New install - Fedora 10 - need to compile kernel?

[bg3075]

Sorry, I am very much a Newbie to Linux/Fedora. Just installed Fedora 10, but having some problems with hardware driver recognition, particularly a wireless network PCI card. ndiswrapper is looking for a kernel in usr/src/kernels, which doesn't exist.

In Fedora, is it necessary to compile a kernel? Looking through the FAQ at kernelnewbies, states to extract the kernel to a Linux directory, in usr/src, which also doesn't exist.

[Hlingler]

No, you rarely need to compile a kernel - but you do often have to install the kernel-devel package that matches your installed kernel(s) in order for ndiswrapper and other apps to compile kernel driver modules (kmods) for drivers. So open a terminal window and command:
su -
yum update
yum install kernel-devel kernel-headers

Then re-boot into the new kernel.

V

EDIT: I see that you have also posted this question here: http://forums.fedoraforum.org/showthread.php?t=219486
Please confine questions on one issue to one thread - it helps to keep the mileage on my mouse down.

[bg3075]

Thanks,

I am sorry, didn't realize I posted twice on the site, as I have been so overwhelmed this weekend trying to get this computer up running. Can you please just elaborate for me how to re-boot to the new kernel? Does this mean just to simply re-boot, or is there something else that needs to be done at boot? I know next to nothing about Linux yet.

Thanks

[Hlingler]

It should happen automatically when you re-boot, but I suggest that you verify (after re-boot) with:
uname -r

V

[Loki1950]

When you shut-down from the System-->Shut down menu pick restart the new kernel is now the default so there is no need to actually do anything and since you are just setting up a new install i would recommend Dangermouse's autoten script found in this thread it sets up lots off things that are not part of the base install because of legal issues.

Enjoy the Choice

[bg3075]

Thanks guys, this is good information!

[nirik]

Additionally, you can just use the ndiswrapper modules from rpmfusion:

http://fedorasolved.org/mobile/fc-wi...dis-yum-livna/

[bg3075]

Now shows that ndiswrapper and kernel are installed, but commands do not work. I am running this command (below) from the directory in which the drivers are located:

ndiswrapper -i mrv8335.inf
-bash: ndiswrapper: command not found

Ran
uname -r
Shows version 2.6.27.21-170.2.56.fc10.i686

Ran

[root@eMachine ~]# yum info ndiswrapper
Loaded plugins: refresh-packagekit
Installed Packages
Name : ndiswrapper
Arch : i386
Version : 1.53
Release : 2.fc10
Size : 76 k
Repo : installed
Summary : Ndiswrapper wraps around Windows WLAN drivers within Linux
URL : http://ndiswrapper.sourceforge.net
License : GPLv2
Description: The ndiswrapper project makes it possible to use WLAN-Hardware with Linux by
: means of a loadable kernel module that "wraps around" NDIS (Windows network
: driver API) drivers. These rpms contain just the kernel module and loader.
: You will also need the Windows driver for your card. WARNING: Fedora-
: Kernels use 4K size stack. Many Windows drivers will need at least 8K size
: stacks. For details read the wiki on: http:/ndiswrapper.sourceforge.net

It appears that the installed ndiswrapper (above) is the wrong version, right?

When I try running

yum uninstall ndiswrapper

It prompts me for yum [options] COMMAND

Ran yum reinstall ndiswrapper instead, and selected N when prompted to install again.

GOT IT! Just had to reboot after running reinstall.

[bg3075]

Originally Posted by Hlingler

No, you rarely need to compile a kernel - but you do often have to install the kernel-devel package that matches your installed kernel(s) in order for ndiswrapper and other apps to compile kernel driver modules (kmods) for drivers. So open a terminal window and command:
su -
yum update
yum install kernel-devel kernel-headers

Then re-boot into the new kernel.

V

EDIT: I see that you have also posted this question here: http://forums.fedoraforum.org/showthread.php?t=219486
Please confine questions on one issue to one thread - it helps to keep the mileage on my mouse down.

Since the last post I made, I had to revert back to my original kernel, from 2.6.27.24-170.2.56.fc10.i686 (I think was it) to the one in code below. See in the code that I tried to install kernel-headers. Any idea why there are no kernel-headers available? Is that common with some kernels?

[root@HOME ~]# yum install kernel-devel kernel-headers
Loaded plugins: protectbase, refresh-packagekit
Excluding Packages in global exclude list
Finished
2 packages excluded due to repository protections
Setting up Install Process
Parsing package install arguments
Package kernel-devel-2.6.27.21-170.2.56.fc10.i686 installed and not available
No package kernel-headers available.
Nothing to do

[Hlingler]

Older kernels, and their related packages, are purged from the repos as newer kernels are added. However, you can always manually fetch an older kernel[-devel|headers|doc|debuginfo|firmware] (and any other packages you want/need) from Koji:
Main page: http://koji.fedoraproject.org/koji/index
kernels (Koji=>Packages=>k=>kernel): http://koji.fedoraproject.org/koji/p...fo?packageID=8
kernel-2.6.27.21-170.2.56.fc10: http://koji.fedoraproject.org/koji/b...?buildID=95205

Be aware that you may have multiple kernel and/or kernel-devel packages installed (assuming that you have adequate space on the /boot partition), but only one of kernel-headers, kernel-doc, and kernel-firmware. Also: packages already installed will be listed as unavailable (as per the message). Finally: note that the kernel-headers package is tagged 'i386' (generic x86, 32-bit). I have no idea why YUM would return a message 'No package kernel-headers available.' Perhaps the YUM 'protectbase' extension is blocking stuff. Please post results of command:
rpm -qa | grep -i kernel | sort

V

[bg3075]

[root@HOME ~]# rpm -qa | grep -i kernel | sort
arm-gp2x-linux-kernel-headers-2.6.12.0-2.fc8.noarch
kernel-2.6.27.21-170.2.56.fc10.i686
kernel-2.6.27.5-117.fc10.i686
kernel-debug-2.6.27.21-170.2.56.fc10.i686
kernel-devel-2.6.27.21-170.2.56.fc10.i686
kerneloops-0.12-2.fc10.i386

The arm-gp2x-linux-kernel-headers-2.6.12.0-2.fc8.noarch appears because I just installed all software I could find in search for "glibc" packages in gnome software install tool, because it appears I need these packages in the thread http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...=glibc-headers to configure some 3rd party software packages I am having trouble installing, HP Linux drivers and Ushare.

I looked at the link you posted to Koji kernels and the only kernel-header I see for download is kernel-headers-2.6.27.21-170.2.56.fc10.i386.rpm. This is probably the reason yum returned "No package kernel-headers available" when I tried to install it (above). Can I load this though my kernel is ...i686?

Thanks

[Hlingler]

Yes, you can (and indeed must) install the generic i386 kernel-headers package - but again, be aware that:

• You may have only ONE kernel-headers package installed at one time, and it should match the latest kernel. You currently have none, as the query results show, and the kernel-headers-2.6.27.21-170.2.56.fc10.i386.rpm matches your currently installed (and running?) latest kernel, so good: go ahead and fetch and install it.
• Koji packages are NOT GPG-Key signed, so you must manually download and install with either 'rpm -Uvh ...' or 'yum --nogpgcheck localinstall ...'

For future reference also:

• Beware that many Koji builds (especially kernels) are failures, and/or never released, for many reasons. Watch for those with 'Trash' and/or 'Red-Line' markers - don't use these unless you know what you're doing. The kernel build in question is OK ('Green Check', plus we already know it's been released into the wild).
• kernel-debuginfo packages are huge, and pointless unless you really intend to debug errors. Consider removing it/them unless truly needed - or you have plenty of HDD space to spare.

V

[bg3075]

All right.........thanks for all your help Hlingler!