You just have to do on the command line to switch to the root user.
Then you can do your mkdir.

I used source directory as /lib/modules/2.6.5-1.358/build as someone specified.

after I try do "make all" I get the following errors:


cp: cannot stat 'lib/modules/2.6.5-1.358/build/.tmp_versions': no such file or directory
make[2]: *** [default] error 1
make[2]: leaving directory: '/user/src/wlan/src/p80211'
make[1]: *** [all] error 2
make[1]: leaving directory: '/user/src/wlan/src'
make: *** [all] error2


I'm a real newbie to Fedora Linux. Can anyone please explain to me using detailed step by step instruction on
how to fix this problem? Thank you. Your response is greatly appreciated

first you will have to 'su' to the admin (or root, as it is known) user as you said:
Now you can really do everthing you want to from here but you should go the extra step and use 'sudo'

you will need to do is edit the /etc/sudoers file, type 'visudo'
mine looks something like this:

add a line for your user (if you are the only one on your system you should be able to get away with 'ALL=(ALL) ALL')

save the file and out of the root user

now you can perform elevated privilege commands by typing:

and entering you local users passwd not the root users...

...

I have gone through all the kernel-compiling steps, but I'll get this when compiling the wlan-ng driver (doing make install):

find . -name .depend -exec rm {} \;
set -e; for d in src doc man etc; do make -C $d install ; done
make[1]: Entering directory `/home/pablarribas/untarred/linux-wlan-ng-0.2.1pre22/src'
set -e; for d in p80211 prism2 shared wlanctl wland nwepgen mkmeta wlancfg; do make -C $d install ; done
make[2]: Entering directory `/home/pablarribas/untarred/linux-wlan-ng-0.2.1pre22/src/p80211'
mkdir -p /usr/share/lib/modules/2.6.5-1.358/linux-wlan-ng/net
cp p80211.ko /usr/share/lib/modules/2.6.5-1.358/linux-wlan-ng
cp: no se puede efectuar `stat' sobre «p80211.ko»: No existe el fichero o el directorio
make[2]: *** [install] Error 1
make[2]: Leaving directory `/home/pablarribas/untarred/linux-wlan-ng-0.2.1pre22/src/p80211'
make[1]: *** [install] Error 2
make[1]: Leaving directory `/home/pablarribas/untarred/linux-wlan-ng-0.2.1pre22/src'
make: *** [install] Error 2



I've tried the pre20 and pre21 too, and I'll get the same message. What am I doing wrong?

Thanks in advance

IMHO, the problem is before the make install. The message is pretty self explanatory, it can't find one of the files generated when you compile the driver (p80211.ko).
Check the output of make all and see what kind of error you got there.

Ok I had forgotten the "make all" step. Anyway, I get another error whe doing make all, this is it:


[root@localhost linux-wlan-ng-0.2.1pre22]# make all
set -e; for d in src doc man etc; do make -C $d ; done
make[1]: Entering directory `/home/pablarribas/untarred/linux-wlan-ng-0.2.1pre22/src'
set -e; for d in mkmeta p80211 prism2 shared wlanctl wland nwepgen wlancfg; do make -C $d ; done
make[2]: Entering directory `/home/pablarribas/untarred/linux-wlan-ng-0.2.1pre22/src/mkmeta'
ngcc -E -M -I../include -I/lib/modules/2.6.5-1.358/build/include -D__LINUX_WLAN__ ../shared/p80211types.c ../shared/p80211metamsg.c ../shared/p80211metamib.c ../shared/p80211meta.c mkmetadef.c ../shared/p80211types.c ../shared/p80211metamsg.c ../shared/p80211metamib.c ../shared/p80211meta.c mkmetastruct.c > .depend
/bin/sh: line 1: ngcc: command not found
make[2]: *** [.depend] Error 127
make[2]: Leaving directory `/home/pablarribas/untarred/linux-wlan-ng-0.2.1pre22/src/mkmeta'
make[1]: *** [all] Error 2
make[1]: Leaving directory `/home/pablarribas/untarred/linux-wlan-ng-0.2.1pre22/src'
make: *** [all] Error 2



I am sorry but I don't know what's wrong. Does any of you?

Thanks in advance

You need all the C/C++ compilers and developpement tools to be installed (I suppose you do) and you need to run make config in the linux-wlan-ng-0.2.x directory before doing the make all.
Then the makefile should use gcc instead of ngcc and everything should (hopefully) work fine. (everything is explained in the README file RTFM ;-)

I'm also joining the ranks of ppl having problems with installing the driver. I'm not sure if I have what I need to compile the driver. I'm running the "make config" command from /usr/src/linux-wlan-ng.0.1.2.1pre22 and it is pointing to /lib/modules/<kernel name>/build but I get error message and don't know if I should continue, so I ctl+c to break the process. Also the default does not select _usb and I am selecting it over the default "n". Is it appropriate to post the text of the error msg here? I'm new to the forums also, but I'm trying and learning

When then kernel has been compiled on your machine, it seems that the /lib/modules/<kernel>/build directory contains all the files needed to compile the driver (there are a lot of hidden files generated there).
My experience is that these files don't exist when you install the system, and so you can't compile the driver unless you did a full kernel compile on the machine and you are running the newly generated kernel.
So you have to get the kernel source package, the developpement tools and follow the steps as shown at the beginning of this thread.
The README file of the linux-wlan-ng might be useful too.

I compiled the usb driver alone without any problem (yes you can override the default ;-) and you can also post the error messages here, it will help.

Have fun

Thanks for the reply. Sound like I have a little work to do. Is there a way to identify the current kernel options? Since I've never done one before, I want to make sure I don't leave anything out that I currently have. Or, is that just not a problem I need to worry about. I'm going to pull some more docs about re-compiling the kernel then give it a go because I really want to use the usb wireless adapter, AND it sounds like it would be a good thing to learn.

I'll try to post the code of the err message below to see if it helps further diagnose the problem/s I'm having.

First, your system doesn't find cc, which is necessary for compiling anything, so I think you didn't install gcc and the developpment tools. Try and see what the message is. It should return the package version number.
Second, you are using a 2.6.8 kernel, which is not the stock kernel of Fedora Core 2 (I assume that you are running this distribution, but correct me If I'm wrong). That means that you have to install the corresponding kernel sources and follow the procedure from there.
Third, the default kernel config files are in the configs subdirectory in the kernel source tree, you should copy the one corresponding to you kernel as .config as explained at the begining of this thread to get the exact same options as these of the kernel you are running (assuming you got the kernel from an official Fedora source). Doing this, you don't have to do the make config (or make xconfig) when you compile the kernel.

I checked and I do not have gcc (package gcc is not installed). And what exactly does Gnu Compiler Collection do? I gather is is part of the tools needed to create the driver, or modules, amoung other things.

As far a the kernel goes, I installed fc2 from an iso disk set which first had the 2.6.5-1.358 kernel. Then the "up2date" program offered me the 2.6.8-1.521 which I promptly installed. I'm not sure if the original kernal source was included in the initial installation. So, will I have to re-compile the wlan driver each time I update the kernel? I am assuming (ok shoot me...) that the up2date process would take into account the current kernel configuration and include anything pre-existing.

Re. "Third" I think I'll have to get the source tree on my system first. I don't see the configs subdir you refer to, unless I'm looking in the wrong the place, /lib/modules/<kernel name>. If you are referring to /usr/src/<kernel name> noted at the beginning of the thread, I don't have anything there. My /usr/src directory was empty until I put the source for the wlan module there.

Thanks again, I'm off to pull more info.

So before posting any further message in this thread, here's what you've got to do :
- install the developpement tools and the kernel developpement tools (you can use the graphical applet system-config-packages=add/remove applications in the menus). gcc is part of the developpement tools (it contains the C compiler). Kernel sources are in the package kernel-source.
- find a kernel compiling how-to
- compile the kernel and run the newly compiled kernel (sources in /usr/src/llinux, config files in /usr/src/linux/configs).
I won't help you in this field, I really don't have that much time, you have to do your homework before you can mess with these kernel modules.

As for the linux-wlan-ng module, yes, you'll have to do all this each time you change your kernel version (which is the reason I'm still running the stock kernel).
It will be so as long as this driver is not part of the kernel source tree.

Good luck

Waaaa Hoooo! I got it working. I did some more research and found a way to bring down the kernel source and install the driver. In FC1 I used the up2date program to download the source tree for my currently running kernel. I then followed the instructions for compiling the wlan driver, configured the adapter and I'm on it now. Didn't even have to compile the kernel, just the wlan module. I'm going to give FC2 a try next.

Thanks for all your help.

Glad you managed to do it with FC1. It's easier because the 2.4 kernel is less picky about "foreign" modules.
It went also like a breeze for me with RH9 and FC1, FC2 and linux 2.6 is another story