First of all let me apologise for starting yet another thread on this subject, but after many frustrating hours of work (and my third start from scratch) I am at a loss as how to proceed.

Situation - First Linux Adventure
Flavour - Mandrake 9.2 download ed
Location - My lovely old IBM TP600E
Problem - Crystal Semiconductors cs4xxx

So here is what I've already tried.

I've tried configuring the resources using PS2 and editing modules.conf to reflect these settings. Disabling fast boot. Installing ALSA drivers and modding my modules.conf -

### ALSA sound ###
#
# ALSA native device support
#
alias char-major-116 snd
options snd snd_major=116 snd_cards_limit=1 snd_device_mode=0666 snd_device_gid=0 snd_device_uid=0
#
alias sound snd-card-0
alias snd-card-0 snd-card-cs4236
#
options snd-card-cs4236 snd_index=0 snd_id=Card1 snd_isapnp=0 snd_port=0x530 snd_cport=0x538 snd_mpu_port=0x330 snd_fm_port=0x388 snd_sb_port=0x220 snd_irq=5 snd_dma1=1 snd_dma2=0 # snd_mpu_irq=9 snd_dma1_size=xxx snd_dma2_size=xxx
#
# OSS/Free emulation setup
alias char-major-14 soundcore
alias sound-slot-0 snd-card-0
alias sound-service-0-0 snd-mixer-oss
alias sound-service-0-1 snd-seq-oss
alias sound-service-0-3 snd-pcm-oss
alias sound-service-0-8 snd-seq-oss
alias sound-service-0-12 snd-pcm-oss
alias snd-minor-oss-0 snd-card-cs4236
alias snd-minor-oss-1 snd-opl3
alias snd-minor-oss-3 snd-pcm-oss

### parallel port
alias char-major-6 lp
alias parport_lowlevel parport_pc
options parport_pc irq=7 io=0x3bc

### PCMCIA
keep
path[pcmcia]=/lib/modules/`uname -r`
path[pcmcia]=/lib/modules/default
path[pcmcia]=/lib/modules/preferred
pre-install pcmcia_core /etc/rc.d/init.d/pcmcia start

### CD-ROM
options cdrom autoclose=0 # lockdoor= debug= autoeject= check_media_type=

### ATA flash pcmcia card
options ide_cs pc_debug=1

This caused my kernel to stop loading at the PCMCIA init.

What can I read to help me here. all the information I have found on google, and i have read in excess of twenty sites that have info on this problem have not led me to a solution.

Hello there. I have a Thinkpad 600E too, and sound works fine with the 2.4 kernel series but not with 2.6 (but that's another story).

I have downloaded and built Alsa (latest version I installed was 0.9.8) against the kernel I'm running, which I built with sound support (soundcore) as a module.

Checklist:
1. Do you have a kernel with modular sound support? If you have you should get some info from modinfo soundcore.
2. Do you have Alsa and the Alsa soundcard drivers installed? If you do you should find aplay on your system (which aplay) and get info from modinfo snd-cs4236.

If you don't have all of the above, build a kernel with modular sound support and download and build Alsa (alsa-driver, alsa-lib, alsa-utils, alsa-tools, alsa-oss).

I am using Debian, which provides a mechanism for adding stuff to the /etc/modules.conf file without actually editing it - you just create a file in the directory /etc/modutils/ with your options and when you run update-modules the contents of all the files in this dir are appended to /etc/modules.conf. Very neat. But this should work just as well if you add it to modules.conf by hand.

This are the options I use for my 600E (model 2645-4A0), basically the same as yours:A couple of weeks ago I wrote a longer post on this subject here.

Håkan

Hi all!

I have been trying very hard to install the Alsa driver to work on my Thinkpad 600e with the Cirrus Logic 4610. This is an ongoing problem and project that has left me very frustrated.

While trying to follow the directions listed on the Alsa site (http://www.alsa-project.org/alsa-do...p;module=cs46xx) I have found that running the following commands:

bunzip2 alsa-driver-xxx
tar -xf alsa-driver-xxx
cd alsa-driver-xxx
./configure --with-cards=cs46xx --with-sequencer=yes;make;make install

has resulted in the following errors:

**********************************************
checking for gcc... no
checking for cc... no
checking for cc... no
checking for cl... no
configure: error: no acceptable C compiler found in $PATH
See `config.log' for more details.
make all-deps
make[1]: Entering directory `/home/%username%/Documents/alsa-driver-1.0.2c'
make[1]: Nothing to be done for `all-deps'.
make[1]: Leaving directory `/home/%username%/Documents/alsa-driver-1.0.2c'

Please, run the configure script as first...

rm -f /snd*.*o /persist.o /isapnp.o
make[1]: Entering directory `/home/alanbur/Documents/alsa-driver-1.0.2c/acore'
Makefile:6: ../Makefile.conf: No such file or directory
make[1]: *** No rule to make target `../Makefile.conf'. Stop.
make[1]: Leaving directory `/home/%username%/Documents/alsa-driver-1.0.2c/acore'
make: *** [install-modules] Error 1

**********************************************

Can anyone give me step-by-step instructions that will allow me to use this soundcard on my TP 600e?

Just for grins, I tried using sndconfig from the Mandrake 9.2 cds. This returned the following error:


**********************************************
The following error occurred running the modprobe program:

/lib/modules/2.4.22-10mdk/kernel/drivers/sound/cs46xx.o.gz
: init_module: No such device
modprobe: insmod
/lib/modules/2.4.22-10mdk/kernel/drivers/sound/cs46xx.o.gz
failed
modprobe: insmod sound-slot-0 failed

**********************************************

I would really like some assistance from a Linux guru as to restore my faith in the *nix community. Please show me the my hope in the goodness of the Linux community samaritans is not misplaced.

Thanks for all those with the kindness to take this post seriously and reply!

Preface: Doesn't Mandrake come with Alsa? I think you will find that it is already installed. But on the other hand, building the latest version would probably be a good idea.

1. Even though the sound chip in the 600E identifies itself as a 4610/11 you should not run the snd-cs46xx driver but instead the snd-cs4236 driver.

2. You don't have the gcc compiler installed, meaning you have no means of actually compiling the software. That's why the configure script bombs out. Install gcc from your distribution's install discs (or if it has a graphical package management system?) before you try again. Installing the kernel-source package is needed by alsa-driver as well so grab it while you're at it.

3. Until you have become confident enough building software from source I suggest you do not do the configure, make and make install on one line like that: ./configure; make; make install. Do it one step at a time instead:
./configure
make
make install
This will make it easier for you to spot errors. And when you really want to do it all on one line use ./configure && make && make install instead. Using "&&" instead of ";" as separators has the effect that if any part fails whatever comes after will not be executed. That's why you got such a long error message - because you actually tried to run make even as the configure script had failed.

Probably a little more information than you bargained for, but what the heck.


Håkan

Hi all!

Thanks for getting back to me, I really needed someone to respond! You have restored my faith in the Linux community!

After reading your last post, I did some investigation and found that Mandrake does come with Alsa, although an older version. I decided to build the latest version anyway, since I already downloaded the driver and the libs.

I did install gcc without any difficulties, and tried to run the ./configure afterwards (by itself) and am now getting the following error:

****************************************************

checking for gcc... gcc
checking for C compiler default output file name... a.out
checking whether the C compiler works... yes
checking whether we are cross compiling... no
checking for suffix of executables...
checking for suffix of object files... o
checking whether we are using the GNU C compiler... yes
checking whether gcc accepts -g... yes
checking for gcc option to accept ANSI C... none needed
checking for ranlib... ranlib
checking for a BSD-compatible install... /usr/bin/install -c
checking how to run the C preprocessor... gcc -E
checking for egrep... grep -E
checking for ANSI C header files... yes
checking for an ANSI C-conforming const... yes
checking for inline... inline
checking whether time.h and sys/time.h may both be included... yes
checking whether gcc needs -traditional... no
checking for current directory... /home/%username%/Documents/alsa-driver-1.0.2c
checking cross compile...
checking for directory with kernel source... /usr/src/linux
checking for kernel version... The file /usr/src/linux/include/linux/version.h does not exist.
Please, install the package with full kernel sources for your distribution
or use --with-kernel=dir option to specify another directory with kernel
sources (default is /usr/src/linux).

****************************************************

I tried using "--with-kernel=/usr/src/linux" as well as "--with-kernel=/home/%username%/Documents/alsa-lib-1.0.2" but neither of these worked, I still get the above error. In fact, while writing this message, I have found that the "version.h" file is in one of the directories that I have specified, but the ./configure command is not seeing it.

Thanks for your help, I really appreciate your time!

PS- sorry about the spam on the other board. Won't happen again!

This is why you need the kernel sources for your running kernel. I don't recall how Mandrake goes about this business but I think you may need to have the following packages installed, and with exactly matching versions: kernel, kernel-source and kernel-headers (not sure about the last one).

The Alsa driver modules are built as kernel modules, and as such they need to be built against a specific kernel version and configuration. This is why you need the packages to match.

I too recall having had problems with the alsa-driver configure script not finding the kernel source and I don't really recall how I solved it but the file that is missing according to the configure output you posted, /usr/src/linux/include/linux/version.h, is only present if the kernel source has been configured and built. This leads me to believe you have not installed the binary kernel-source rpm but just untarred an official source package from kernel.org, or perhaps did you do a make mrproper in the /usr/src/linux directory? That would also erase the needed files.


Håkan

First, let me say thank you, Hakan!!! I really appreciate all your help!!!

I did as you said and loaded the Mandrake kernel sources, and after a bit of research, was finally able to get the ./configure command to work!

When I moved on to the make command, I am now getting the following error:

*************************************

if [ ! -d include/sound -a ! -L include/sound ]; then \
ln -sf ../alsa-kernel/include include/sound ; \
fi
cp -auvf include/version.h include/sound/version.h
`include/version.h' -> `include/sound/version.h'
make dep
make[1]: Entering directory `/home/%username%/Documents/alsa-driver-1.0.2c'
make[2]: Entering directory `/home/%username%/Documents/alsa-driver-1.0.2c/acore'
make -C ioctl32 fastdep
make[3]: Entering directory `/home/%username%/Documents/alsa-driver-1.0.2c/acore/ioctl32'
gcc -M -D__KERNEL__ -D__isapnp_now__ -DMODULE=1 -I/home/%username%/Documents/alsa-driver-1.0.2c/include -I/usr//include -O2 -mno-red-zone -mcmodel=kernel -fno-reorder-blocks -fno-strength-reduce -finline-limit=2000 -DLINUX -Wall -Wstrict-prototypes -fomit-frame-pointer -Wno-trigraphs -O2 -fno-strict-aliasing -fno-common -pipe -DALSA_BUILD -nostdinc -iwithprefix include ioctl32.c pcm32.c rawmidi32.c timer32.c hwdep32.c seq32.c > .depend
cc1: error: code model `kernel' not supported in the 32 bit mode
cc1: error: code model `kernel' not supported in the 32 bit mode
cc1: error: code model `kernel' not supported in the 32 bit mode
cc1: error: code model `kernel' not supported in the 32 bit mode
cc1: error: code model `kernel' not supported in the 32 bit mode
cc1: error: code model `kernel' not supported in the 32 bit mode
make[3]: *** [fastdep] Error 1
make[3]: Leaving directory `/home/%username%/Documents/alsa-driver-1.0.2c/acore/ioctl32'
make[2]: *** [_sfdep_ioctl32] Error 2
make[2]: Leaving directory `/home/%username%/Documents/alsa-driver-1.0.2c/acore'
make[1]: *** [dep] Error 1
make[1]: Leaving directory `/home/%username%/Documents/alsa-driver-1.0.2c'
make: *** [include/sndversions.h] Error 2

*************************************
At this time, I am not sure how to proceed. I will continue my research and hope that you have the time to continue to assist me. Again, I can't thank you enough!!!

Thanks to all for your time!

That's weird, I haven't seen that one before. A couple of Google web and Usenet searches yielded little information in languages in which I am fluent...

I usually build my own kernels and that way you never have the problem with finding matching kernel headers and that kind of stuff. Alsa always compiles cleanly against a home built kernel (in my experience, and I use Alsa on all my computers) as long as you have sound support enabled as a module. I don't suppose you're fond of the thought of building your own kernel from scratch?


Håkan

While I appreciate the response Hakan, I don't think I am ready, willing or able to build my own kernel from scratch. I'm still pretty much a newbie, and haven't been using Linux for even a year yet. I will continue to research this issue. If I happen to stumble upon an answer, I will be sure and post here.

Thanks again for all your help!

Hi all!

Sorry for the long post!

I decided to try installing Alsa on a Red Hat 9.0 installation on a Dell GX1. When I scan my hardware, my sound card show as CS4236B. After downloading the driver and the libs, and unpacking the tar files, I ran the ./configure command successfully. After that, I tried running the make command, but now I get the following error:

***********************************************
make[3]: *** [fastdep] Error 1
make[3]: Leaving directory `/home/%username%/Documents/Alsa/alsa-driver-1.0.2c/acore/oss'
make[2]: *** [_sfdep_oss] Error 2
make[2]: Leaving directory `/home/%username%//Documents/Alsa/alsa-driver-1.0.2c/acore'
make[1]: *** [dep] Error 1
make[1]: Leaving directory `/home/%username%//Documents/Alsa/alsa-driver-1.0.2c'
make: *** [include/sndversions.h] Error 2

Just for kicks, I also tried running the make install command, and received the following error:

[root@wwwhacksf alsa-driver-1.0.2c]# make install
rm -f /lib/modules/2.4.20/misc/snd*.*o /lib/modules/2.4.20/misc/persist.o /lib/modules/2.4.20/misc/isapnp.omake[1]: Entering directory `/home/%username%//Documents/Alsa/alsa-driver-1.0.2c/acore'mkdir -p /lib/modules/2.4.20/misc
cp snd-hwdep.o snd-page-alloc.o snd-pcm.o snd-rawmidi.o snd-timer.o snd.o /lib/modules/2.4.20/misccp: cannot stat `snd-hwdep.o': No such file or directory
cp: cannot stat `snd-page-alloc.o': No such file or directory
cp: cannot stat `snd-pcm.o': No such file or directory
cp: cannot stat `snd-rawmidi.o': No such file or directory
cp: cannot stat `snd-timer.o': No such file or directory
cp: cannot stat `snd.o': No such file or directory
make[1]: *** [_modinst__] Error 1
make[1]: Leaving directory `/home/%username%//Documents/Alsa/alsa-driver-1.0.2c/acore'make: *** [install-modules] Error 1

Also, when I try and run the modinfo soundcore command, I get the following error:

bash: modinfo: command not found

***********************************************
Does anyone have any idea what these errors mean? This system is using the boxed copy of Red Hat 9.0 Pro.

Thanks to anyone with the time to address my question!

Hi again, saxophobe.
Are you running the ./configure and make in the alsa-driver directory? I believe the alsa driver must be configured and installed before attempting to build the alsa-lib package. That might be the case. I'm not very good with Redhat though, I haven't touched a Redhat box in years now so I'm not at all up to date with the current issues with that distro (they have had compatibility problems in the past).

When you run make install it tries to copy the files that would have been built during compilation - the make command would generate the *.o object files, which of course are not found since they haven't been built yet.


Håkan

Hi Hakan!

Thanks for getting back to me so quickly!

I am running the ./configure and make from the driver directory that the tar creates. Should I be running from somewhere else? Also, should I cd into the lib directory and run the ./configure before trying to run the make command?

As you can see, I am somewhat confused....

Thanks again for replying!

Building the library files (alsa-lib) will fail if you don't have the driver installed before you try it. And yes, you should be running the configure from inside the alsa-driver directory, I was just wondering in case you were actually trying to build the alsa-lib package instead. Getting confused when installing Alsa isn't a rare thing you know, it took me quite a while to figure out how to get it done properly.

I am currently writing a little something on Linux, Alsa and the 600E which I can post later if you wish. There are several sites where people write about their experiences with Linux on the 600E, but the premier site is Thomas Hood's page on Debian on the 600E which is really useful.


Håkan

Well, it's good to know that I was running the ./configure and make commands from the correct directory. It's also encouraging to know that others have had success with the ALSA driver on the 600e.

I would like to see any information you have about running linux on the 600e. I have seen the page you referenced in your last post before, but I have also seen similar pages, which makes it difficult to determine if one is a better, or more reliable source of information than the others. Especially for a newbie like myself.

I will consult Thomas Hood's page and see if there is any information I can gleen from it that will help in my linux experience.

As you run Debian and Gentoo, would you recommend these distros over Mandrake, Red Hat or Fedora? From what I have read about these distros, they are very powerful and flexible, but not made for newbies like me. What are your thoughts on this matter? I've also been curious about Slackware, but again, it might be a litter more than I feel like I can handle at this point.

My end goal is to find a distro that runs on my system where everything works. The closest I have come is Knoppix: it recognizes most of my hardware, but I like to use Gnome instead of KDE, and because it's a live distro, it's a little slow. Also, it doesn't always start from the CD in my 600e; I think this might have to do with how long the system has been running and temperature, as it seems to work more often then not when I have had the system turned off for a while.

I know if it's a little off topic, but I would love to hear your thoughts on the matters discussed above, as well as anyone else how cares to post.

As always, thanks for your time!

Thomas Hood is the author of the tpctl (Thinkpad control utility - think setup program) for the Thinkpads so I trust him a lot.

Linux distributions such as Debian, Gentoo and Slackware are generally considered more "professional" than SuSE, RedHat and Mandrake. My theory is that this is because they have ugly but functional install systems, not that they are more "professional" in any way.
They are a bit more demanding, but I like having control - know what's installed on my system and how to fix a problem if one arises. You learn a lot as you go along, and even after using Debian for years I still have to consult the documentation every now and then to see how to do stuff "the Debian way". Overall I think it's a good idea, but it's not the right solution for everyone. Most people just want everything to work as they expect it to right out of the box and neither of these three distributions will provide that (and considering everyone expects things to work in different ways it's a hard goal to achieve and probably not a good goal to strive for...). With Gentoo you have to compile everything - if you do what the Gentoo folks refer to as a "stage 1 install" you actually have to build the compiler so you can build the kernel you will use. It may sound really tricky but it's not as long as you take your time (and it _will_ take time!) and follow the excellent written instructions. Getting a system up and running using Gentoo is often a source of great pride and happiness for new Gentoo users that have previously used the more mainstream distros.

I think it's a good idea to try out different distributions. A lot of Linux users seem to have the impression that you have to decide on a distribution to use. Well I have Gentoo on my laptop and one desktop and Debian on all the others, and I'm looking to try out SuSE or Fedora Core 2 on one of the computers soon. Use whatever distribution that suits you best, and trying them out can be fun (and also very frustrating when things don't work as you expect ).

Knoppix comes with a script called hdinstall or knx-hdinstall, I don't really recall at this moment. This script will install Knoppix to your HD. Knoppix is based on Debian and you can use apt-get to convert your Knoppix installation to a Debian Testing/Sarge (or Unstable/Sid) one if you wish (you don't have to, if Knoppix works fine for you then don't do it ). It might be the best choice for you, so try the hard disk install and run it for a while. If it suits you, then congratulations! If it doesn't, well try some other distro, perhaps spending a day or two when the weather is bad with installing Gentoo would be fruitful too.


Håkan