3Ware 9650 SE & Etch: How to prevent the driver from being upgraded?

["Philippe Lang" <philippe.lang@attiksystem.ch>]

Hi,

3Ware raid card 9650 SE is unfortunately not directly supported by
Debian Etch. In order to be able to install Debian Etch, you need a
special installer disk image provided by 3Ware:

http://www.3ware.com/KB/article.aspx?id=15012

It works fine, but there is one problem: after an "apt-get update" and
"apt-get upgrade", kernel is replaced by a version that does not support
the raid card. And the server does not boot anymore, of course.

The kernel module needed can of course be compiled and installed by hand
("cp 3w-9xxx.ko /lib/modules/2.6.18-5-amd64/kernel/drivers/scsi/" worked
for me), but the risk you end-up with an unbootable system is high, and
I'd like to avoid that.

Is there a way to prevent the 3ware driver from being upgraded when
kernel 2.6.18.5-amd64 is upgraded, in the future? Or to automate the
compilation and installation of the latest 3ware driver?

Thanks!

Philippe