LinuxQuestions.org - Need to 'configure' my kernel to build a driver for my wireless NIC

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Need to 'configure' my kernel to build a driver for my wireless NIC

I am trying to install a PCI network card but I need a 'configured' kernel. Here is the install instructions that tell me this:

Quote:

Configured kernel source code for the kernel you are running. Ideally, this will be the resulting tree after building your own kernel. Configured means that you have at least run 'make config', 'make menuconfig', or 'make xconfig'. If you are trying to build linux-wlan-ng for a previously existing kernel binary (one you did not build yourself), ... look for help.

I am in that last category. Can someone help me to do this? I am running mandrake 9.0 Now I considered just compiling my own kernel, but that seemed like a huge deal anyways and it appears that I can avoid doing that, I just don't know how to make that tree. I looked through the directorty and the CD's for the source code for the distro but was unsuccessful. Thanks in advance.

maybe if you gave us some useful information about what card it is...?

Sorry, man. I was very tired when I made that post. I had been trying different stuff all night. It's a WMP11 by linksys. I have the drivers. I have also read up on some other posts with people installing this card on linux.

If there is some easier way to install it - I am all ears. However, I would also like to know how to do it following the instructions that start with the aforementioned first step, since it is something that I don't know how to do (and is also the instructions that came with the driver README).

I am pretty confident I can follow the all the other steps of the installation after this first one which I am hung up on. Because this first step really doesn't seem to have anything specific to my card in it, I didn't think it was really necessary information. But hey, I am a n00b, right? I guess that's what I get for thinking. Heh.

I would be more specific, but unfortunately I do not have access to my friends computer (or all the resources and knowlege we gathered) at the moment. If there is any important information I left out, please let me know. I will find/get it.

Anyways, Thanks for your willingness to help me acid_kewpie. I hope this extra information will help you help me :P

Have you thought of building it as a module instead of kernel support ?

Well, I thought that's what I was doing. I apologize for not being able to be more specific, I just won't have access to that machine again until tomorrow. After then I'll be able to post some more specifics. Thanks for your input Guinney.

is your card marked as 2.7 (if you got it recently probably so)

If it is there is NO way to get it working with Linux yet, the chipset is still not supported by any available drivers. The prism drivers for the WMP11 will not work as the 2.7 uses a new chipset.