Re: linux-headers no more needed ?

[Jo Shields <jo.shields@comlab.ox.ac.uk>]

Hans-J. Ullrich wrote:
> Hello all,
>
> maybe I have an understanding problem. It would be nice, if someone could give 
> me some background knowledge.
>
> IMO the linux-header-files are always needed, whenever I want to build modules 
> for the kernel, i.e. the Nvidia-kernel-module. However, as I have not 
> installed them, the building of my needed module (in my case it was the 
> fglrx-kernel-module) succeeded. So, what is the reason, that the 
> linux-header-files are for ? I do not understand. 
>
> (Background is, that the package "linux-headers-2.6.17-1-amd64-k8" cannot be 
> installed, due to the missing "linux-kbuild-2.6.17")
>
> So, in what cases are the header files needed ?
>
> Thank you very much for your help !!!
>
> Best regards
>
> Hans

What the nvidia/fglrx/whatever modules need to build aren't a specific 
package per se, but a valid and accurate set of .h files for the kernel 
in question. These don't need to come from a linux-headers-versionfoo 
package - If you compiled your kernel yourself, for example, then 
they're in /usr/src/yourkernelsourcedir. Or you could install a 
linux-source-version package, then use your current .config to compile 
up what you need.

Headers are *always* needed. Just not neccessarily linux-headers-foo.