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Having trouble installing a piece of hardware? Want to know if that peripheral is compatible with Linux?

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Old 01-16-2010, 04:10 PM   #1
miros84
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Northbridge need drivers in Debian?


Northbridge need drivers in Debian?
In Windows I use to install Northbridge, because in the cd with drivers I have the drivers.
It is need to install the driver for Northbridge in Debian or it is lemeted to kernel's support?
 
Old 01-16-2010, 06:50 PM   #2
jlinkels
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AFAIK it is integrated in the kernel. No need to make it a loadable module as your computer wouldn't but without Northbridge. Never did anything like it.

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Old 01-17-2010, 04:15 AM   #3
miros84
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So, Linux kernel just support every northbridge?
 
Old 01-17-2010, 08:40 AM   #4
jlinkels
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Have you ever installed Debian which wouldn run on a certain mainboard? Peripherals like NIC and PCI bus are Southbridge controlled AFAIK.

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Old 01-17-2010, 10:16 AM   #5
miros84
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Well, you can install windows without installing northbrige and southbrige and it works, but very bad.
So, I think the same can happend in Linux.
Linux just recognize some motherboard but not always install the most proper driver.
That's why I ask if I need to install some more advance driver.
 
Old 01-17-2010, 10:26 AM   #6
minrich
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If you run the command: lspci you will see all your pci devices that the kernel has encountered. I have never heard of a recent kernel that has problems with the most recent motherboards and their chipsets in laptops, netbooks and desktop PCs.
 
Old 01-17-2010, 12:58 PM   #7
10110111
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North bridge is just memory controller, with some additional high-speed controllers. Most of these controllers are connected (at least logically) to PCI or PCIE bus. Thus, if the kernel fully supports PCI(E) and all the devices connected to this bus, it does fully support the whole north bridge. Some exceptions may be ACPI devices, but they are not usually parts of north bridge.
Quote:
Linux just recognize some motherboard but not always install the most proper driver.
First, linux doesn't install a driver. The drivers are installed during kernel installation (and are sometimes compiled and added by the user after that). What linux does is just load the driver which advertises support for the specific hardware. Usually these drivers are generic to support as much similar hardware as possible. So, if the distribution has selected the right set of drivers (and usually it is so), it will almost always have the only best driver available.
Quote:
some more advance driver
Almost always there doesn't exist any other driver for linux but the one included in the kernel if it is included.

P.S. i say "almost always", meaning that there are some examples of devices having multiple different drivers.
 
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Old 01-17-2010, 01:08 PM   #8
miros84
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Thank you 10110111 for explication.
And what about southbrige?
In it there are more chipsets.
 
Old 01-17-2010, 01:21 PM   #9
10110111
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You don't usually search for any drivers for north/south bridge. Instead you need drivers for the devices which reside there.
lspci will list the devices found on PCI as well as PCIE and PCMCIA busses. From these names as well as PCI vendor and device IDs you search for the drivers if the kernel doesn't have any.
 
  


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