LinuxQuestions.org - Kernel 2.6.0 and Slackware 9.1 success story

I've just got my new Kernel 2.6.0 running on my Slackware 9.1 box and I thought I'd point out a couple of things I gleaned from various other web sites that were of use, as well as asking a couple questions of my own.

First off, I compiled and installed the kernel and got it to boot the first time. I ran into the "blank screen" problem that has been mentioned in this forum before, but I use runlevel 4 by default, so I ended up in kdm anyways. I logged in, only to find that sound and network functionality did not work. Below I will describe my workarounds to these problems.

1. The Blank Screen
I was able to get the standard kernel messages by switching "vga=773" in my /etc/lilo.conf to "vga=normal". I wanted framebuffer support however, so I selected the option for my video card's framebuffer device (aty128fb.ko), recompiled and installed the modules (make modules && make modules_install), then added this line to lilo.conf
append = "video=aty128fb:1024x768-16@70"
Frame buffer support was now functional (The penguin is back!). On to the next problem.

2. No Network
I ran "lsmod" after booting up my new kernel and saw there was no module for my NIC, a 3Com 59x series. I ran the command 'su -c "modprobe 3c59x"' and viola, networking was back in business. I then added the line '/sbin/modprobe 3c59x' to my /etc/rc.d/rc.modules and was able to get network support on boot. Problem 2 solved.

3. No Sound
This problem was solved in similar fashion to problem 2. After running lsmod I noticed there was no module for my soundcard (ESS Maestro 3). However, this time a simple modprobe for the card didn't work. I think the hardware modules need to be installed before the rest of the ALSA stuff. So I added '/sbin/modprobe snd-maestro3' to rc.modules and got sound on my next reboot. Kernel 2.6 with Slackware 9.1 was successfully installed.

4. Futher questions...
The question that remains is this: On my 2.4.22 Kernel all of the modules listed above were automatically installed on boot, without anything in rc.modules. I know I enabled automatic module loading at compile time (CONFIG_KMOD). Is there another explanation? Any ideas would be appreciated.

That's it for now. I know a lot of people have been trying to get 2.6 up and running with Slackware. I got a lot of help from these forums. Just thought I'd post what's worked for me. Until next time (2.6.1?). If anyone would like to see my lilo.conf or .config files, drop me a line. I'd love to share.

Nick