No announcement yet.

Kernel

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • Kernel

    Hey all,

    I'm hoping this thread won't be as troublesome as the usb modem one ! Not that I've given up on that one yet, I just feel like doing something else.

    I decided recently that I wanted to compile my own kernel. I was getting errors that prevented it from compling but I think I got those sorted out now. I've installed it (maybe not properly ?) but I get a whole heap of errors as my machine boots up. I think they're module errors ? So far I've been following my APC mag linux handbook but are there any good references to help out with compiling and installing a custom kernel ?

    On a kinda related note, the source code I downloaded recently for my usb modem was designed for RH 7.1 (kernel 2.4.2). If I have a different kernel version is that likely to cause problems ??


    Thanks !


  • #2
    The Kernel How-To is a good place to start. One thing you can do is copy the original redhat kernel config to the new kernel src and load it with "make menuconfig" in a terminal to see what is enabled as modules and what is compiled in. As a rule of thumb you can compile most hardware drivers as a module but you should compile file system support into the kernel especially for the file system you use on your drives.
    p-two.net

    Comment


    • #3
      I'm with Bern on this one....

      Generally, distros such as Mandrake or Redhat, use quite a lot of modules in their starting kernel and kernel compilation can cause a bit of a mess if those modules cannot be found. Although usually the system will be allright if the things you need are compiled in the kernel, these messages can get quite annoying and (occasionally) some configuration tools used by some distros may think something's wrong.

      So, use as many modules as you can and keep exactly what you need in the kernel (filesystem support etc...)

      Comment


      • #4
        Ok, thanks guys !

        I checked out that link and it seems I've got a fair bit of reading to do !

        Comment


        • #5
          Does down grading the kernel generally cause any problems with the distribs ?

          Comment


          • #6
            By downgrading do you mean using an older version?
            p-two.net

            Comment


            • #7
              I do indeed.

              I think the source code for my modem was written for kernel 2.4.2-2 and I'm currently running 2.4.7. My theory is that using this previous kernel will fix the unresolved symbols issue. May sound crazy but I'm new at this and therefore allowed !

              Comment


              • #8
                You can give it a try but from what I've seen your modem dosn't conform to the specs enough to work properly in linux.
                p-two.net

                Comment


                • #9
                  Conform to what specs ?! Have you gone and found MORE info about it ?? If so where ?!

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    It's not in the list.
                    file:/usr/src/linux-2.4.18/Documentation/usb/acm.txt
                    And the driver you downloaded is a binary, in other words there is no source code for it so no one can make it work apart from the company that made it and they don't seem interested in fixing it.
                    p-two.net

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Well I'm not sure about that. The drivers at Aztech are compiled for mandrake (who knows what version, they said 8 but the file name is 7.2). I've come across other driver source code from various sites, however I'm not sure how usefull it is. There are compiled "*.o" files included in the rpm's but they are different to the ones that are built from compiling the source. I'm not sure what the deal is there yet.

                      Anyway, I was going to put on the earlier kernel then rebuild that source code and see what happens.


                      ---------
                      Edit:
                      My last effort at this post didn't make any sense ! Attempt 2...

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        It's like the nvidia drivers, the driver itself is a binary and the source code is only for making a module.
                        p-two.net

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Originally posted by FrodgE
                          I do indeed.

                          I think the source code for my modem was written for kernel 2.4.2-2 and I'm currently running 2.4.7. My theory is that using this previous kernel will fix the unresolved symbols issue. May sound crazy but I'm new at this and therefore allowed !
                          I dont think that that small difference in versions is enough to be the problem. If the driver was for a 2.2.x kernel and you had a 2.4.x kernel then there may be forseeable problems.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Cool guys, thanx once again for your thoughts !

                            Another idea I had was that maybe the problems were because my default pre-complied redhat kernel didn't have things in it that the drivers needed. I did have a quick go at recompiling the kernel but got heaps of errors during boot and shutdown (would actually boot into linux) so I left that idea alone for a bit.

                            Latest news is that believe it or not, SmartLink (the ppl responsible for the existance of this modem) have come to the party and emailed me drivers for my version of linux ! This is especially surprising considering it's their policy to not help end users like myself ! I must have said the right thing (or that 50 I slipped did the trick !*). I haven't played with these drivers yet so hopefully things will start working !




                            * NOTE: the $50 may not have been included... :rolleyes:

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Send me a copy and I'll put them on my web site incase I come across anyone else who needs them.
                              p-two.net

                              Comment

                              Working...
                              X