[NTLUG:Discuss] kernel updates...

[Richard Geoffrion]

> A driver module compiled for a 2.2.16 kernel, would most likely not work
> with 2.2.18 kernel (if stock Slackware install).

It doesn't.
>
> It sounds like you may not have compiled the 3c509 driver, or compiled
> it directly into the kernel.  First, (just in case) make sure that when
> you ran "make menuconfig" that you selected the 3c509 driver, and that
> it will compile as a module (put an M in the < >).


I verified that the 3c509 (and the 3c90x) were selected to compile as
modules.

> After all that, all you need to do is recompile.  If you had already
> selected Network Device Support, then all you should have to do is type
> "make modules", and then "make modules install", that should be enough.

The commands I issued, in order, were make menuconfig (selected the
options...like compiling the nics as modules) ; make dep, make bzImage; make
modules; make modules_install

> If not, you will probably have to compile the kernel with "make bzImage"
> and then compile the modules.

Did this.
> After this, 3c509.o
>
After this, 3c509.o, what?  Do I have to compile it seperately? Should it
appear in the /lib/modules/2.2.18/net dir???...because it doesn't.

>The 509 is generally supported. Are you sure that it's not 905 (which is
supported only recently)?
>\indraneel

Actually, I have one of each.  Neither one is working on the 2.2.18 kernel.

>depmod???

When I run depmod (after booting up with kernel 2.2.18) I get a few lines of
"NOT AN ELF FILE" and then a slew of "unresolved symbols"

>What exactly is the error message?

Since the 3c509.o module from the 2.2.16 kernel is not suppose to work, I
did an updatedb and found the new 3c509.o modules in my
/usr/src/linux-2.2.18/drivers/net directory.  I copied it to the
/usr/lib/modules/2.2.18/net directory and tried to insmod it there.  The
exact error message I got was.....

using /lib/modules/2.2.18/net/3c509.o
/lib/modules/2.2.18/net/3c509.o: couldn't find the kernel version the module
was compiled for

Likewise, re-running the depmod gave me the same errors as listed above.