SUSE 8.0 KDE 4.2.0 hmm... somehow I feel like I left something out considering that the hard drive has about 3 gb of data on it... I hope thats enough info

This is the message* I get when attempting to run the rpm file I've downloaded from ATI's driver page. I just installed Linux last week so throw me a bone. I know many of you don't like to explain things in detail because yes, it is frustrating explaining things to newbs, especially when the help file for their question is right next to the forum link and they don't even know it.

So if someone could humor me and point me in the direction of the documents I should read in order to solve this problem on my own (like any good linux user should do) then I would be very greatful.

I believe the core questions I should be asking are:
1. How do I check the version of the "library" I am running to see if it is not really installed like Q1 error message indicates? If it is in fact out of date, how do I update it? (I think I have a good idea how to update it though so, don't strain yourself explaining this to me unless your bored)

2. Are the "kernel includes" the links between the kernel and the modules? If so, then it appears that the version the kernel is trying to load is not compatible with the kernel version I have... How do I fix this incompatibility?

3. How do I install my Radeon card?!?!?! lol - humor - chill -
(Question 3 is just my problems summed up into a vain expression of frustration)




(***Q1***)
I am running SUSE 8.0 and according to my knowledge I am using 4.2.0 of kde. So I have no idea why I am getting this library error message for the xf86 package since it is already installed. (/***Q1***)

(***Q2***)
The kernel includes error boggles me. I have tried to create a new symbolic link from /usr/src/linux to the appropriate directory for the module location, which is listed below in the error.
(/***Q2***)

* Error message is as follows (an index is included - Q1, Q2)
---------------------------------------------------

(***Q1***)
Warning:
can't switch OpenGL library support to XFree86 4.x.x DRI method
because package xf86_glx-4.*.i386.rpm is not installed.
please install and run switch2xf86_glx afterwards.
(/***Q1***)

*** Trying to install a precompiled kernel module.
*** WARNING ***
Tailored kernel module for fglrx not present in your system.
You must go to /lib/modules/fglrx/build_mod subdir
and execute './make.sh' to build a fully customed kernel module.
Afterwards go to /lib/modules/fglrx and run './make_install.sh'
in order to install the module into your kernel's module repository.
(see readme.txt for more details.)

As of now you can still run your XServer in 2D, but hardware acclerated
OpenGL will not work and 2D grafics will lack performance.

failed.
*** Found kernel module build environment, generating kernel module now.
ATI module generator V 2.0
==========================
(***Q2***)
Error:
kernel includes at /lib/modules/2.4.18-64GB-SMP/build/include do not match curre nt kernel.
they are versioned as "2.4.18-4GB"
instead of "2.4.18-64GB-SMP".
you might need to adjust your symlinks:
- /usr/include
- /usr/src/linux
(/***Q2***)
*** WARNING ***
Tailored kernel module for fglrx not present in your system.
You must go to /lib/modules/fglrx/build_mod subdir
and execute './make.sh' to build a fully customed kernel module.
Afterwards go to /lib/modules/fglrx and run './make_install.sh'
in order to install the module into your kernel's module repository.
(see readme.txt for more details.)

As of now you can still run your XServer in 2D, but hardware acclerated
OpenGL will not work and 2D grafics will lack performance.

failed.
===
ATI display drivers successfully installed
please run 'fglrxconfig' now
===

Alright, I'll make another post for this:

First things first - you don't have KDE 4.2 because that hasn't come out yet.. It's currently at 3.1.2 I believe.
You're probably running XFree86 4.2.0, which shouldbe fine for this.
But -- it looks as if you're missing the OpenGL libraries for XFree86. OpenGL is what does Hardware 3d Acceleration for most programs.

I would get the latest version of XFree86 which is 4.3.0.

Now, for another thing, you need to have the source for the kernel you are running. From the looks of these lines:

Error:
kernel includes at /lib/modules/2.4.18-64GB-SMP/build/include do not match curre nt kernel.
they are versioned as "2.4.18-4GB"
instead of "2.4.18-64GB-SMP".

--- it looks as if you're running 2.4.18-64gb-SMP kernel.

use the command "uname -r" as root from a terminal to see what kernel you're running.

Now that's fine, but now you need the source for that kernel.. Since it's been patched a few times, it'll be a challenge for you as a newbie to get, compile, and add the patches to get that source.

I don't have the Specs for your computer, but I'm assuming this is a normal desktop. The SMP part of that means that the kernel is designed to run on a computer running multiple processors. If you've got a single Pentium or AMD, then there's no need for it. (Symmetric Multi-Processing capability).

64gb means it includes support for up to 64 gb of RAM. Again, I doubt you require this.

This is all extraneous information, but it'll help you understand whats going on-- you're running one of the default kernels with SuSE -- which is fine, but that's one of the specialized kernels that ships with SuSE.

So, head on over to www.kernel.org and download the latest stable kernel sources (2.4.21). Around the middle of the page is a table with the list of current kernels. Click on the single-letter link "F" (for FULL sources), and download the 30 meg file to /usr/src or your home directory. If you download it to your home directory, you'll need to move it to /usr/src .

From there, unpack it - you'll use either :
tar -xzvf linux-2.4.21whatever.tgz for a .gz file
or
tar -xjvf linux-2.4.21whatever.tar.bz2 for a .bz file

There. Now you've got the sources for a stable kernel. The next thing to do is to head over to www.kernelnewbies.org and check out the kernel compiling HOWTO. There's even a GUI for configuring the kernel Configure the kernel, then install it as per the directions on that site, and start over with the install of the fglrx drivers for your Radeon card.

I'm running a Radeon 9000 pro card which works very wel for me.

You might want to try the drivers from
www.schneider-digital.de instead of the stock ATI drivers... I had better luck with the schneider drivers.

From here, check out my Success Story for getting the drivers for my Radeon card working under "Member Success Stories" from the Linux-General forum.

Good luck bud.

ATI cards are pretty darn good, and the drivers are there for linux. It's pretty straightforward, but you've got to have all your ducks in order before you go trying to install the modules/drivers for the card. I was a newbie once too (and some would say, I still am

-Shade

You 'h4x0r'd' Dextromethorphan? What are you some kind of cold medicine junkie?



Cool

Thank you very much. The updated kernel works great. I had a snag for a while but figured out I had to set the vga variable in the lilo.conf file to = normal. After that I configured everything from there. Ah... on to the sound card. Then... Half Life!!

WooHoo!!