Help installing drivers

Hi

I'm totally new to Linux, but I'm trying to learn it from the command line. So far it feels about like I would assume it feels trying to steer a submarine, they can't look out the "Windows" to see where their going either. ;-)

Any way, I have Red Hat 7.1 installed and running fine except for the fact that the install didn't automatically recognize my nic card (which is on the Red Hat compatibility list) and did not install the drivers. The floppy that came with the card has instructions for installing the driver on RH 5.2 and it seems the directory structure as well as a few other things have changed between 5.2 and 7.1, so these instructions are of no help to a newbie.

I have visited the "Network Driver Updates Page" and I don't really understand the instructions they give to install the update. I don't have internet access on my Linux box yet so I can't do the ftp thing that they mention, and I'm not fluent enough in *nix speak yet to know what to do unless the instructions are kinda precise. I have downloaded the src.rpm file and put it on a floppy.

So you don't have to follow the link above (unless you want to) I've included the instructions from that link at the end of this post. I would be very grateful to anyone who could take me from the point where I put the floppy in my Linux box thru the installation, and please don't assume I know how to do anything with Linux.

Thank you very much, and here's the instructions mentioned above.



Thanks again
~Butcher~

when you are logged in as root, do this:

1. copy the file to your haddisk for faster access:
mount /dev/fd0 /mnt
cp /mnt/* .
umount /mnt
2. install the file not from ftp but locally:
rpm -i <filename.src.rpm>
3. then go on compiling the sources.

i doubt you´ll succeed this way and i doubt you´ll have fun with this type of setup. you better find out how to make the nic work with redhat´s own drivers.

much luck!

The RPM you have is a source RPM, which means you have to build it into a binary RPM before you install it, which is a step M.Hirsch missed out. To build source RPMs, you stick them in a directory called something like /usr/src/packages/SPECS (for drivers) and /usr/src/packages/SOURCES (for applications), and then you run rpm telling it to build an binary rpm from the source rpm. Once it has done that, you can install the binary RPM. So you need to do the following:

1. Copy the file to your haddisk for faster access. redHat may have already set-up a way of accessing your floppy, but if not, you can do it manually like so:
mount /dev/fd0 /mnt
cp /mnt/* .
umount /mnt

2. Move the source rpm into the correct directory... so hunt around /usr/src for something like "packages/SPECS" or perhaps "rpm/SPECS", and when you've found a suitable place, move the rpm to that location.

3. Build the source RPM into a binary rpm, like so:
rpm -bb SPECS/netdriver*.spec
Now I'm not certain, not having used src RPMs, but that might mean type that exact command whilst in "/usr/src", or it might mean type "i386" where it says "spec" at the end... the rpm manpage is a touch unclear. Try both, see which works.

4. Once you've built the source RPM into a binary RPM, check it's in the right place, so look for "/usr/src/RPMS/i386/netdrivers-3.1-1.i386.rpm ". If it's not there, you need to try step3 again, until it does work.

5. Install the binary rpm whilst in /usr/src:
rpm -ivh --force RPMS/i386/netdrivers-3.1-1.i386.rpm

Thanks guys, you were both right.

telex4

I was able to fiddle around with the directions you gave me and managed to get to the point where I was trying to make the binary. When I ran the command, a whole crapload of text went flying by on my screen, and most of it seemed to be warnings and errors. Needless to say, It didn't make the binary, so I could go no further.

M.Hirsch

You were right when you said:



Now... Could anybody either tell me how to get RedHat to recognize my nic at boot up and install the right drivers? I'll even reinstall it if that's what it takes, but the network configuration screen doesn't show up when I install because it isn't recognizing it.

If not that, then can someone translate these instructions from the Netgear driver disk so that I could try and do this on version 7.1. I've tried it myself by copying the files to my /root folder and then trying to execute the command cctulip but it tells me that command does not exist.

----------------

With either the adapter cards based on the DEC 21140 controller (versions
C1, C2 or C6) or the new NETGEAR cards (revisions D1, D2 or D3), the
"Digital 21040 (Tulip)" driver included in the software can be used.
With C1, C2 or C6, the RedHat installation software automatically detects
and points to the proper driver. With revisions D1, D2, or D3, you
must manually instruct Linux to use the "Digital 21040 (Tulip)" driver
under the "Which card to support" network window.

However, the Tulip driver (version 0.89H) included in RedHat Linux 5.2
configures the transmit threshold of the revisions D1, D2, and D3 cards
to Store-and-forward. To improve the network performance of the adapter
card under Linux, it is recommended you use the Linux driver provided
in the floppy (version 0.89K) or the latest Tulip driver (0.90Q) down-
loadable from the following web site:

http://cesdis.gsfc.nasa.gov/linux/drivers/tulip.html


Installation Procedure for Modular Kernel
-----------------------------------------

1. During installation of Linux, make sure that the "C Development"
selection is choosen under "Component to Install" window. This will
copy the C compiler into the system for compiling the driver.

2. Also the Network Configuration window during installation, you will
be asked if you want to configure LAN (not dailup) networking for
your installed system. Answer YES.

3. Insert the floppy disk with the FA310 driver, and mount the disk into
the system with the following command:

mount -t msdos /dev/fd0 /mnt

4. Copy the Linux-related files from the disk into the system hard disk
with the following command. Four files will be copies: "cctulip",
"tulip.c", "Copying", and "linux.txt".

cp /mnt/linux/*.* .

5. Compile tulip.c by executing the "cctulip" command at the prompt.
The following command will be executed.

gcc -DMODULE -D__KERNEL__ -I/usr/src/linux/net/inet -Wall -Wstrict-prototypes -O6 -c tulip.c

6. Find the names of the files in the /lib/modules directory. You
might see the following directories.

eg. "2.0.36-0.7" and "preferred".

7. Copy the newly compiled tulip.o into the latest kernel's modules.

cp tulip.o /lib/modules/2.0.36-0.7/net/tulip.o

8. Reboot the system.

9. You can check if the driver is properly activating the card using
the "dmesg" command right after system bootup.

-------------

If anyone has any other suggestions on how I can or should do this, please feel free.

Thanks again for all your helps to this point.

this way seems much easier to me.

to help you, we need more information:
- which revision of the NIC do you have? (you should find this on the NIC´s board or biggest chip)
- which kernel version do you use ("uname -a")
- did you find the tulip driver in the redhat setup?
- did you try these instructions and what and where failed?

Furthermore:
when logged in as root, you must prepend "./" (i.e. "./cctulip") to commands in your working dir. unlike windows it does not automatically execute commands in the current directory!

I am having pretty much the same problems. I know this is a long post, but if we bring together everything we are trying, then hopefully we will work it out! If you would rather I start this as a new thread, say so, but I think we're aiming for the same thing here... I am trying to configure an ethernet adaptor to connect to my ADSL router. This is the first my system has seen of any network activity - also a bit of new territory for me aswell !
I am using an Asus Hi-Grade UltiNote AS8400 laptop, with build in ethernet. Running Red Hat 7.2, with a 2.4.7-10 kernel

A Google search suggested that I would need the 'rtl8139.o' module to go with my card. Can anyone expand on this? here's the toast:

To start with, I get a description of my ethernet adaptor:

$cat /proc/pci

Bus 0, device 8, function 0:
Ethernet controller: Realtek Semiconductor Co., Ltd. RTL-8139 (rev 16).
Master Capable. Latency=64. Min Gnt=32.Max Lat=64.
I/O at 0xf000 [0xf0ff].
Non-prefetchable 32 bit memory at 0xfedffc00 [0xfedffcff].

I then try running 'neat' to initialise a new eth0 device. The fields in the GUI screen are a bit cryptic, but I can at least get the right model. WHen I probe the interface in Windoze, I'm told it has an IRQ level 9, so I am entering this into the 'neat' screen - is that right? and what could be the required values for:
MEM: IO: IO1: IO2: DMA0: DMA1: ?? I can never get past this stage and I always get the warning: 'The Ethernet card could not be initialized. Please verify your settings and try again.'

I then look in /etc/modules.conf and /proc/modules

$cat /etc/modules.conf

reveals the following: (note: no sign if any ethernet module)

alias parport_lowlevel parport_pc
alias sound-slot-0 maestro3
post-install sound-slot-0 /bin/aumix-minimal -f /etc/.aumixrc -L >/dev/null 2>&1 || :
pre-remove sound-slot-0 /bin/aumix-minimal -f /etc/.aumixrc -S >/dev/null 2>&1 || :

$/sbin/lsmod

gives this: (note no rtl8139 module listed)

Module Size Used by
ppp_deflate 41376 0 (autoclean)
bsd_comp 4384 0 (autoclean)
ppp_async 6736 0 (autoclean)
ppp_generic 19296 0 (autoclean) [ppp_deflate bsd_comp ppp_async]
.
. bla bla
appletalk 20912 0 (autoclean)
ipx 16448 0 (autoclean)
ipchains 39200 0

So the next sensible move might be to probe for the rtl8139 module:

$/sbin/modprobe rtl8139.o
modprobe: Can't locate module rtl819.o

So I went out on the internet and downloaded the following files:
rtl8139.c
pci-scan.c
pci-scan.h

then off I go to find the right locations, but the paths are totally different on my system.
In fact,
/lib/modules/[kernel-version]/net/driver.o. isn't there. Any attempts to compile the module source fails, and I start wondering if there is a much simpler solution to all this!!?? I think that if we only knew what the Red Hat equivalent paths were, then we would know where to put these modules.

as a last attempt, I tried the rpm route:
[root@localhost]$ cd /usr/src/redhat/SPECS
[root@localhost redhat]# rpm -bb SPECS/netdriver*.spec
error: failed to stat /usr/src/redhat/SPECS/netdriver*.spec: No such file or directory
[root@localhost redhat]# rpm -bb SPECS/netdriver*.i386
error: failed to stat /usr/src/redhat/SPECS/netdriver*.i386: No such file or directory

I hate life !

later
Christo

ps I just pasted all this from my vi screen - hope it doesn't stuff up!

try "modprobe rtl8139" without the ".o"

same for butcher: "modprobe tulip"

you don´t need to tell the irq or any settings to the driver since you are using a pci card.

[root@localhost chris]# /sbin/modprobe rtl8139
modprobe: Can't locate module rtl8139


I think I might try compiling the source files in the rpm location... er or something. Or maybe I should just go to the pub and sulk!

maybe you need to install it from your distro´s cdroms...

hmmm. I even tried:

$ cd /lib
$ find . -name rtl*

and nowt !
I'll go have a look in the CD's
No word from Butcher. I wonder how he's getting on!

Thanks Manuel (sp?)

nothing on distro cds I'm going to try again to compile the libraries myself.. although it wouldn't let me do it earlier.. can't remember why, but I think it was a missing paths issue.
Back later!

Okay

I've run "modprobe tulip" and got the following:

/lib/modules/2.4.2-2/kernel/drivers/net/tulip/tulip.o: init_module: No such device
Hint: insmod errors can be caused by incorrect module parameters, including invalid IO or IRQ parameters
/lib/modules/2.4.2-2/kernel/drivers/net/tulip/tulip.o: insmod /lib/modules/2.4.2-2/kernel/drivers/net/tulip/tulip.o failed
/lib/modules/2.4.2-2/kernel/drivers/net/tulip/tulip.o: insmod tulip failed


In reading over CHR15T0's posts I tried some of the commands he was testing and I'll list the results in case it will help.

when I ran "cat /proc/pci" there was no lising for an ethernet card

but, when I run "cat /etc/modules.conf" I get this:

alias parport_lowlevel parport_pc
alias usb-controller usb-uhci
alias eth0 tulip

when I ran "/sbin/lsmod" I got this for my efforts:


Module Size Used by
autofs 11136 1 (autoclean)
ipchains 38944 0 (unused)
usb-uhci 20848 0 (unused)
usbcore 49632 1 (usb-uhci)


Like CHR15T0 said, it seems that anything I come across that looks like it will work, has the wrong paths built into it to work on my distro of Linux.

Thanks for all the help and support guys