I custom compiled the 2.6.1 kernel - after the third compile I actually have it booting (doh! didn't compile in reiserfs, which is my root filesystem), but my sound and network aren't working. Here's the errors from the boot log:

Jan 29 18:19:49 europa kernel: VFS: Mounted root (reiserfs filesystem) readonly.
Jan 29 18:19:49 europa kernel: Freeing unused kernel memory: 132k freed
Jan 29 18:19:49 europa kernel: Adding 1277600k swap on /dev/hda5. Priority:-1 extents:1
Jan 29 18:19:49 europa kernel: sr_mod: Unknown symbol scsi_mode_sense
Jan 29 18:19:49 europa kernel: sr_mod: Unknown symbol scsi_device_get
Jan 29 18:19:49 europa kernel: sr_mod: Unknown symbol scsi_wait_req
Jan 29 18:19:49 europa kernel: sr_mod: Unknown symbol scsi_block_when_processing_errors
Jan 29 18:19:49 europa kernel: sr_mod: Unknown symbol scsi_register_driver
Jan 29 18:19:49 europa kernel: sr_mod: Unknown symbol scsi_ioctl
Jan 29 18:19:49 europa kernel: sr_mod: Unknown symbol scsi_device_put
Jan 29 18:19:49 europa kernel: sr_mod: Unknown symbol scsi_sleep
... etc


and then

Jan 29 18:19:49 europa kernel: ide-floppy driver 0.99.newide
Jan 29 18:19:49 europa kernel: ide-cd: passing drive hdb to ide-scsi emulation.
Jan 29 18:19:49 europa kernel: ide-cd: passing drive hdc to ide-scsi emulation.
Jan 29 18:19:49 europa kernel: ide_scsi: Unknown symbol scsi_remove_host
Jan 29 18:19:49 europa kernel: ide_scsi: Unknown symbol scsi_host_put
Jan 29 18:19:49 europa kernel: ide_scsi: Unknown symbol scsi_sleep
Jan 29 18:19:49 europa kernel: ide_scsi: Unknown symbol scsi_scan_host
Jan 29 18:19:49 europa kernel: ide_scsi: Unknown symbol scsi_add_host
Jan 29 18:19:49 europa kernel: ide_scsi: Unknown symbol scsi_adjust_queue_depth
... etc

and then

Jan 29 18:19:49 europa kernel: parport0: PC-style at 0x378 [PCSPP,TRISTATE,EPP]
Jan 29 18:19:49 europa kernel: lp0: using parport0 (polling).
Jan 29 18:19:49 europa kernel: ip_tables: (C) 2000-2002 Netfilter core team
Jan 29 18:19:49 europa kernel: iptable_nat: Unknown symbol ip_ct_selective_cleanup
Jan 29 18:19:49 europa kernel: iptable_nat: Unknown symbol invert_tuplepr
Jan 29 18:19:49 europa kernel: iptable_nat: Unknown symbol ip_ct_gather_frags
Jan 29 18:19:49 europa kernel: iptable_nat: Unknown symbol ip_conntrack_get
Jan 29 18:19:49 europa kernel: iptable_nat: Unknown symbol ip_conntrack_htable_size
Jan 29 18:19:49 europa kernel: iptable_nat: Unknown symbol ip_conntrack_destroyed
Jan 29 18:19:49 europa kernel: iptable_nat: Unknown symbol __ip_ct_find_proto
Jan 29 18:19:49 europa kernel: iptable_nat: Unknown symbol need_ip_conntrack
Jan 29 18:19:49 europa kernel: iptable_nat: Unknown symbol ip_conntrack_tuple_taken
Jan 29 18:19:49 europa kernel: iptable_nat: Unknown symbol ip_conntrack_alter_reply
Jan 29 18:19:49 europa kernel: iptable_nat: Unknown symbol ip_ct_selective_cleanup
... etc

and then

Jan 29 18:19:49 europa kernel: ipt_state: Unknown symbol ip_conntrack_get
Jan 29 18:19:49 europa kernel: ipt_state: Unknown symbol need_ip_conntrack
Jan 29 18:19:49 europa kernel: 8250: Unknown symbol uart_get_baud_rate
Jan 29 18:19:49 europa kernel: 8250: Unknown symbol uart_resume_port
Jan 29 18:19:49 europa kernel: 8250: Unknown symbol uart_register_driver
Jan 29 18:19:49 europa kernel: 8250: Unknown symbol uart_suspend_port
Jan 29 18:19:49 europa kernel: 8250: Unknown symbol uart_register_port
Jan 29 18:19:49 europa kernel: 8250: Unknown symbol uart_unregister_port
Jan 29 18:19:49 europa kernel: 8250: Unknown symbol uart_remove_one_port
Jan 29 18:19:49 europa kernel: 8250: Unknown symbol uart_update_timeout
Jan 29 18:19:49 europa kernel: 8250: Unknown symbol uart_unregister_driver
Jan 29 18:19:49 europa kernel: 8250: Unknown symbol uart_get_divisor
... etc


and then
Jan 29 18:19:49 europa kernel: 8250: Unknown symbol uart_write_wakeup
Jan 29 18:19:49 europa kernel: Real Time Clock Driver v1.12
Jan 29 18:19:49 europa kernel: snd: Unknown symbol unregister_sound_special
Jan 29 18:19:49 europa kernel: snd: Unknown symbol register_sound_special
Jan 29 18:19:50 europa kernel: snd_mixer_oss: Unknown symbol snd_info_register
Jan 29 18:19:50 europa kernel: snd_mixer_oss: Unknown symbol snd_info_free_entry
Jan 29 18:19:50 europa kernel: snd_mixer_oss: Unknown symbol snd_info_get_str
Jan 29 18:19:50 europa kernel: snd_mixer_oss: Unknown symbol snd_unregister_oss_device
Jan 29 18:19:50 europa kernel: snd_mixer_oss: Unknown symbol snd_ctl_find_id
Jan 29 18:19:50 europa kernel: snd_mixer_oss: Unknown symbol snd_verbose_printk
Jan 29 18:19:50 europa kernel: snd_mixer_oss: Unknown symbol snd_register_oss_device
Jan 29 18:19:50 europa kernel: snd_mixer_oss: Unknown symbol snd_card_file_add
... etc

Gotta be something to do with the module tools, right? If I do a lsmod, there are around a half dozen loaded, by the time I've booted into KDE.

Thanks in advance for pointers.

Are you **sure** you've compiled the correct options for the kernel? The new xconfig routine was different enough to throw me for a loop, and the fact that you had trouble getting it to boot indicates that you have had problems in the past. (That's not a critiscm of you, just a reflection of how difficult it can be.)

Your boot log doesn't even mention the network interface. Please verify that correct network card is selected (I like to compile hardware into the kernel, not as a module... it's simpler... providing you have enoough RAM to waste.)

Also, be sure you've selected your sound card. The kernel is trying to load the OSS sound system, but needs a good hardware sound card to attach it to, and I see no reference to that card in the log.

Good luck!

Yeah I was originally stymied by my decision to partition my root as reiserfs, since my kernel configs didn't have that compiled in.

And well, no, I'm pretty sure something is missing. But nothing that I can find looking through Xconfig. Module support is correct. I have ALSA enabled. I have OSS disabled (WEIRD that it is looking for OSS modules, thus, huh?). I have the module for my sound card selected, and the module for my network card. I have networking support enabled (although there are a lot of the network options that I am unsure of).

I downloaded and installed the new module tools package that is required (mod-init-tools or thereabouts) ...could there be something else that I am required to install that is causing this?

Did you install the 'module-init-tools' package? It contains lsmod, insmod, etc. for the new module loading mechanism of the 2.6.x kernel.

Yeah, I installed that. How do I check that the right version is being picked up? Would it conflict with the existing package that services the 2.4.22 kernel?

Path to depmod is hardcoded in Makefile as /sbin/depmod. If you have installed module-init-tools in /usr/local make will not use it but previous version instead.

There is no conflict with old version - module-init-tools will call executables using self-made *.old soft links when it found kernel which requires this.

Hope this will help.
Piotr Tarnowski

For your information: the new-style kernel modules have the file extension .ko