Re: Backport latest kernel (2.6.32-5) not working (for me)
> ==========================
> Date: Thu, 22 Jul 2010 05:53:42 -0700
> From: Russ Allbery <rra@debian.org>
> To: backports-users@lists.backports.org
> Subject: Re: Backport latest kernel (2.6.32-5) not working (for
> me)
> ==========================
>
> Mauro Condarelli <MC5686@mclink.it> writes:
>
> > You were right, I didn't update my initramfs!
>
> > The bad part is after I update it (and checked I *do* have
> "blacklist
> > nouveau" in it) nothing changes and drm/nouveau is started
> (and X fails
> > badly).
>
> > I am about to install ubuntu.
>
> Installing Ubuntu isn't going to help you if you want to run
> newer kernels
> than the current Ubuntu stable release, which is what you're
> trying to do
> with Debian.
Difference is current "stable" in ubuntu (10.4) uses kernel 2.6.32.
>
> Kernel modules often don't built with newer versions of the kernel
> because
> the kernel ABI for modules is not even remotely stable. Unless
> someone
> has backported all the modules you care about, upgrading the
> kernel is not
> a safe action if you rely on out-of-tree modules.
I do not really care for any "recent" nvidia driver.
As stated before this machine is mainly a server.
Unfortunately nowadays You may find some config programs need X, thus I feel I want some graphic environment also on my server (I might have to send some mail via web browser as I'm doing now).
I *do NOT* need any accelerated whatsoever.
Plain VESA would be ok.
No 2D; no 3D.
Just be able to use a browser (pretty please do not advocate character-mode browsers because they are completely unusable in the real world!).
I now reverted to stock
and my lsmod includes:
nvidiafb 45568 0
vgastate 12800 1 nvidiafb
nvidia 8105072 0
i2c_core 27936 1 nvidia
I am unsure if this is the proprietary driver or not.
what I *do* need is a driver for:
04:00.0 Network controller: Atheros Communications Inc. Device 002a (rev 01)
Subsystem: Device 1a3b:1067
Flags: bus master, fast devsel, latency 0, IRQ 11
Memory at febf0000 (64-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=64K]
Capabilities: [40] Power Management version 2
Capabilities: [50] Message Signalled Interrupts: Mask- 64bit- Queue=0/0 Enable-
Capabilities: [60] Express Legacy Endpoint, MSI 00
Capabilities: [90] MSI-X: Enable- Mask- TabSize=1
Capabilities: [100] Advanced Error Reporting <?>
Capabilities: [140] Virtual Channel <?>
Capabilities: [160] Device Serial Number 00-00-00-00-00-00-00-00
Which I understand entered kernel around 2.6.30.
Please understand I am not trying to put down volunteer work.
I'm simply a bit amazed that installing a Backport kernel, without any other changes, on a plain system (I did *not* have nvidia-specific drivers before, just the plain install!) can lead to a non-working installation.
IMHO this is a kernel bug.
All talk about installing nvidia drivers was only to try to fix that bug.
At least this is how I see my current situation.
If I'm wrong somewhere I would like to understand where.
Thanks for the clarifications.
Mauro
>
> I think you should either revert your kernel upgrade or you should
> upgrade
> to Debian testing, which is a consistent distribution (and which
> is also
> considerably more stable and usable than most people think it
> is; I
> personally find it more stable and usable than the average Ubuntu
I know that.
I stayed years on debian sid with no ill effecte.
.. then I grew tired playing catch-up with all new releases and moved to stable :),
but sometimes You find new hardware in your pc...
> release). Alternatively, you can just hand-install the NVIDIA
> drivers,
> which isn't difficult, although it makes a minor mess on your
> nicely
> package-managed system.
>
> The proprietary NVIDIA drivers are difficult to backport because
> they
> provide 32-bit versions on amd64 and the way in which that is
> done has
> changed significantly between lenny and squeeze, and because
> the current
> packaging relies on very recent debhelper features in order to
> simplify
> the too-complicated package build system. They were also in
> dire shape
> even in unstable for a long time, and currently that's where
> our (the
> NVIDIA package maintainers') work is going, rather than towards
> working on
> backports.
>
> Hopefully in the not-too-distant future we can largely throw
> out the
> proprietary NVIDIA drivers in favor of nouveau, since getting
> them to work
> properly and coexist with the rest of the system is a mess of
> diversions
> and complicated edge cases.
>
> --
> Russ Allbery (rra@debian.org) <http://www.eyrie.org/~eagle/>
Reply to: