MKELF scripts/mod/elfconfig.h
 HOSTCC scripts/mod/file2alias.o
 HOSTCC scripts/mod/modpost.o
 HOSTCC scripts/mod/sumversion.o
 HOSTLD scripts/mod/modpost
 HOSTCC scripts/kallsyms
 HOSTCC scripts/conmakehash
 HOSTCC scripts/bin2c
 CC init/main.o
 CHK include/linux/compile.h
 UPD include/linux/compile.h
 CC init/version.o
 CC init/do_mounts.o
...

Running make will cause the kernel build system to use the configuration you have selected to build a kernel and all modules needed to support that configuration. ^[5] While the kernel is building, make will display the individual file names of what is currently happening, along with any build warnings or errors.

If the kernel build finished without any errors, you have successfully created a kernel image. However, it needs to be installed properly before you try to boot from it. See Chapter 6, Installing and Booting From a Kernel for how to do this.

It is very unusual to get any build errors when building a released kernel version. If you do, please report them to the Linux kernel developers so they can be fixed.