Bug#342164: Sarge Installer Bug Report: Kernel Module Fails To Load

["O. Sharp" <ohh@drizzle.com>]

Package: installation-reports

Boot method: boot floppy; also tried SMB floppy to boot directly from CD
Image version: Debian sarge, 3.1r0, date unknown - CD set from 
aboutdebian.com
Date: 1 December 2005, another attempt on 4 Dec 2005, a third on 5 Dec 
2005

Machine: Gateway Solo 2200 laptop
Processor: Pentium, 133MHz
Memory: 48Mb
Partitions:
  filesystem  type  1K blocks   used available %used mountpoint
  /dev/hda2   ext3  2869932   456664   2267480  17%  /
  tmpfs      tmpfs    23204        0     23204   0%  /dev/shm


Output of lspci and lspci -n:

lscpi:
0000:00:00.0 Host bridge: Intel Corp. 430MX - 82437MX Mob. System Ctrlr 
(MTSC) & 82438MX Data Path (MTDP) (rev 02)
0000:00:01.0 Bridge: Intel Corp. 430MX - 82371MX Mobile PCI I/O IDE 
Xcelerator (MPIIX) (rev 03)
0000:00:0d.0 PCMCIA Bridge: Cirrus Logic CL 6729 (rev ee)
0000:00:14.0 VGA compatible controller: Chips and Technologies F65554 (rev 
c2)

lscpi -n:
0000:00:00.0 0600: 8086:1235 (rev 02)
0000:00:01.0 0680: 8086:1234 (rev 03)
0000:00:0d.0 0605: 1013:1100 (rev ee)
0000:00:14.0 0300: 102c:00e4 (rev c2)


Base System Installation Checklist:
[O] = OK, [E] = Error (please elaborate below), [ ] = didn't try it

Initial boot worked:    [O]
Configure network HW:   [E]
Config network:         [ ]
Detect CD:              [O]
Load installer modules: [E]
Detect hard drives:     [O]
Partition hard drives:  [O]
Create file systems:    [O]
Mount partitions:       [O]
Install base system:    [O]
Install boot loader:    [O]
Reboot:                 [O]


Comments/Problems:

Can't get any PCMCIA card services or recognition. Everything else 
seems to be doing okay.

The Gateway Solo 2200 is an older laptop, with no built-in network or 
modem connections, so it's reliant on PCMCIA cards for this. Unfortunately 
the installer was unable to load the 'i82365' module, and every subsequent 
attempt to find the network card or modem resulted in a 'modprobe -v 
i82365' failure.

The problem first appears very early in the install process. I looked at 
the output on virtual terminal 3 (e.g., Alt-F3 - is "virtual terminal 3" 
the right term to describe it?) when it first happened, and at that point 
there were only eight lines of text present:

"
Using /lib/modules/2.4.27-2-386/kernel/drivers/pnp/isa-pnp.o
Using /lib/modules/2.4.27-2-386/kernel/drivers/pcmcia/pcmcia_core.o
Using /lib/modules/2.4.27-2-386/kernel/drivers/pcmcia/i82365.o
insmod: init_module: i82365: No such device
insmod    isa-pnp
insmod    pcmcia_core
insmod    i82365
modprobe: failed to load module i82365
"

The rest of the Linux install seems to go okay, though obviously there's 
no network or modem support present.

I suspect it doesn't matter, but for what it's worth the card I'm trying 
to use is a Xircom XEM5600 network and modem combo card; the PCMCIA HOWTO 
says the card uses the xirc2ps_cs driver, and the installer gamely 
attempted to load it till it got the inevitable 'modprobe -v i82365' 
error.

...Unfortunately I'm still howlingly new to Linux, and haven't yet 
learned little things like "is there a way to install the module after 
the initial system installation" and "if there is, how do I go about it".  
:)  I've tried going through HOWTOs, but so far no luck. Can you offer a 
newbie some help?

Thanks!  :)

               -O.-
                   O. Sharp <ohh@drizzle.com>