Installing things on linux
 

hi ,

I just downloaded some linux drivers for my sound card and i'm using red hat 9...the readme file is a little to vauge for me.. the instructions are as follows:

Step 1. unzip source code

tar xfvj alcsound.tar.bz2



Step 2. Turn on sound support (soundcore module, default turn on)



Step 3. Complied source code

a. ./configure

b. make

c. make install

d. ./snddevices



Step 4. Edit your /etc/modules.conf or conf.modules depending on the distribution

(Please refer to the attached modules.conf)



Step 5. reboot your machine

I dont know how to do step 2 ..where can I do this? and after I do the ./configure comamnd I dont know what it measn by "make" ..make what?

thanx in advance,
Boomba

looks like alsa ur trying to compile, ok the first step is that u must have a kernel that had sound suprt enabled under sound (u dont have to have anyhihtng thats under that enabled tho), next u compile like any other program
./configure
make
make install

the last script sets up teh /dev directory to use teh new modules

Afrer I type "./configure" a lis of messages come up ( dont know what its doing) and then I type in "make" and I get this:

make dep
make[1]: Entering directory `/home/kareem/alsa-driver-0.9.4'
make[2]: Entering directory `/home/kareem/alsa-driver-0.9.4/support'
Makefile:27: /usr/src/linux-2.4.18-27_1tle/alsa-driver-0.9.4/Rules.make: No such file or directory
make[2]: *** No rule to make target `/usr/src/linux-2.4.18-27_1tle/alsa-driver-0.9.4/Rules.make'. Stop.
make[2]: Leaving directory `/home/kareem/alsa-driver-0.9.4/support'
make[1]: *** [dep] Error 1
make[1]: Leaving directory `/home/kareem/alsa-driver-0.9.4'
make: *** [include/sndversions.h] Error 2

Log in as root and do it. That fixed a similiar problem I had when I got that error message.

I tried what you told me with the root password and I get this:

[kareem@rn146-16 alsa-driver-0.9.4]$ make
make dep
make[1]: Entering directory `/home/kareem/alsa-driver-0.9.4'
make[2]: Entering directory `/home/kareem/alsa-driver-0.9.4/support'
Makefile:27: /usr/src/linux-2.4.18-27_1tle/alsa-driver-0.9.4/Rules.make: No such file or directory
make[2]: *** No rule to make target `/usr/src/linux-2.4.18-27_1tle/alsa-driver-0.9.4/Rules.make'. Stop.
make[2]: Leaving directory `/home/kareem/alsa-driver-0.9.4/support'
make[1]: *** [dep] Error 1
make[1]: Leaving directory `/home/kareem/alsa-driver-0.9.4'
make: *** [include/sndversions.h] Error 2

any other suggestions on what i'm doing wrong?..its probably something simple cus this is my first time manually isntalling anything on linux :)

thanx in advance

Boomba

I still can't figure this one out:

what i did is I extraceted the tar.gz file to my home directory and then I followed the instructions by going to my console and typing in exactly what is said:

"./configure"
(compiling info)
then I type in "make"

I get the above error..shoudl i be typing in somthing oher than just "make"?

thanx,

bomba

Even more basic question
 

I'm trying to install FreeTDS onto a RedHat 9.0 system. I download and run the RPMs and the packages show up in my "installed packages" list through WebMin. However, I don't think they really are. I read everywhere about the "./configure" and "make" commands, but I am too much of a newbie to know where in the fie system to even type these commands! I have 3 Linux books and NONE of them cover installing new programs.. is some kind of Linux secret handshake required for this info?

./configure and make are commands you have to type in the terminal (RedHat -> System tools -> Terminal. It looks a bit like a dos prompt). You only need to do this if you are compiling from source. Usually, you extract the source code files to a directory and then in the terminal type cd <directory where you extracted the source code to> and then type ./configure then when that's finished type make, then when that's finished type make install.

If you have installed the program from an rpm, however, you don't have to do this.

Andy