Re: [tlug] debian sarge kernel/module build guide and advice

[Miles Colman <mcolman@example.com>]

Thanks, searching for 'kernel package debian', I got this guide, which straightened me out on mkinitramfs: (actually, I didn't have to run that command)
http://newbiedoc.sourceforge.net/system/kernel-pkg.html

When I compiled the driver from http://www.robot.uji.es/lab/plone/Members/mprats/jr3/ for the kernel I was running, there was no change in behavior (2.4.27 debian kernel-source package). (The card's light lit up, dmesg showed the module was inserted ok, but attempting to read the full scale values gave weird values.) I will try build the maker's driver unless I find a test program for the 2.6 driver. 

Thanks again,
Miles

On Sun, Oct 3, 2010 at 3:20 PM, Christian Horn <chorn@example.com> wrote:

Hi,

On Sun, Oct 03, 2010 at 03:04:45AM +0900, Miles Colman wrote:
>
> the falkotimme.com guide is nice but doesn't cover the debian procedure for
> mkinitrd.

mkinitramfs is used on debian as a wrapper.

> I'm still missing a few things. I didn't check if filesystem support was
> built in to the kernel, and I'm getting messages before kernel panic about
> newer module directories with different names (I can't remember the exact
> message).

Make sure you also build and installed the modules, i.e.
 make -j4 modules modules_install
does it for me.

> Will the default sarge kernel config from linux-2.4.27-3-386 make a useable
> kernel with no configuration changes on linux-2.4.27 from kernel.org?

Should.  Using the debian-kernels config for start is good, with
 make oldconfig
you can then verify all options offered by the vanillakernel are
also mentioned on the new config.


> [..] I have a driver for a specific piece of hardware which is written for
> 2.4 kernels [..]

> However, I think the module won't work properly until the kernel sources
> compiled against are exactly the same as the kernel the module is used with.
> I was using kernel 2.4.27 sources on a sarge 2.4.27-3-386 kernel and the
> module loaded (after being forced), correctly recognized the PCI card, but
> just sent garbage afterwards.

Not to sure thou that using the vanilla kernel instead of the one with
debian-patches will change that behaviour.  Maybe you just need more
info on communicating with the driver..


Christian