Baslinux mailing list

[Hal MacArgle <halinux AT kvinet.com>]

On 06-13, Sindi Keesan wrote:
> Someone at the bbs said you need the kernel source - is this only that one 
> kernel headers file that Steven said to install as part of the files 
> needed for compiling?  He also said to look at the package for INSTALL but 
> there is no package, only winbond-840.c

        That would be James.. The .c file above is used by the
Makefile when compiling the complete kernel when make_modules is
invoked.. Do you have the full source for the subject kernel you want
to work with?? If not you'll have to get it from kernel.org and it'll
be a doozey - most over 25mB now, IIRC.. Linux-2.4.20.tar.bz2 is 27
mB.. The earlier ones a mite smaller... The .gz's longer but I think
you can uncrunch bz2... Have you compiled the full kernel before??
Linus has comprehensive docs and readme's, well done.. Don't know
what you've done or are familiar with so will stop blabbing and offer
any help I can from my experience.. I've compiled kernels many times
because, at one time, we didn't have modules.. They are all, usually,
complete and self contained - just uncrunch in /usr/src and follow
the instructions.. You'll, basically, be doing a make configure, make
modules, make modules_install.. Forgive if I've left something out..
It's all there in the doco's.. If there's no .c and .h files for a
certain driver - that's another ball game.. This is heavy Unix
stuff..



> Winbond (www.winbond.com, or if you read Chinese www.winbond.com.tw) has a 
> driver download page but only for Windows (or also for DOS, in the case of 
> controller and I/O cards, of which we have many with winbond chips). 
> 
> www.scyld.com/network.html has a lot of useful information on ethernet 
> cards and drivers.  This one has a serious bug which limits transmit list 
> to a single packet.   I presume this means it is slower, but it is a 
> 100Mbit card so should still be faster than my non-buggy 10MBit cards.
> The link to the linux driver for the winbond-840 is not currently working.
> I was able to access another link and figured out that the drivers are all 
> at:
> 
> ftp.scyld.com/pub/network
> 
> They have all or at least many of the drivers for the newer cards.  
> Perhaps Steven can find the time to compile, for 2.2.16, the ones missing 
> from SW71?  I would be willing to compare and find out which ones are 
> missing.  SW71 has rtl8139, which is at scyld, for instance.  
> 
> 
> There is supposed to be a way to use drivers for later modules, but the 
> kernel has to be compiled to be capable of this.  Is ours?  

        Great listing above: I wondered what Don Becker's new site
was. The old one not up anymore.. He's the Becker that writes/wrote
most all of the NIC drivers.. Used to be with NASA, but has his own
software house now.. Glad he hasn't gone completely to "for hire."
Must be a really savvy guy... I'm saving this msg from you for sure.
Using a different 'version' module driver? I've never gotten the flag
for that to work.. Don't really know why.. Maybe Don mentions it??
Oh I see above you got to the wrong link too, but how did you find
the right one? Maybe I'm blinder than I thought. Either that or
impatient..

    Hal - in Terra Alta, WV - Slackware GNU/Linux 9.0   (2.4.20)
           
             Anyone can pile complexity upon complexity;
                  only a genius can truly simplify..
.