Okay, so i've a few problems to contend with my new installation; an unsupported Motorola SM56 dial-up modem (of which I have already downloaded drivers), no available Help pages (no clues with this one), but first among them, installation and compiling:

On trying to install the Opera debian package, I get the message: The utility ar is not in your PATH. I have since learnt that "ar" should exist at /usr/bin/, which if not, can be found within binutils. I do not have it, and so downloaded a binutils patch (binutils-2.17.50.0.12-1mdv2008.i586.rpm); I am running Mandriva 2008 within a i586 architecture, so I thought this the correct thing to do.

And so I ran a terminal as root, typing:

urpmi binutils-2.17.50.0.12-1mdv2008.i586.rpm

Here I am told: A requested package cannot be installed: binutils-2.17.50.0.12-1mdv2008.i586.rpm (due to unsatisfied libbfd-2.17.50.0.12.50)

How might I continue now? I'm guessing I either do not have this dependancy, or if I do, it is somehow incompatible.


ALSO:

I am trying to compile a SM56 Motorola driver for my modem.

I have read online documents which suggest in order this be done, an older kernel ought place a newer one (perhaps because older kernels work with earlier gcc -- am I right here?)

But forgoing this, I went ahead and downloaded two SM56 drivers, one suited to 2.x gcc, the other 3.x. Going with the logic that my distibution was current, I executed the Configure file (./configure as root) of the 3.x set, but though I got a message to say it had been a success, it certainly didn't appear that way during or after execution ('fail' messages during execution, and no new file after.)

On this I am guessing - though I truly don't know! - that I am missing the relevant gcc, or if not, they are incompatible to the Configure file I am running.




Two dilemmas here, of which i've now a fuzzy, net-informed knowledge. I thought it sensible to sort the install problem before all else, but truly my knowledge is too crude, so welcome help on this.

Thankyou

NirvanaII
(newbie)

Hi, update you repo database and try to get libbfd and then try again for binutils.

You may type,

urpmi libbfd binutils

Maybe the sm56 package is available through PLF or Contrib repo.

Cheers, Glenn

BTW, 2009.0 release is out now, you might consider upgrading for security and stability reasons.

I'm afraid I don't know what you mean by repo? Shorthand for repository? What should I be doing?

Just downloaded libbinutils2-2.17.50.0.12-1mdv2008.0.i586.rpm, according to the website libbfd... is here, so I shall try the above command out, thankyou!

PLF? Contib repo? (very green, sorry.)

Had gleaned there was a new version from this forum, will try for this when I know a lot more than I do now

Thankyou.

NirvanaII

OK, goto the website easyurpmi and follow the instructions.

http://easyurpmi.zarb.org/

It is not advisable to upgrade a 2007 spring system to 2009.0 this way.

Although it may work for 2008.1 spring

see the errata file ...

http://wiki.mandriva.com/en/2009.0_Errata

Cheers, Glenn

I had followed up on the Easyurpmi, so had found that link, but not the other, so thankyou; I will look into these later.

Okay, so of my problems, you have helped me resolve my first "ar PATH" issue, though I had assumed wrongly (illogically)that I would have been given a GUI to install Opera when clicking its debian file (that is to say run a program to setup a desktop icon, and self-extract in pre-selected directories, rather than extract under my direction.)Under SimplyMepis, my previous Linux incarnation, this had been so, but I assume because I had a program then I no longer have.

But of my second concern - compiling SM56:

There seems now to be no Configuration file listed, not within the orginal gunzipped SM56 sets (2x and 3x gcc versions), nor their extracted versions. And this in Linux and Windows both. I wonder why and how it was it appeared before then? I have since this time clean installed Mandriva, but perhaps linked, I have copied the contents of my LinuxSoftware folder as a backup (where the sets reside), placing it as a namesake folder within itself (LinuxSoftware/LinuxSoftware). There appear now resultant of this, newly created 'pink triangled' file-contained-folders within the LinuxSoftware folder (pggui, mdm...) Related?

Not new (well perhaps), but newly discovered, I appear to have a Make manpage, but when typing the "make" command (just "make") get a 'bad command' output?

I bought this Mandriva CD online, might it be likely the person who made it up didn't download all they should have done? As I have said, there is no Help documentation, and I have had to install binutils and libbinutils already.

Thanks once more,

NirvanaII

That's right, the dev packages are not installed by default.

So, have you installed make?

Debian system folders are different to mandriva's.

You might have better luck with ndiswrapper.rpm, it uses the ini and inf files of the windows driver, especially for modems.

I have not used ndiswrapper, but there is plenty of support for it.

Cheers, Glenn

ps. you can check the cd with md5sum, (md5check) sha, the numbers are on the download sites,

A post I grabbed online, no ref sorry...
pps. You may find that the sm56 modem listed under contrib or non-free or plf.

These repos generally deal with no-free, proprietary drivers. Hope this helps, Glenn

Hmm, i've had a half success with this. Sill no working modem but ndiswrapper seemed to like my driver file. Here's a command line snap:

(at first)

[root@localhost WinXP]# ndiswrapper -l
Unknown line at line 2389

(and then)
[root@localhost WinXP]# ndiswrapper -i smserial.inf
installing smserial ...
[root@localhost WinXP]# ndiswrapper -l
Unknown line at line 2389
smserial : driver installed
device (1057:5608) present
[root@localhost WinXP]# modprobe ndiswrapper

So here the driver is installed, and entered into the kernel.


But then there's this; part of a v. long outputted list:

[root@localhost WinXP]# dmesg

... (good!)
ndiswrapper version 1.47 loaded (smp=yes)

(not so)
ndiswrapper (import:242): unknown symbol: ntoskrnl.exe:'wcsncmp'
ndiswrapper (import:242): unknown symbol: ntoskrnl.exe:'ZwEnumerateKey'
ndiswrapper (import:242): unknown symbol: ntoskrnl.exe:'KeNumberProcessors'
ndiswrapper (import:242): unknown symbol: ntoskrnl.exe:'MmCreateMdl'
ndiswrapper (import:242): unknown symbol: ntoskrnl.exe:'IoGetDmaAdapter'
ndiswrapper (import:242): unknown symbol: ntoskrnl.exe:'_strnicmp'
ndiswrapper (import:242): unknown symbol: ntoskrnl.exe:'READ_REGISTER_UCHAR'
ndiswrapper (import:242): unknown symbol: ntoskrnl.exe:'READ_REGISTER_ULONG'
ndiswrapper (load_sys_files:216): couldn't prepare driver 'smserial'
ndiswrapper (load_wrap_driver:118): couldn't load driver smserial; check system log for messages from 'loadndisdriver'
usbcore: registered new interface driver ndiswrapper

I ran a modem query on KPPP after, but as before it couldn't find my modem (a 56k dial up btw, not wireless.) I also ran the lsmod command to check the nsidwrapper module had been installed, and it was first on the list.

I don't know if you or anyone else knows what I might do here?

Thanks,

NirvanaII

As far as I know, the .deb file from debian will not install using standard tools in mandriva.

Mandriva uses RPM (redhat) package management, Debian does not.

Some of the system directories are in different places, so linking becomes a problem, even if you could unpack it.

You will be best to get Opera from source (Download this package in TAR.GZ format) and compile/install it yourself (manually).

http://www.opera.com/download/linux/

I have not found out much about ndiswrapper, but This is what it is used for, wrapping M$win drivers, to work in Linux.

You might find more by checking the relevant sites home-page.

And RUTE docs.

http://rute.2038bug.com/index.html.gz

Regards, Glenn