Linux kernel build : shouldn't make <manufacturername>defconfig yield the same .config file? I'm building a cross compiled 3.2.15 kernel for a Marvell Armada 370 system. The vendor's default config file for this is `armada_370_v7up_defconfig`. So when I perform a `make armada_370_v7up_defconfig` step, shouldn't that result in a `.config` file that matches the `armada_370_v7up_defconfig` file? Instead, I'm seeing a lot of differences (can include if needed). Or am I misunderstanding how `make defconfig` works?

Defconfig generates a new kernel configuration with the default answer being used for all options. The default values are taken from a file located in the `arch/$ARCH/configs/armada_370_v7up_defconfig` file.

These default configurations are not designed to exactly fit your target but are rather meant to be a superset so you only have to modify them a bit.

The `make armada_370_v7up_defconfig` creates your initial .config, which you can now edit through `make menuconfig` and make your changes. After that, you can run make which will then compile the kernel using your settings.