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Re: [Wlug] kernel driver vs module

by John Stoffel

Mike> I understand a kernel driver, is a driver that Linus, et al, Mike> have coded into the kernel, so if i have a peice of hardware, Mike> and I compile a kernel with that device's driver turned on, then Mike> my device will work. Mike> If i build that kernel driver as a module, the driver remains Mike> outside the kernel, but still availible for use. As a module I Mike> can rmmod or insmod when i need to use the device. You're mixing up two different things. Almost all drivers which are shipped with the linux kernel can be compiled in one of two ways: into the kernel, or as a module which can be loaded/unloaded at run-time. So if you have a driver and compile it into the kernel, you should see some output from 'dmesg' showing you what was deteced on bootup of the kernel. Mike> My foggy'ness comes from a few things. Mike> 1. if the driver is built into the kernel, will it show up in lsmod? No, because lsmod only shows loaded modules, not modules which are available for loading. It also doesn't show up drivers which are compiled into the kernel directly. Mike> 2. if the driver does not show up in lsmod, how do i know if Mike> its loaded? Check the output of the 'dmesg' command after a full reboot with your driver. You should at least see something about that driver, whether or not it detects any devices. Mike> 3. weather it's a built in driver or a module, how do i Mike> associate the driver (or module) with a particular device? It depends on the driver, but generally they go by PCI device ID to determine which hardware they can access. Mike> 4. if the device does not have a driver in the kernel, I cannot Mike> build a custom kernel to include it, nor can I build it as a Mike> module from the kernel source. So: This makes no sense here. Of course you can build a custom kernel with a driver shipped outside of the normal linux kernel. Mike> 5. if I get the driver from the vendor, it will build a module Mike> for me, based on my kernel-source or kernel-headers??? Then Mike> what? again, see #3: how do i associate the module with my Mike> device? If you are given vendor provided driver, you can have several issues to address here. One, it needs to match your running kernel image if it's a completely binary only module. Not a great idea in my book. If there is a binary core, but an source code wrapper section, then you'll need to compile the module against the installed kernel's headers. Not hard, the vendor should go into all these details. Mike> This is a general linux quandry, but this time i have a debian Mike> stable install and have inserted a QLogic HBA. lsmod does show Mike> qla2xxx, but it doesn't seem to be functioning as it isn't Mike> logging into the fiber switch. Check the output of 'dmesg' and see what it says. You might need to check the logs on the switch as well to make sure that you're allowing the system holding the adapter is bringing it online and that the switch is seeing it try to login. Feel free to post details and such here, the more the better! John

July 10, 2006

Re: [Wlug] CD drawer remains open

by mlong＠datalong.com

> Try booting from a live cd (knoppix, gentoo, ubuntu) and see if it > behaves the same way. If it does, it's hardware (which is my guess). > If not, it's software. Thanks for the hint. This is a production server so I will try this the next time it is taken offline for service.

July 10, 2006

Re: [Wlug] kernel driver vs module

by Theo Van Dinter

On Mon, Jul 10, 2006 at 08:13:36AM -0700, Mike Leo wrote: > My foggy'ness comes from a few things. > 1. if the driver is built into the kernel, will it show up in lsmod? No, because it's not a module. > 2. if the driver does not show up in lsmod, how do i know if its loaded? That largely depends on what it is, though generally you'll see related entries under /proc. If it's a filesystem for instance, you will see it listed under /proc/filesystems. > 3. weather it's a built in driver or a module, how do i associate the driver (or module) with a > particular device? That depends on the driver. Most drivers are able to find their devices automatically. Others require kernel/module parameters to specify port, etc. > 4. if the device does not have a driver in the kernel, I cannot build a custom kernel to include > it, nor can I build it as a module from the kernel source. So: > 5. if I get the driver from the vendor, it will build a module for me, based on my kernel-source > or kernel-headers??? Then what? again, see #3: how do i associate the module with my device? It will definitely need kernel-source or kernel-headers, whichever your distro uses. You'll end up with a compiled module (name.o). I haven't actually dealt with adding modules in ages, but as I recall you put the resulting module file under /lib/modules/... appropriately (/lib/modules/`uname -r`/misc ?) and run "depmod -a". At this point the module should be all set. There's probably docs from the vendor as well. > This is a general linux quandry, but this time i have a debian stable install and have inserted a > QLogic HBA. lsmod does show qla2xxx, but it doesn't seem to be functioning as it isn't logging > into the fiber switch. Does the card show up in dmesg output / if you rmmod and then modprobe the module, do you see the card information? I never had to do anything special to get the HBA module (also Qlogic) loaded up and logged into the fabric as far as I can recall anyway. -- Randomly Generated Tagline: "I have not put in a single line of code into BIND 9. And I hope that's not why it's a thing of beauty." - Paul Vixie at LISA '99

July 10, 2006

Re: [Wlug] kernel driver vs module

by Jeff Moyer

==> Regarding [Wlug] kernel driver vs module; Mike Leo <mleo963(a)yahoo.com> adds: mleo963> I am still having a hard time understanding kernel drivers vs mleo963> module's in practical use: I understand a kernel driver, is a mleo963> driver that Linus, et al, have coded into the kernel, so if i have mleo963> a peice of hardware, and I compile a kernel with that device's mleo963> driver turned on, then my device will work. mleo963> If i build that kernel driver as a module, the driver remains mleo963> outside the kernel, but still availible for use. As a module I mleo963> can rmmod or insmod when i need to use the device. mleo963> My foggy'ness comes from a few things. mleo963> 1. if the driver is built into the kernel, will it show up in lsmod? No. mleo963> 2. if the driver does not show up in lsmod, how do i know if its mleo963> loaded? dmesg mleo963> 3. weather it's a built in driver or a module, how do i associate mleo963> the driver (or module) with a particular device? It's done for you, via built-in PCI id mappings. mleo963> 4. if the device does not have a driver in the kernel, I cannot mleo963> build a custom kernel to include it, nor can I build it as a mleo963> module from the kernel source. So: This isn't a question... ;) mleo963> 5. if I get the driver from the vendor, it will build a module mleo963> for me, based on my kernel-source or kernel-headers??? Then what? mleo963> again, see #3: how do i associate the module with my device? Vendor modules come in 2 flavors: binary only, and not binary only. ;) In the former case, you'll likely have to run the kernel version against which they built the module. In the latter case, yes, you can build the module out of tree, and then insmod it. Again, PCI id's on the card are matched to those supported by the driver. mleo963> This is a general linux quandry, but this time i have a debian mleo963> stable install and have inserted a QLogic HBA. lsmod does show mleo963> qla2xxx, but it doesn't seem to be functioning as it isn't logging mleo963> into the fiber switch. What does the dmesg output show? -Jeff

July 10, 2006

kernel driver vs module

by Mike Leo

I am still having a hard time understanding kernel drivers vs module's in practical use: I understand a kernel driver, is a driver that Linus, et al, have coded into the kernel, so if i have a peice of hardware, and I compile a kernel with that device's driver turned on, then my device will work. If i build that kernel driver as a module, the driver remains outside the kernel, but still availible for use. As a module I can rmmod or insmod when i need to use the device. My foggy'ness comes from a few things. 1. if the driver is built into the kernel, will it show up in lsmod? 2. if the driver does not show up in lsmod, how do i know if its loaded? 3. weather it's a built in driver or a module, how do i associate the driver (or module) with a particular device? 4. if the device does not have a driver in the kernel, I cannot build a custom kernel to include it, nor can I build it as a module from the kernel source. So: 5. if I get the driver from the vendor, it will build a module for me, based on my kernel-source or kernel-headers??? Then what? again, see #3: how do i associate the module with my device? This is a general linux quandry, but this time i have a debian stable install and have inserted a QLogic HBA. lsmod does show qla2xxx, but it doesn't seem to be functioning as it isn't logging into the fiber switch. thanks mike

July 10, 2006

kernel driver vs module

by Mike Leo

I am still having a hard time understanding kernel drivers vs module's in practical use: I understand a kernel driver, is a driver that Linus, et al, have coded into the kernel, so if i have a peice of hardware, and I compile a kernel with that device's driver turned on, then my device will work. If i build that kernel driver as a module, the driver remains outside the kernel, but still availible for use. As a module I can rmmod or insmod when i need to use the device. My foggy'ness comes from a few things. 1. if the driver is built into the kernel, will it show up in lsmod? 2. if the driver does not show up in lsmod, how do i know if its loaded? 3. weather it's a built in driver or a module, how do i associate the driver (or module) with a particular device? 4. if the device does not have a driver in the kernel, I cannot build a custom kernel to include it, nor can I build it as a module from the kernel source. So: 5. if I get the driver from the vendor, it will build a module for me, based on my kernel-source or kernel-headers??? Then what? again, see #3: how do i associate the module with my device? This is a general linux quandry, but this time i have a debian stable install and have inserted a QLogic HBA. lsmod does show qla2xxx, but it doesn't seem to be functioning as it isn't logging into the fiber switch. thanks mike

July 10, 2006

Re: [Wlug] CD drawer remains open

by Eric Martin

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA1 Try booting from a live cd (knoppix, gentoo, ubuntu) and see if it behaves the same way. If it does, it's hardware (which is my guess). If not, it's software. Michael Long wrote: > Hi All, > > I have a system where the cd drive insists on keeping the drawer open. I > will close the drawer manually by pushing the button that closes it. > Within seconds the door will open again. What would cause this? > > Thanks > _______________________________________________ > Wlug mailing list > Wlug(a)mail.wlug.org > http://mail.wlug.org/mailman/listinfo/wlug > -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: GnuPG v1.4.2.2 (GNU/Linux) iD8DBQFEr74/aI8VEtSi4H8RAh1fAJ9R6lUvWpnZRioD3jGH7p/k1KNkvQCfX5vK V8ePu9s8dO7ke2PFP4zyh5g= =Lmtq -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----

July 8, 2006

CD drawer remains open

by Michael Long

Hi All, I have a system where the cd drive insists on keeping the drawer open. I will close the drawer manually by pushing the button that closes it. Within seconds the door will open again. What would cause this? Thanks

July 8, 2006

looking for an old amd cpu

by Mike Leo

greetings! I burnt out an amd CPU (my own fault of course...we all know how wonderful AMD chips are!)and am looking for a cheap replacement. It is for this motherboard: http://www.giga-byte.com/Products/Motherboard/Products_Spec.aspx?ClassValue… The current cpu is model AXDA2000DUT3C AMD Athlon, most likely http://www.cpu-world.com/CPUs/K7/AMD-Athlon%20XP%202000+%20-%20AXDA2000DUT3… however, if anyone has a replacement cpu that fits this motherboard and is willing to part with it, please let me know. Performance is not an issue, but working is a must! thanks mike

July 6, 2006

Re: [Wlug] Wlug Digest, Vol 32, Issue 20

by David Hardy

> Here's the link to the Night Life program site in Worcester: http://www.wpsweb.com/adulted/default.htm Lots of neat courses for many years now... Thanks Andy. Please send me a link to "Night Life." I did a google > search on that and "Worcester" but got a ton of stuff about bars! > > Doug > > Hi Doug, > > > > Since you cc'd the list, it should appear in the digest shortly. If it > > does not, please let me know and I'll investigate. > > > > I believe that the Night Life program in Worcester offers a class in > > Linux, taught by a WLUG member. However, I don't know what Night Life's > > policy is regarding a student's age. In addition, The Town of > > Chelmsford has a Community Education program which offers Linux classes > > (taught by another WLUG member), but that's probably too far away for > you. > > > > Finally, you're always welcome to attend a WLUG meeting in Worcester. > > We're open to all ages and ability levels. Keep an eye on the meeting > > postings in case something of interest comes along. > > > > Later, > > > > Andy > > > > > ------------------------------ > > _______________________________________________ > Wlug mailing list > Wlug(a)mail.wlug.org > http://mail.wlug.org/mailman/listinfo/wlug > > > End of Wlug Digest, Vol 32, Issue 20 > ************************************ >

June 30, 2006