Re: Automatically build and install kernel-modules
Am Mittwoch, 25. Juni 2008 schrieb Dean Hamstead:
> ideally the nvidia module should come precompiled
>
> if the nvidia build fails (normal with new kernels) newbies will be
> stumped regardless of where it happens
>
> Dean
>
> Lennart Sorensen wrote:
> > On Tue, Jun 24, 2008 at 05:03:51PM +0200, Hans-J. Ullrich wrote:
> >> althoug this is not quite debian-amd-related, I am looking fo a way, to
> >> automatically build and install kernel-modules, which must normally
> >> build by hand and, which got sources in the repository. These are i.e.
> >> madwifi, nvidia-kernel and some other.
> >>
> >> Why not manually ? Well, the problem is, when a new kernel-version was
> >> installed, and the required modules are not build, it might make the
> >> system unusable (i.e. wireless networking will not work any more, or
> >> Xwon't start)
> >>
> >> This is a problem for newbies (and other users with less technical
> >> knowledge).
> >>
> >> So my idea: Change the kernel-installer scripts, so that they build and
> >> install the modules at a new kernel (the script might compare between
> >> "before update" and "installation version") and then build the required
> >> modules out of a list using module-assistant commandline-tool (or m-a
> >> -i).
> >>
> >> Or miss I something and this is already working at another way ? So let
> >> me know.
> >
> > So you want Ubuntu's dkms system?
> >
> > I tried to do it with a startup script calling m-a if a certain module
> > didn't load, but that didn't always work so well so I went back to doing
> > it manually, although I only have to do it for the nvidia driver now.
> > lirc I use the ubuntu version which uses dkms and is hence automatic,
> > and for ivtv it is now in the kernel and hence no longer a problem.
>
> --
> http://fragfest.com.au
It is not only the nvidia modules, which might be the easiest way to update.
There are often prebuilt packages in the repository.
There are a lot of other modules.
There are other cases. For example, if you use cron-apt on laptops (which is
required as the documentation says), it might be, that a customer/user cannot
get a wireless access any more, because the new kernel is missing the
madwifi-module.
This should not happpen. In this case the user even will get no chance, to
install the missing sources.
You might say, cron-apt on laptops is no good choice. Yes, you might be right,
because the update process was interrupted , because the user shut down the
laptop before finish. Shutting down shut be avoided, during an upgrade
(Windows does it that way, as far as I know).
Anyway, what I want to say is this: These things make the system for normal
users difficult to handle and can cause problems. I am no coder, but I got
the hope, those who create packages or are good coders might be able to easy
change the preinstall or postinstall scripts.
If not, it is o.k., too. Thank you for your patience and your attention !
Best regards
Hans
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