Hi,
I am one of those Friend-of-Linux-users. Left to myself, I agree the Linux is the more virtuous option than Windows, but I prefer the convenience of Windows (I'll also kill myself eating convenience food).

However, I am enrolled in a course at my University where we are learning C++ with the G++ compiler. I know I could use a Windows compiler if I wanted, but I would prefer to use the same thing at home that I use in the lab.

I need to maintain my Windows functionality on this machine.

I need to have wireless access through my Gigabyte GN-WPKG card if it is possible without too much technical finagling. The card connects to a Linksys router.

My current system setup dual-boots to Windows ME or Mandrake 10.1. There are three partitions: the C (windows), D (FAT32), and the hda (I think) Mandrake.

My professor suggested that I use CoLinux. From looking at the CoLinux setup instructions, it looks like it would be better/easier to get rid of my Mandrake distro and install the Debian distro that comes with CoLinux. But I am not sure how to do that.

Advice? Thanks in advance.

Arlan Purdy

You should look into these two websites. Found after quick google search for your wifi card.

http://rt2x00.serialmonkey.com/wiki/index.php/Main_Page

http://www.duncanbrown.org/linux/sys...abyte_gn-wpkg/

If you want to do development work then any linux would be fine.

Tux,

Thanks, Tux

I can't try this right now -- I will post again when I've had a chance. But it looks like the right thing. Thanky.

Arlan

Okay, caught up on my homework.

Once again, thanks for your kind assistance.

I think I have the rt2500 architecture. The website you pointed me to didn't have any explanation of how to install the drivers on Mandrake. I thought it might be similar to the rt2400, so I was looking at the HOWTO for those drivers.

In step 2, I didn't understand what was meant by "Get the latest qt packages."

In step 7, I don't know how to compile or run the script. It doesn't look like C++. Also, would it be different with the rt2500?

Further help here would be appreciated.

Arlan

I don't have my linux box in front of me right now but I'll try to answer what seems to be your question.

To compile you use the make command

For an explination of "Make" you can take a quick read of: http://www.linuxgazette.com/issue38/pollman.html

Basically, once you've downloaded and untarred your file from http://rt2x00.serialmonkey.com/wiki/index.php/Downloads

you do "make" and then "make install"

It looks like the instructions at http://www.duncanbrown.org/linux/sys...abyte_gn-wpkg/
which Tux provided a link to are pretty good for doing it from console. If you're having a hard time following those instructions just explain where you're getting stuck.


Rundi

Goto http://easyurpmi.zarb.org and setup access to the software repositories. Now you can install the compiler packages through the Software Installation program in the Mandrake Control Centre (System->Configuration->Configure Your Computer. The pakcages to install are gcc, gcc-cpp and gcc-c++

I wouldn't bother switching unless there is a specific reason. Mandrake is one of the most user-friendly distros around and it has all the compiler tools that any other Linux distro has. I can assure you that having a full install of a full-fledged Linux distro is much better than any of those 'run Linux as a program in Windows' type things. Your professor probably suggested that so you wouldn't have to do any repartitioning to install Linux (although many distros, incl. Mandrake, have automatic repartitioning which preserves your Windows partition nowadays). Anyway your current setup sounds good.

Okay, this time I'm serious about getting this to work.

I'm in the Module folder for the driver and trying to run make. I get this:

[arlan@localhost Module]$ make
make: *** /lib/modules/2.6.8.1-12mdk/build: No such file or directory. Stop.
rt2500.ko failed to build!
make: *** [module] Error 1
[arlan@localhost Module]$ make install
echo "2.6 module install"
2.6 module install
make -C /lib/modules/2.6.8.1-12mdk/build SUBDIRS=/home/arlan/rt2500-1.1.0-b3/Module modules_install
make: *** /lib/modules/2.6.8.1-12mdk/build: No such file or directory. Stop.
make: *** [modules_install] Error 2

Two questions: do I need to be putting this in a particular directory-- /etc or /dev? Does it not matter at all?

Also, I realize it's pointless to try make install without being in admin mode. Do I need to be in Admin for the first make as well?

Thanks.

Arlan

I'm not the brillant person who really should be answering the question since I'm not a whiz, but . . .

Is it possible the make file for your download is not meant for your mandrake distribution?

It seems to be looking for a directory that isn't there, and as best I know you don't have to have your files located in any particular place when you do make. If you have a proper make file (that works with your distribution), it should know where to find it's needed sources.

Yes? Anyone else able to offer more helpful suggestion or advice?

http://61.222.76.235/phpbb2/viewtopi...c058e2f89c2d0b

That link might help. Or maybe are more Linux savvy person can look at it and parse it for you.

http://www.crynwr.com/cgi-bin/ezmlm-cgi/1/17005

Don't know if that link will have anything helpful.

I got that from: http://rt2x00.serialmonkey.com/wiki/index.php/FAQ

Here is a howto for the rt2400, maybe you can adapt it:

http://rt2x00.serialmonkey.com/wiki/...drake_10_Howto

Or maybe you can figure something out from the rt2570 howto:

http://rt2x00.serialmonkey.com/wiki/...0_rt2570_Howto

Also, make sure you've downloaded the most recent version. Looks like it's been updated in december:

http://rt2x00.serialmonkey.com/wiki/index.php/Main_Page

And, if you're still stuck, you can come back and say how far you've got. If nobody here and LQ can help you, you can always go over and try your luck at the serialmonkey forum:

http://rt2x00.serialmonkey.com/phpBB2/

Hope that is of some help.

I think rt2500 is built as a module in Mandriva's kernel packages so you just do as root to load it.

Thanks, tkedwards, but I am using Mandrake 10.1. Not sure I want to upgrade my whole distro because I am thinking about replacing the system anyway, and I am too much of a noob to change my distro for a lark.

But perhaps this is a case where the latest drivers only work with the latest distros.

Rundi's posts were helpful and I went looking for the specified kernel, the 2.6.8.12. Apparently the CDs I had were deficient. I got new Mandrake 10.1 ISOs and burned them. I tried running make and it got farther but quit (sorry, don't have the error right now, I will go back and get it).

I read the README like a good boy and I see to specs that I don't know how to check on my system:
1. Your kernel should be compiled with Wireless extensions V18 or higher.
2. rt2x00 depends on the ieee80211 stack developed by the netdev team. The latest ieee80211 stack can be found in the ieee80211/ folder in the rt2x00 module source.

Okay, but I don't know how to check that stuff out. If I need the latest ieee stack and it is already part of my rt2x00 download, what do I do?

Because my I'm connecting to the net via windows on my machine, trying things in linus means booting back and forth. But I will be back with the make error in 10 minutes or so.

Thanks.

Arlan

I made the symlink per the instructions (because Mandrake 10.1 does not keep kernels in the usual place). Also I tried the alternate method from Rundi's link. This is the error readout I am getting.

[root@localhost rt2x00-2.0.0-b3]# make KERNEL_DIR= /usr/src/linux-2.6.8.1-12mdk
make: Nothing to be done for `/usr/src/linux-2.6.8.1-12mdk'.
[root@localhost rt2x00-2.0.0-b3]# make
CC [M] /home/arlan/wireless/rt2x00-2.0.0-b3/ieee80211/ieee80211_module.o
In file included from /home/arlan/wireless/rt2x00-2.0.0-b3/ieee80211/net/ieee80211_compat.h:9,
from <command line>:6:
include/linux/etherdevice.h:33: warning: "struct net_device" declared inside parameter list
include/linux/etherdevice.h:33: warning: its scope is only this definition or declaration, which is probably not what you want
include/linux/etherdevice.h:33: warning: "struct sk_buff" declared inside parameter list
...
[** Clipped out **]
...
/home/arlan/wireless/rt2x00-2.0.0-b3/ieee80211/net/ieee80211.h:1041: error: dereferencing pointer to incomplete type
/home/arlan/wireless/rt2x00-2.0.0-b3/ieee80211/net/ieee80211.h:1043: error: dereferencing pointer to incomplete type
make[3]: *** [/home/arlan/wireless/rt2x00-2.0.0-b3/ieee80211/ieee80211_module.o] Error 1
make[2]: *** [_module_/home/arlan/wireless/rt2x00-2.0.0-b3/ieee80211] Error 2
make[1]: *** [debug] Error 2
make: *** [ieee80211-debug] Error 2

I've put the wireless package in. . . um, I think
/home/arlan/wireless

I don't know if that matters.

Thanks for any tips.

Arlan

Did you check if that module was in 10.1? Just try running or try searching for the file rt2500.ko (or rt2500.ko.gz).

If you find you still have to compile it then make sure you've installed the kernel-source package.

I did modprobe rt2500, it said the module was not found. I searched for rt2500.ko (starting from /) from Konqueror--I thought it would also match .ko.gz--I didn't get anything.

Since I am playing for keeps I decided I would go ahead and try to install Mandriva. I got the 2006 free isos with this site's links. I dl'd in Windows and burned them onto cds from KDE's default burner--don't remember the name exactly, K-something. As far as I know that went right. But I expected the install screen to come up when I rebooted with the disk in the drive, and it did not. (I did get an install screen once carelessly rebooting with one of my 10.1 discs in the drive, and I believe it is set up to check the drive on boot).

Then I went text mode in Mandrake and mounted the CD drive and did ls. It said that there was an iso file on the CD. That seemed like the wrong thing for it to say, no? Once it's burned it should not longer be considered a 'file,' yes?

I am still in the middle of poking around on this, going to re-examine my discs, but if you can point me right to my solution that would be fantastic.

Arlan