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re: driver configuration (sound)



From:
Peter Christensen <pchris@snip.net>
My question now concerns device drivers. I have an HP laserjet 6L and an "on-board" Ensoniq PCI audio chip. Both appear to be supported under Linux, according to linuxprinting.org and the linux-sound how-to. During installation there was a procedure, "configure device driver support," that I skipped through because I didn't understand what to do. It said that afterward I could run "modconf" instead. I couldn't see anything in modconf that seemed to relate to sound.

Could someone give me a rough idea of what I need to do here? Will I need to recompile the kernel?



Which kernel option did you choose when you installed Woody? (Did you boot from CDROM and press F3 at the boot: prompt during install? If not, you have installed the "default" or "idepci" version.) You can find out by entering "uname -r" in a terminal winddow. If you used the default (idepci) you will be amazed and upset to hear that there are no sound modules. I think that the same is true of the "compact" kernel. If you had installed the "vanilla" kernel you would be all right. (You only know all this halfway through the install process when you select modules.)

You can check which modules you have using "modconf". While you are there, check for the ide-scsi module - you will need this if you install a CD-R or CDRW.

You could:
1. Install Woody again from scratch, choosing the "vanilla" kernel, or
2. Install a new kernel. (I have never tried this, so I am not sure how. Anyone have any suggestions?)
3. Create and install a custom kernel.

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I successfully tried the third option and installed kernel 2.4.10 from the source package on the Woody CDROM. You can find a HOWTO ("Creating custom kernels with Debian's kernel-packaging system") at http://newbiedoc.sourceforge.net/

Here are a few ammendments to the document for Woody:
2. What to install: 9. task-teltk-dev does not exist in Woody. You need libncurses5-dev.

3.2 Setting up the source tree: typo - the command to unzip the tar file should be "tar -xjf kernel-source-2.2.19.tar.bz2". You don't need to carry out the second "tar" operation.

4.1 make xconfig: Woody can't do this because X is already running. Use "make menuconfig" instead.

4.3 make config: When make menuconfig is finished you get the message:
"Check the top-level Makefile for additional configuration. Next, you must run "make dep". This seems to be an unnecessary step if you are going to use make-kpkg, but I ran "make dep" just to be sure.

5.3 Making the kernel image: I found that I needed root privileges to run make-dpkg (type "su" and enter the root password).

6.1 Installing the debianized kernel: If you have other systems on your PC (Win98, WInNT etc), you will not want to write to the mbr. If so:

"install boot-block using existing lilo.conf?" = NO
"make /dev/hd?? active?" = NO

Otherwise, go ahead and select the defaults.
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You should now be able to find and load your sound modules with "modconf".

I am still having problems with sound in Woody - the /dev/* seem not to be created. Please let me know if you get sound working.

Good luck,

- Chris



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