RH8 - kernel panics caused by USB Notebook Webcam
 

I'm trying to install a Logitech Quickcam Notebook Pro webcam on a laptop running Red Hat 8, kernel 2.4.33.3. I have all the USB drivers loaded from an earlier effort to install a TVTuner, and I also have the PWC driver compiled as a module.

However, a kernel panic occurs as soon as I plug the webcam into my laptop. I checked /var/log/messages, and I found these messages:

xxxhx1 kernel: hub.c: new USB device 00:1d.7-2, assigned addresss 2
xxxhx1 kernel: usb.c: USB device 2 (vend/prod 0x46d/0x8c3) is not claimed by an active driver
xxxhx1 kernel: usb_control/bulk_msg: timeout
xxxhx1 kernel: usb: raced timeout, pipe 0x80000280 status -121 time left 0
xxxhx1 kernel: usb_control/bulk_msg: timeout
xxxhx1 kernel: usb_control/bulk_msg: timeout
xxxhx1 kernel: usb: raced timeout, pipe 0x80000280 status -121 time left 0

The kernel panic occurs after the raced timeout error...at this point I'm not sure what's causing it. Since it almost immediately kernel panics after plugging it in, I can't even work with the device or invoke any commands. The webcam is supposedly both USB 1.1 and 2. compatible.

Has anybody ever encountered this error or know what is causing this? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

Camera may not be supported.
Without the driver, plug in the camera, and look for it in lsusb. i.e.Note the vendor and product IDs and look them up (i.e. http://qce-ga.sourceforge.net/)... so my camera isn't supported by the qce-ga driver. (But that is all right as it isn't a quick-cam... uses gspca.)

Note: usb standard compliance dosn't mean the attached device will work.

Even without the driver, the webcam should still be receiving power from the laptop which is not happening.

1. How do you know the camera is not drawing power.
2. What makes you think it should?
3. Why did you not follow advice?

1) I figured the camera is not drawing power because the power lights on the webcam are not lit after it's plugged in.
2) Shouldn't most USB devices draw power after it's plugged in?
3) I cannot invoke 'lsusb' because it immediately kernel panics. In any case, don't I already have the USB vend/prod IDs from this line?

xxxhx1 kernel: usb.c: USB device 2 (vend/prod 0x46d/0x8c3) is not claimed by an active driver

The only driver that supports the the Logitech Quickcam Notebook is the PWC driver, which I have.

1. usually the camera lights will flash a bit then stop. They only light when the camera is being used.

2. no.

3. does the panic occur for lsusb when the camera is not plugged in?

OK: so you found the vendor and product ID's and looked up the driver. You didn't actually tell me this though. (OK - I missed the IDs in the dmesg output.)

Googling just "logitech quickcam notebook linux" places the page I referenced above as the number one hit. Without the product ID I could not go further. The driver indicated also supports this brand-name camera, so there was more than one possibility available.

Looking up your driver,
http://www.lavrsen.dk/twiki/bin/view...WebcamsWithPWC
... there is the following note:
"WARNING new models coming with usb product ID 046d:08c3 are NOT working !"

... this is you. The camera is not supported by this driver as of 13th June 2007.

Probably the simplest way out is switch to a version that is still supported. How many years has it been since RH8 was supported? I think RH9 was dropped in 03. Try Centos it is RH with the logos removed. Centos 5 is supposed to have support for 5 more years.

lazlow: an excellent suggestion. Unfortunately, the camera is not supported by the driver in ANY linux.

Nevertheless... it is strongly urged that you change to a different OS.

If you like the RedHat way:

CentOS is RHEL and should provide stability and performance.
Fedora Core 7 is, kinda, RH16 (where yours is RH8) and provides more innovation.