apt-get returning: "couldn't find package linux-headers-2.6..."
 

Hello there
The distrubution in use is based on debian & called xandros, running in an "eee pc". I am trying to install an application but am having problem with linux headers. Apt-get update has been run without problems.

The command:
The file in /boot is consistent with the stated linux version above ie There is a line of text in /boot/config-2.6.21.4-eeepc:
CONFIG_DEFCONFIG_LIST="/lib/modules/$UNAME_RELEASE/.config"
that refers to a non-existent file ie there is no:
/lib/modules/2.6.21.4-eeepc/.config

One suggestion from someone with a similar problem in another forum was to run:
...??? so would it be safe to copy (& rename) /boot/config-2.6.21.4-eeepc to:
Also, the command:
Any tips would be appreciated.
Michael

To get the linux headers ...

sudo apt-get install linux-kernel-headers

what you really want to do is upgrade first, the repository may not keep old packages around for long after the upgrade becomes available.

I don't know the exact solution with the eeepc, but I know Simon Bridge is quite a way off. Wait for better advice.

While you wait, you may want to read through this:

http://wiki.debian.org/DebianEeePC

Looks to me like someone may have switched you over to true Debian. What a blessing that would be.

Really? (Which bit?) It worked for me?!

My main point was that I didn't need to specify the kernel version for the package, the repo provided a meta-package which would work out what to do.

Unfortunately, I cannot test it now as I got rid of Xandros a while ago.

It's quite tricky to find confirmation of the command for Xandros - most info seems to be for Debian or Ubuntu... eg see:

http://forum.eeeuser.com/viewtopic.php?id=46649&p=14 post #327
sudo apt-get install linux-headers-eeepc
... which is if using ubuntu-intrepid repos.

Perhaps this is outdated now?
Do you have a reference for how far out this advice is?

What is it about the previous post suggests that this may have happened? Surely the proliferation of *-eee packages suggests that this machine is still using the Asus repos? [edit: I stand corrected - Ubuntu and Debian repos both use the eee designation in some form as well.]

Still, it would be nice to check this... a missing or incompatible repo would be one of the other things that could produce this error. But so would just getting the package name wrong.

HI Simon and Rick
With that long list found in apt-cache, and the above information, I was game enough to try:
apt-get install linux-headers-2.6.24.1*
(ie with the asterisk) and it seemed happy enough...

hopefully I haven't broken it...as am yet to reboot. Thanks very much for both of your efforts

Regards
Michael

Cool - let us know how it went.

Hi...am living up to my nom-de-plume here...to be consistent with `uname -r` I should have specified:
linux-headers-2.6.21.4*
not
linux-headers-2.6.24.1*

Anyway, all is well.

Someone said you only need the linux-headers if recompiling the kernel. There was probably no need to recompile the kernel to install the app in question (freepbx)
Thanks again
Michael

Some drivers need kernel headers to compile.
Well done anyway.

Hi Simon (or anyone!)
I am a bit worried about not having access to the kernel-headers, in case I do need to install drivers in future. I've tried adding new sources to the sources.list.

I also tried to recreate the headers via this method:

However when I ran:
I got:

I tried to find a file called 'makefile' but couldn't

Any advice?
Rgds again
Michael

If you upgrade your kernel, you'll be able to get the headers for that?
Of course, you can always get the whole source code and hand-compile a kernel.

solution is included at:
http://whirlpool.net.au/wiki/?tag=freepbx_eeepc
rgds
compused

There's a bit of a hunt to that solution - so I'll reproduce it here:
... however - the report in post #7 seems to indicate that the repos now have the packages.

The page linked refers to the status as of jan this year - but post 7 was dec last year - seems odd. The author, however, did admit to having made a number of mistakes (not documented) so we cannot tell what comes from which.

Hopefully this information will be useful where

apt-get install linux-headers-2.6.24.1*

thanks for pasting that Scott

I am not sure why I said 'all was well' in post 7...it might be bec. I had finished compiling freepbx, which I don't think required the linux headers for the particular config. freepbx was compiled in.

apt-get install linux-headers-2.6.24.1* was for the *wrong* kernel

Kind regards
Michael