Compile an Ubuntu 9.04 Kernel The purpose of this tutorial is to show you how to set up a kernel that is highly tuned for your CPU, in this case a Pentium 4 with hyperthreading for a workstation. Caution: If you do something wrong..it happens…be sure to reboot and select an alternative kernel. You should always have several kernels in case of trouble. DO THIS ON A TEST MACHINE or make sure you have a good backup.