Help with Kernel source build, install ...

dickinsd · Post by **dickinsd** » Sun Jan 30, 2005 2:57 pm

I have asked this question at another site, just in case you think your having a bit of deja vu.
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Ok, I have currently got a working install, my source is there, and my wireless card (which I neede the source for) is working perfectly.

BUT, I seem to have followeed tips and commands from quite a few different people, and I have ended up with quite a lot of stuff to do to install the kernel source, I would like someone that has done this to post the exact sequence of commands that they would use for installing their kernel source.

Or perhaps some one could go through what I think is the complete list of commands that I did and tell me if there are steps I took that where a complete waste of time?

Also with my steps, I don't know what I should have been expecting at the different stages, so I don't know if I have missed something out, or what.

STUPID I know - but it seemed to get the job done, but lets face it, getting the job done is not the be all and end all, I would actually like to know what I am doing if someone has the time/knowledge to take me through it.
The steps that I did (explanations not necessary, as its just made up from posts and emails)

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su - 
(password)
up2date --get-source kernel

(definately not sure about the following)

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cd ~
cp -a /usr/src/redhat/ rpmbuild
echo '%_topdir %(echo $HOME)/rpmbuild' >> .rpmmacros
rpm -ivh kernel-<VERSION>.src.rpm
cd ~/rpmbuild/SPECS/
rpmbuild -bp --target=i686 kernel-2.6.spec
cd ~/rpmbuild/BUILD/kernel-<version>/linux-<version>
make menuconfig
time make rpm

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cd ~/rpmbuild/RPMS/<arch>
rpm -ivh <new-kernel-here>
cd ~/rpmbuild/SPECS/ 
rpmbuild -bp --target=<arch> kernel-<arch>.spec
cd ..
cd BUILD/
cd kernel-2.6.10
cd kernel 2.6.10
Makefile
make
make install

If I look stupid - there's not a lot I can do about that, but I will try to help other people with this information, so if you can point me in the right direction, I will hopefully learn something, and be able to point others in the right direction also.

Thank you

Dave

Void Main · Post by **Void Main** » Sun Jan 30, 2005 3:19 pm

Heh heh, yeah I can make life a little easier for you on this. It is a little different with FC3 and they are now providing the kernel source the way they should have been all along. I don't have the time to list the step by steps right this minute but I should be able to do this for you within the next couple of hours.

dickinsd · Post by **dickinsd** » Sun Jan 30, 2005 3:24 pm

Void I love you, and you havn't even posted the easy way yet

I look forward to your post.

Dave

Void Main · Post by **Void Main** » Sun Jan 30, 2005 4:34 pm

EDIT: The original instructions in this post have been modified and placed here. The original ones had a few major problems.

dickinsd · Post by **dickinsd** » Sun Jan 30, 2005 6:58 pm

thnks void, looks great, to be honest I like the explanations of what your suggesting more than anything else.

Its good and well giving somone a list of commands, but if they don't understand them (re my first post) then its just like been a windows user, just another pleb carrying out instructions.

I like to know what the instructions are doing.

As of right now my system is working, I am half tempted to reinstall FC3 to try your instructions out, but will wait till tomorrow, I don't think I need to do anything with the code, but I will be installing FC3 on another computer tomorrow, so will try it tomorrow.

As for my actual reason for wanting to compile the source (is my lingo correct there?) My wireless card is a pain in the ass to install, and only seems to work if I install it following my modified version of the manufacturers instructions. However i can't even `make` the pcmcia-cs<version> module without installing my source doe, I don't know why, or maybe you can tell me that after I have been through all this, you know a a way of doing it without the source??

I don't know if any of your other members use fedoraforum, but I placed the exact question there as well, I would recommend you post your method there for other people to view, but there doesn't seem to be much interest in the question on the other site.

Perhaps you could just post a link to your site as the answer to my post, I will give you the reputation thing if you want.
http://www.fedoraforum.org/forum/showthread.php?t=33374

Thanks again

Dave

Void Main · Post by **Void Main** » Sun Jan 30, 2005 7:03 pm

I would like to know more about your wireless card and the instructions you are using. Maybe I will spot something and make some recommendations. Maybe even build the necessary RPMs for you (if possible and if they don't already exist). Don't worry about the experience points thing, that's not why I help people. I help people in the hopes that they might free themselves like I have done. That's much more satisfying if it happens. Feel free to put a link in that thread though in case the kernel instructions will help someone else.

Void Main · Post by **Void Main** » Sun Jan 30, 2005 9:18 pm

New tip finished:
http://voidmain.is-a-geek.net/redhat/fe ... build.html

dickinsd · Post by **dickinsd** » Mon Jan 31, 2005 4:36 pm

Void Main wrote:I would like to know more about your wireless card and the instructions you are using. Maybe I will spot something and make some recommendations. Maybe even build the necessary RPMs for you (if possible and if they don't already exist). Don't worry about the experience points thing, that's not why I help people. I help people in the hopes that they might free themselves like I have done. That's much more satisfying if it happens. Feel free to put a link in that thread though in case the kernel instructions will help someone else.

I did not think this was possible:

Maybe even build the necessary RPMs for you

Well the card is a Benq AWL100 PCMCIA adapter, I have been unable to get this to work with programs like driverloader and ndiswrapper.

The Benq instructions can be found in a zip file on the benq site:

benq instructions here

or you can find a modified version at my site (with my naff kernel build instructions):

Benq instructions modified
The benq instructions are a little old I think, I also think they are perhaps geared towards a different distro, as they seem to end before they should, once I have the kernel source on my machine, I can follow their instructions pretty well, everything appears to be going fine, however, the point they expect the card to work is not enough, you need to go into Network configuration to add and activate the card, however the card can not be added in the Network configuration until you have followed their instructions - it took me a while to get it to work the first time I installed FC2 back in October/november.

I like the followup 'how to'.

Thanks

Dave

Void Main · Post by **Void Main** » Mon Jan 31, 2005 6:33 pm

So do I understand you correctly that you do have it working or are you stlil having trouble with it? On a side note I completely worked over the RPM building section of my new kernel build tip. I think I have a pretty decent document started now. I should have added a section on how to add custom patches into the build process. Ahh, that can be for another day.

dickinsd · Post by **dickinsd** » Tue Feb 01, 2005 7:51 am

As of this moment in time, my wireless card etc is working fine.

My original post was because I didn't know if I was going at the kernel source install the right way, or perhaps I was taking steps that I did not need to make.

It seems everytime they release a new kernel, I have to go through the kernel source, benq istructions and my additions to them in order to get my wirless card to work under the new kernel, is this reasonable?

Anyway you have been a great help, and I am not so worried about the next release of the kernel, as I feel more confident in tackling it with your instructions at hand.

Thanks again

Dave

jaem · Post by **jaem** » Sat Feb 05, 2005 11:59 am

Benq awl110 is a prism2.5 pcmcia card, so it will work with any of the three prism2 module: orinoco (standard in vanilla kernel), hostap, wlan-ng. What matters is the config file in /etc/pcmcia (so that the proper module get loaded on insertion).
For orinoco configuration, edit file /etc/pcmcia/config and add the lines:

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card "BENQ AWL100 PCMCIA ADAPTER"
version "BENQ", "AWL100 PCMCIA ADAPTER", "ISL37300P", "Eval-RevA"
bind "orinoco_cs"

For hostap configuration, edit file /etc/pcmcia/hostap.conf and add the lines:

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card "BENQ AWL100 PCMCIA ADAPTER"
version "BENQ", "AWL100 PCMCIA ADAPTER", "ISL37300P", "Eval-RevA"
bind "hostap_cs"

For wlan-ng config follow the Benq instructions.

The easy one is orinoco, since it's probably alreaday installed.
The interesting one is hostap, since not only you can transform your card into an AP, but with wpa_supplicant, you can use WPA2, EAP as a client. You will have to compile it yourself.
wlan-ng is the hardest of the three and doesn't support iwconfig.

Note: This is a standard Intersil ref board, used by quite a few manufacturer Linksys (WPC11rev3), Netgear (MA401), Bromax, Corega...
Note2: Since I am not using Fedora, I don't have your card ..., there might be some inaccuracies.

dickinsd · Post by **dickinsd** » Sat Feb 05, 2005 7:24 pm

oh, will look at that, especially the "easy" one you mentioned.

Well there's a new kernel now so I might as well get it, if it don't work I can always follow Voids excellent instructions on compiling my source and following a methind that does work for me.

Thanks again

Dave