Q: install kernel source code

Tux136 · 08-29-2005, 03:10 PM

Hello all,

This is my first post to Linux Questions so I hope this is going in the correct forum...

I just installed FC4 on my Dell 5150 laptop. It seems to work fine, expect for the standard problem of the nvidia graphics card not wanting to play ball with the kernel.

To fix the prob, I downloaded the nvidia-installer program. This requires a copy of the kernel source files in order to build the kernel-interface which (as I understand it) interacts with the kernel and allows me full resolution graphics.

So, the simple problem is: How do I install the kernel source files? I have the four FC4 discs and feel sure they're on one of them, but I simply don't know how to deal with RPMS in any clever fashion... I'm assuming one can extract the source files from the RPM, I just don't know how. Any help please?

Gracias,
Richard

Mara · 08-29-2005, 03:25 PM

First run (from terminal):
uname -a
You get something like

Quote:

Linux mara 2.6.13 #1 Mon Aug 29 12:18:43 EST 2004 i686 GNU/Linux

The bolded number is kernel version. Now look into your cds and you should have a package kernel-version.rpm. Install it. That's all you need to do.

Tux136 · 08-29-2005, 03:33 PM

Thanks a lot for the response.

I install the kernel-version.rpm with a command like:

Code:

rpm -Ivh kernel-version.rpm

correct? I'll read the man page...

That'll place the source files on disc. Why don't they get put on as standard?

Thanks again.

Mara · 08-29-2005, 03:38 PM

In fact you need to replace 'version' with the corect version from uname, but I understand you know it.

The file is not installed because it's very big and not many people need it in fact. I can agree, however, that if you're installing on a 20GB disk or so it may be installed by default

Tux136 · 08-29-2005, 04:33 PM

Yes I used the kernel-`uname -r` rpm... the problem now is that it says the package is already installed (this must be true of course since I'm actually using that kernel!).

The situation is:

The directory /lib/modules/`uname -r`/build/

is a broken link to someother directory, while the directory

/lib/modules/`uname -r`/source/

is a link to the build/ directory (i.e. also a broken link).

Therefore the nvidia installer can't access the source code when it looks in these locations since it doesn't exist!

Can you please tell me a way to get the source files of the kernel then, and not just install the kernel "package", which IS already installed.

Thanks a lot,

Tux136

reddazz · 08-29-2005, 07:02 PM

To install nvidia drivers on FC4, you need to install the kernel devel package and disable selinux. e.g.

Code:

#yum install kernel-devel
#setenforce 0
#./NVIDIA-Linux-x86-1.0-7676-pkg1.run

Tux136 · 08-30-2005, 07:31 AM

Is the kernel-devel the same as the kernel-source rpm then? I should've thought not...

I've downloaded the following file:

kernel-2.6.11-1.1369_FC4.src.rpm

but when I do a

Code:

rpm -Vp kernel-2.6.11-1.1369_FC4.src.rpm

I end up with this result:

Code:

error: kernel-2.6.11-1.1369_FC4.src.rpm: V3 DSA signature: BAD, key ID 4f2a6fd2

don't know what that means. Can someone please explain?

Tux136

reddazz · 08-30-2005, 09:32 AM

Did you bother reading my post. If you had you would have solved your problem already.

Tux136 · 08-30-2005, 09:38 AM

Yes I read it. Thank you, you have been very helpful.

Concerning last post: Don't get your knickers in a twist. I was just experimenting and wanted to know what that error was. Anyway, why the heck call a file "kernel-2.6.11-1.1369_FC4.src.rpm" if you're going to put the source files for the kernel in one called kernel-devel!? I don't understand the thinking behind that.

cheers again.

reddazz · 08-30-2005, 09:59 AM

That file is a source rpm that contains the kernel source code for those that want to rebuild it into a binary rpm. Its not the file that you require to build stuff that requires the kernel source package.