Not sure if this has already been posted in another thread. I've recently installed FC 6 on a Dell Inspiron 5000. In a Windows environment, my old Netgear W511T wireless adapter works fine, however, I'm having trouble getting it recognized by FC6.

Already downloaded MadWifi and extracted the folder to the desktop. Followed the instructions per the MadWifi site but ran into an error (see outlined below).

** In the MadWifi directory, execute the following scripts to remove the current modules from your system and its memory.

cd scripts
./madwifi-unload.bash
./find-madwifi-modules.sh /lib/modules/
cd ..

** Build MadWifi

make

>> Here is where I get the error. Syntax is -

/bin/sh: line 0: cd: /lib/modules/2.6.181.2789.fc/build: No such file
or directory

Makefile.inc:89: *** /lib/modules/2.6.18-1.2789.fc/build is missing,
please set KERNELPATH. Stop.

Help? (Please bear with me if the solution is simple - still new to Linux, thanks...)

This is common on the Redhat/Redhat clone distro families like Fedora.
Have you installed the kernel source files?

The are in rpm package format called kernel-devel-******.rpm. The ***** is the current running kernel version you are running.
To see if you have it run the command ' rpm -qa | grep kernel '. Post output.
Now you will see one called kernel and one should be called kernel-devel.

Now if you do not have it you need to install it.
First if you are using the default installed kernel from the install CD then the kernel-devel-******.rpm is on the CD. To install run the command as root ' rpm -ivh kernel-devel*.rpm '

Now if you have an upgraded kernel then you need to go where you got your current kernel and get the match version kerenl-devel-*****.rpm file and install the same as above.

If you installed using yum then you can use yum to download and install the rpm for you.

Now you will be able to compile the madwifi source files. Remember if you upgrade the kernel you will need to get the matching kernel-devel rpm to the new kernel and recompile the source madwifi again.

madwifi when compiled will only work on that kernel.

Brian

Hi, Brian - thanks for your reply. Ran,

** rpm -qa | grep kernel

kernel-headers-2.6.18-1.2798.fc6
kernel-2.6.18-2798.fc6

Checked CD1 and it had 2 versions of kernel-devel listed -

kernel-devel-2.6.18-1.2798.fc6.i586.rpm
kernel-devel-2.6.18-1.2798.fc6.i686.rpm

Tried installing the i586 version through the desktop and then went back to terminal and ran -

** rpm -ivh kernel-devel*.rpm

Got this error instead -

error: File not found by glob: kernel-devel*.rpm

Any suggestions?

Were you in the same directory as where the kernel-devel file was?
Since there is two and you do the command at the location where both are then you need to define the name further.
rpm -ivh kernel-devel-2.6.18-1.2798.fc6.i586.rpm

Brian

guess i wasn't in the same directory. i copied both kernel-devel*.rpm files to the root home directory and extracted them in Desktop mode.

then went back to terminal just to be sure and ran -

** -ivh kernel-devel-2.6.18-1.2798.fc6.i586.rpm

warning: kernel-devel-2.6.18-1.2798.fc6.i586.rpm: HeaderV3 DSA signature: NOKEY, key ID 4f2a6fd2
Preparing... 100%
package kernel-devel-2.6.18-1.2798.fc6. is already installed

same response when running the -ivh line for the kernel-devel*i686.rpm.

since the RPMs seemed to already be installed, i tried going through the MadWifi steps again in the Madwifi directory.

** cd scripts
** ./madwifi-unload.bash
** ./find-madwifi-modules.sh /lib/modules/
** cd ..
** make

>> ran into this error -

/bin/sh: line 0: cd: /lib/modules/2.6.18-1.2798.fc6/build: No such file or directory
Makefile.inc.:89: ***/lib/modules/2.6.18-1.2798.fc6/build is missing, please set KERNELPATH. Stop.

hmmm...

Post output from the following commands.
uname -r
ls /lib/modules/`uname -r`/build
ls /usr/src/redhat

Brian

** uname -r

2.6.18-1.2798.fc6

** ls /lib/modules/`uname -r`/build

ls: /lib/modules/`uname -r`: No such file or directory
ls: /build: No such file or directory

** ls /usr/src/redhat

ls: /usr/src/redhat: No such file or directory

My miss take.
ls /usr/src
ls /lib/modules
ls /lib/modules/Put_Kernel_version_listed_from_above_command_here

Brian

hope this helps -

ls /usr/src

kernels

ls /lib/modules

2.6.18-1.2798.fc6

ls /lib/modules/2.6.18-1.2798.fc6

build modules.dep
modules.pcimap updates
extra modules.ieee1394map
modules.seriomap weak-updates
kernel modules.inputmap
modules.symbols
modules.alias
modules.isapnpmap
modules.usbmap
modules.ccwap
modules.ofmap source

The way the rpm of the kernel and kernel-devel work is like this.
The file it mentions /lib/modules/2.6.181.2789.fc/build is a soft link to /usr/src/kernels/2.6.181.2789.fc/build.

Now after downloading the files of the kernel version you mentioned the file /usr/src/kernels/2.6.181.2789.fc/build does not exist in the rpm I found for the kernel-devel rpm. Why it is not there I am at a lost.

Now /lib/modules/2.6.181.2789.fc/build is a soft link from the kernel rpm file.

There must be something I am missing. Older versions seemed to have this but its been a few years since using precompiled kerneles for me. When I get a chance I will look into it. For now it might be best for you to search the forum about this. If you get post back.

Brian

thanks, Brian - i appreciate all the help.

i'll see if i can't sort things out w/ the old PMCIA card that came standard w/ the Dell. the model is listed in the drop down menu when i call up system-network-config so, in theory, it should work.

will let you know how things get on and will post my progress...