I want to be sure that the hardware will be detected correctly, and luckily yours is quite standard..
Do you by chance have access to another pc with a similar motherboard?
It's comforting to test a kernel before committing to it..

One last check..
Fom the new kernel config file in /boot, please post from the section with IDE controllers...
# IDE chipset support/bugfixes
CONFIG_BLK_DEV_IDEDMA_PCI= ?
CONFIG_IDEDMA_PCI_AUTO= ?
CONFIG_BLK_DEV_VIA82CXXX= ?
CONFIG_BLK_DEV_IDEDMA= ?
CONFIG_IDEDMA_AUTO= ?

i'm afraid i don't have a similar pc here...


# IDE chipset support/bugfixes
#
CONFIG_IDE_GENERIC=m
CONFIG_BLK_DEV_CMD640=y
# CONFIG_BLK_DEV_CMD640_ENHANCED is not set
CONFIG_BLK_DEV_IDEPNP=m
CONFIG_BLK_DEV_IDEPCI=y
CONFIG_IDEPCI_SHARE_IRQ=y
# CONFIG_BLK_DEV_OFFBOARD is not set
CONFIG_BLK_DEV_GENERIC=m
CONFIG_BLK_DEV_OPTI621=m
CONFIG_BLK_DEV_RZ1000=m
CONFIG_BLK_DEV_IDEDMA_PCI=y
# CONFIG_BLK_DEV_IDEDMA_FORCED is not set
CONFIG_IDEDMA_PCI_AUTO=y
# CONFIG_IDEDMA_ONLYDISK is not set
CONFIG_BLK_DEV_ADMA=y
CONFIG_BLK_DEV_AEC62XX=m
CONFIG_BLK_DEV_ALI15X3=m
# CONFIG_WDC_ALI15X3 is not set
CONFIG_BLK_DEV_AMD74XX=m
CONFIG_BLK_DEV_ATIIXP=m
CONFIG_BLK_DEV_CMD64X=m
CONFIG_BLK_DEV_TRIFLEX=m
CONFIG_BLK_DEV_CY82C693=m
CONFIG_BLK_DEV_CS5520=m
CONFIG_BLK_DEV_CS5530=m
CONFIG_BLK_DEV_HPT34X=m
# CONFIG_HPT34X_AUTODMA is not set
CONFIG_BLK_DEV_HPT366=m
CONFIG_BLK_DEV_SC1200=m
CONFIG_BLK_DEV_PIIX=m
CONFIG_BLK_DEV_NS87415=m
CONFIG_BLK_DEV_PDC202XX_OLD=m
CONFIG_PDC202XX_BURST=y
CONFIG_BLK_DEV_PDC202XX_NEW=m
CONFIG_PDC202XX_FORCE=y
CONFIG_BLK_DEV_SVWKS=m
CONFIG_BLK_DEV_SIIMAGE=m
CONFIG_BLK_DEV_SIS5513=m
CONFIG_BLK_DEV_SLC90E66=m
CONFIG_BLK_DEV_TRM290=m
CONFIG_BLK_DEV_VIA82CXXX=m
# CONFIG_IDE_ARM is not set
# CONFIG_IDE_CHIPSETS is not set
CONFIG_BLK_DEV_IDEDMA=y
# CONFIG_IDEDMA_IVB is not set
CONFIG_IDEDMA_AUTO=y
# CONFIG_BLK_DEV_HD is not set

this is the section in the old file: config-installkernel2.6.10, which i <presume> was used to generate the existing kernel... but who knows... dont know if it's relevant...

# IDE chipset support/bugfixes
#
CONFIG_IDE_GENERIC=y
# CONFIG_BLK_DEV_CMD640 is not set
CONFIG_BLK_DEV_IDEPNP=y
CONFIG_BLK_DEV_IDEPCI=y
CONFIG_IDEPCI_SHARE_IRQ=y
CONFIG_BLK_DEV_OFFBOARD=y
# CONFIG_BLK_DEV_GENERIC is not set
# CONFIG_BLK_DEV_OPTI621 is not set
# CONFIG_BLK_DEV_RZ1000 is not set
CONFIG_BLK_DEV_IDEDMA_PCI=y
# CONFIG_BLK_DEV_IDEDMA_FORCED is not set
# CONFIG_IDEDMA_PCI_AUTO is not set
# CONFIG_BLK_DEV_AEC62XX is not set
# CONFIG_BLK_DEV_ALI15X3 is not set
CONFIG_BLK_DEV_AMD74XX=y
# CONFIG_BLK_DEV_ATIIXP is not set
# CONFIG_BLK_DEV_CMD64X is not set
# CONFIG_BLK_DEV_TRIFLEX is not set
# CONFIG_BLK_DEV_CY82C693 is not set
# CONFIG_BLK_DEV_CS5520 is not set
# CONFIG_BLK_DEV_CS5530 is not set
# CONFIG_BLK_DEV_HPT34X is not set
# CONFIG_BLK_DEV_HPT366 is not set
# CONFIG_BLK_DEV_SC1200 is not set
# CONFIG_BLK_DEV_PIIX is not set
# CONFIG_BLK_DEV_NS87415 is not set
CONFIG_BLK_DEV_PDC202XX_OLD=y
CONFIG_PDC202XX_BURST=y
CONFIG_BLK_DEV_PDC202XX_NEW=y
CONFIG_PDC202XX_FORCE=y
# CONFIG_BLK_DEV_SVWKS is not set
# CONFIG_BLK_DEV_SIIMAGE is not set
# CONFIG_BLK_DEV_SIS5513 is not set
# CONFIG_BLK_DEV_SLC90E66 is not set
# CONFIG_BLK_DEV_TRM290 is not set
CONFIG_BLK_DEV_VIA82CXXX=y
# CONFIG_IDE_ARM is not set
CONFIG_BLK_DEV_IDEDMA=y
# CONFIG_IDEDMA_IVB is not set
# CONFIG_IDEDMA_AUTO is not set
# CONFIG_BLK_DEV_HD is not set

Ok..
add the module via to /etc/modules
and add a line to /etc/modutils/aliases
alias eth0 via-rhine
and run update-modules

What I recommend you do after it rebooting is reinstall iptables, make sure necessary services start ok, then prepare a custom kernel, custom modutils and custom iptables, with a small selection of patch-o-matic addons..

I am not at all sure the deb package iptables will work with that kernel. Got to find the correct sarge repository.. I'll do some testing and report back in the morning..

there is a line via-rhine in /etc/modules - will that do? if so what do i need to add to /etc/modutils/aliases?
...or should i replace it with 'via'? or add 'via' after it?.....


re wether or not iptables will work, would i just do a kernel upgrade after i get it all working anyway? or am i missing a/the point..?

I sure appreciate your help.... i don't know where i would be without it g'night

--- there is a line via-rhine in /etc/modules - will that do? ---
Yup, that's for the NIC..

--- or add 'via' after it? ---
"via" is for the IDE controller module. That needs to be in /etc/modules
Then do update-modules to get a fresh copy of /etc/modules.conf

I'm still looking into the iptables issue.
It needs to be built with the correct kernel sources, and the package information on the debian site indicates it's only built against a 2.4 kernel. So I'm going to dig a bit deeper and find out about a sarge install. I have only ever upgraded from woody using a custom 2.4 kernel, rather than starting with a fresh sarge install and a 2.6 kernel.. So the package tree for sarge needs to be checked carefully..

Looking back in your posts, I found this..
--- should i just remake the kernel? if i do will this put all my modules in the right place(s)?

It looks like you are going to have to build a new kernel anyway, and you have the sources for 2.6.10 already..

So how do you feel about starting from there?
Kind of doing one build to cover everything..

sounds ok (gulp)
<sound of loins being girdled - whatever that is>

- do i need to undo anything i've just done (ie changes to /etc/modules and /etc/modutils/aliases etc. - just letting you know i have done this and done update-modules ...

or maybe that's irrelevant now?
.. is remaking the kernel gonna solve the iptables & kernel version thing? I mean are they compatible w'out a 2.4 kernel underneath?

this might be really stupid, but if i just did a make menuconfig with the installed 2.6.10 kernel and config file and added ipstables to the kernel rather than a module, would that work?

Do you know what these buggers have done here anyway (the people who installed this)? have they just copied an image over or somethin g and missed bits out? don't really understand how it got like this... (don't think any of them understand debian for a start)....

"Hehehe".. The sounds af a loin girdler in full swing !!

The current changes aren't lost, however I'm going to suggest optimising the kernel for this box and it's uses.

Looking over the /var/log/dmesg post, there are quite a few drivers loading from within the kernel but with no hardware to operate on, so they can be culled..
And I suggest compiling in support for known hardware, and deciding whether anything is likely to be added later, (next 3-4 mnths), before the next required kernel fix ..

You will need to download the current iptables sources, http://www.netfilter.org/files/iptables-1.3.0.tar.bz2

sdownloaded and unpacked... shall i install it?

The Big picture for a custom kernel & iptables build..

We don't know what patches have been made to the 2.6.10 kernel sources you have..
Hopefully, it's config file is in the /boot directory.. That's gonna be a good starting point.
If not, like your other builds, you need to check everything before compiling..

There's a good possibility, like you say, that the kernel didn't come from those sources..
or that for some very strange reason, the modules were installed after the module building failed..
Some scripts don't exit properly with failures..
Building it again from the current setup could produce "undesirable" results..
So the sources need to be cleaned with make mrproper. Good news is that patches stay put!

Custon builds can overwrite existing files/modules/configs..
And when a package is upgraded later via apt-get, it overwrites the custom version, and you get sticky porridge..
So the custom builds need to be installed into different locations, and your startup scripts modified and backed up.

iptables now has a major upgrade.. I haven't built with it yet, or applied patch-o-matic enhancements to it yet.
You can choose this latest version, or the 1.2.11 version. Whichever you want to play with.

And finally, we don't know how this sarge install was made, whether from a woody upgrade or a sarge cd/dvd install. Some kernel dependencies may not have been honoured during package installation, esp as there is no record of a kernel-image installation in dpkg. I am only stressing this because of the distance between you and the server..

So you have an open field, and if Murphy is a little hungover today, an easy ride..

there is a config (symlink to config-installkernel2.6.10) in the /boot dir which i *presume* was used to buildd this kernel - does make mrproper get rid of this and create an new one?
if so what do i do with the old one? mv it? then run make mrproper
then run make menuconfig?
then what?

shall i follow this:
http://www.projektfarm.com/en/suppor...l_compile.html
...roughly

.. with the old config or the new one?

i've done :
make KERNEL_DIR=/usr/local/src/2.6.10/linux-2.6.10
make install KERNEL_DIR=/usr/local/src/2.6.10/linux-2.6.10
for iptables (the new one)

So long as the symlink points to a file in the /boot directory, it's safe from mrproper..

Kernel sources are in /usr/src/linux-2.6.10? If not, move them there..
make a symlink to that directory, name it "/usr/src/linux"
unpack iptables from /usr/src to make /usr/src/iptables-1.3.0
make a symlink to it called "/usr/src/iptables"

cd /usr/src/linux/
edit Makefile, add an extraversion number, eg -2
this makes a new /lib/modules directory during modules_install
do make mrproper
copy /boot/config-installkernel2.6.10 as /usr/src/linux/.config
make menuconfig

I'll make a list if items to check..