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Old 03-09-2006, 04:10 PM   #1
raypen
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ALSA setup woes


ALSA doesn't seem to be working on my new Slack 10.2 system.
I notice that rc.d contains an rc.alsa startup script but I see
no startup message relating to it and there is nothing in ps -A
output indicating anything about ALSA.

After reading some LQ excerpts about ALSA setup, I ran
'alsaconf' and got this message:

No supported PnP or PCI card found (also no legacy drivers available)

Output of lspci:

00:00.0 Host bridge: VIA Technologies, Inc. VT8375 [KM266/KL266] Host Bridge
00:01.0 PCI bridge: VIA Technologies, Inc. VT8633 [Apollo Pro266 AGP]
00:09.0 SCSI storage controller: Adaptec AHA-7850 (rev 03)
00:10.0 USB Controller: VIA Technologies, Inc. VT82xxxxx UHCI USB 1.1 Controller (rev 80)
00:10.1 USB Controller: VIA Technologies, Inc. VT82xxxxx UHCI USB 1.1 Controller (rev 80)
00:10.2 USB Controller: VIA Technologies, Inc. VT82xxxxx UHCI USB 1.1 Controller (rev 80)
00:10.3 USB Controller: VIA Technologies, Inc. USB 2.0 (rev 82)
00:11.0 ISA bridge: VIA Technologies, Inc. VT8235 ISA Bridge
00:11.1 IDE interface: VIA Technologies, Inc. VT82C586A/B/VT82C686/A/B/VT823x/A/C PIPC Bus Master IDE (rev 06)
00:11.5 Multimedia audio controller: VIA Technologies, Inc. VT8233/A/8235/8237 AC97 Audio Controller (rev 50)
00:11.6 Communication controller: VIA Technologies, Inc. AC'97 Modem Controller (rev 80)
00:12.0 Ethernet controller: VIA Technologies, Inc. VT6102 [Rhine-II] (rev 74)
01:00.0 VGA compatible controller: S3 Inc. VT8375 [ProSavage8 KM266/KL266]

The ALSA INSTALL file in /usr/doc/alsa-driver-1.0.9b states:

You must compile the kernel with sound support (CONFIG_SOUND on
2.2/2.4 kernels) either as module or built-in. You do not need to
select any of the other sound modules apart from sound support.

I recompiled the kernel selecting only 'sound support' and VIA drivers:

#
# Sound
#
CONFIG_SOUND=m
# CONFIG_SOUND_ALI5455 is not set
# CONFIG_SOUND_BT878 is not set
# CONFIG_SOUND_CMPCI is not set
# CONFIG_SOUND_EMU10K1 is not set
# CONFIG_MIDI_EMU10K1 is not set
# CONFIG_SOUND_FUSION is not set
# CONFIG_SOUND_CS4281 is not set
# CONFIG_SOUND_ES1370 is not set
# CONFIG_SOUND_ES1371 is not set
# CONFIG_SOUND_ESSSOLO1 is not set
# CONFIG_SOUND_MAESTRO is not set
# CONFIG_SOUND_MAESTRO3 is not set
# CONFIG_SOUND_FORTE is not set
# CONFIG_SOUND_ICH is not set
# CONFIG_SOUND_RME96XX is not set
# CONFIG_SOUND_SONICVIBES is not set
# CONFIG_SOUND_TRIDENT is not set
# CONFIG_SOUND_MSNDCLAS is not set
# CONFIG_SOUND_MSNDPIN is not set
CONFIG_SOUND_VIA82CXXX=m
CONFIG_MIDI_VIA82CXXX=m
# CONFIG_SOUND_OSS is not set
# CONFIG_SOUND_TVMIXER is not set
# CONFIG_SOUND_AD1980 is not set
# CONFIG_SOUND_WM97XX is not set

Output from lsmod:

Module Size Used by Not tainted
soundcore 3652 0 (autoclean)
via-rhine 12528 1
mii 2368 0 [via-rhine]
crc32 2848 0 [via-rhine]

Oddly enough, /etc/modules.conf is empty. In previous distributions
it contained a list of modules to uncomment for use if they were
compiled as modules. I do not know if this is significant.

Entering the X Windows system with KDE as the desktop, I got this
error message:

------------------------------------------------------------
Informational - artsmessage
Sound server informational message
Error while initializing the sound driver
device /dev/dsp can't be opened (no such device)
The sound server will continue, using the null output device
------------------------------------------------------------

I tried adding 'ac97_codec' to /etc/modules.conf but got bootup error
messages saying "Invalid line 1 ac97_codec" and lsmod showed no
modules loaded. Maybe my syntax is incorrect.

What else do I need to do?
 
Old 03-09-2006, 04:42 PM   #2
perfect_circle
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Quote:
Oddly enough, /etc/modules.conf is empty. In previous distributions
it contained a list of modules to uncomment for use if they were
compiled as modules. I do not know if this is significant.
The file you are looking for is /etc/rc.d/rc.modules not modules.conf
 
Old 03-09-2006, 05:42 PM   #3
raypen
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Yes, I forgot that /etc/modules.conf is not really used
anymore. I did find the proper driver reference in rc.modules.conf
and now lsmod shows:

Module Size Used by Not tainted
via-rhine 12528 1
mii 2368 0 [via-rhine]
crc32 2848 0 [via-rhine]
via82cxxx_audio 22396 1
ac97_codec 13268 0 [via82cxxx_audio]
soundcore 3652 2 [via82cxxx_audio]


However 'alsaconf' is still spitting out the same message
and I have no sound working at all.
 
Old 03-09-2006, 05:59 PM   #4
cwwilson721
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What kernel are you using? If 2.6.x, you need the alsa drivers module in /linux-2.6.13 on cd2
 
Old 03-09-2006, 07:00 PM   #5
willysr
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or if you are building the kernel by yourself, don't forget to put all ALSA modules into the kernel modules
 
Old 03-09-2006, 08:27 PM   #6
raypen
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I see what happened now! When a kernel is recompiled, you also
have to recompile and install modules. In order to prevent
problems it is always a good idea to remove /lib/modules/version
before installing new ones. I use a script to recompile and it
automatically does that before proceeding with the full compile
and install. Since the new 10.2 distribution includes precompiled
ALSA modules, they are added, in this case, to /lib/modules/2.4.31
without source compile. Recompiling does not add these back.
When I recompiled, these were all removed.

I suppose I now have to remove the ALSA packages and reinstall
them unless you have a better way to do it.

Once this is done, I suppose I will have to add modprobe entries
in rc.modules. What would those entries be?

As an aside, what is the purpose of rc.alsa?
 
Old 03-09-2006, 09:07 PM   #7
gbonvehi
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2.4 kernels doesn't include ALSA, the modules you're selecting are for OSS system. Get the all the alsa files from http://www.alsa-project.org and recompile them running the kernel you want them on.
 
Old 03-09-2006, 11:31 PM   #8
raypen
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Then why is this package present under /ap

alsa-driver-1.0.9b_2.4.31-i486-1.tgz

Am I missing something here? I used to compile the alsa
drivers, utility, oss and lib distributions when I used
the Slack 9.0 distribution but it would appear that it is
unnecessary in 10.2.

Perhaps in the future, the alsa package source will be included
in a kernel compile.
 
Old 03-09-2006, 11:39 PM   #9
cwwilson721
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alsa-driver-1.0.9b_2.4.31-i486-1.tgz That's the kernel version it was compiled under.
You need to compile your alsa driver modules for the version you are using, not the other alsa packages.
If you have gone to the 2.6 kernel, the alsa drivers in /linux-2.6.13 may work (cd2), otherwise you'll have to make your own during a kernel compile.
Check out my kernel config at www.cwwilson721.dyndns.org/slack/config-2.6.15
 
Old 03-10-2006, 10:30 AM   #10
raypen
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Well, all right, but I can't believe that the ALSA packages
included in the 10.2 distribution aren't usable. So....

I removed the installed package alsa-driver-1.0.9b_2.4.31-i486-1.tgz
and reinstalled it. This placed all of the files
back into /lib/modules/2.4.31. No problems.

I then ran 'alsaconf' and this time it built a soundcard database
and completed indicating:

-----------------------------------------------------------
OK, sound driver is configured

ALSA CONFIGURATOR will prepare the card for playing now

Now I'll run alsasound init script, then I'll use
amixer to raise the default volumes.
You can change the volume later via a mixer program such as
alsamixer or gamix.
<OK>
-----------------------------------------------------------

After pressing enter I got the following:
-----------------------------------------------------------
Loading driver...
ALSA warning: No mixer settings found in /etc/asound.state.
Sound may be muted. Use 'alsamixer' to unmute your sound card,
and then 'alsactl store' to save the default ALSA mixer
settings to be loaded at boot.
Setting default volumes...
Saving the mixer setup used for this in /etc/asound.state.
/usr/sbin/alsactl: save_state:1163: No soundcards found...

Now ALSA is ready to use.
For adjustment of volumes, use your favorite mixer.
Have a lot of fun!
-----------------------------------------------------------

I now proceeded to use 'alsamixer' to unmute and got:

-----------------------------------------------------------
alsamixer: function snd_ctrl_open failed for default: No such
device
-----------------------------------------------------------

'alsaconf' made changes to /etc/modules.conf;

# --- BEGIN: Generated by ALSACONF, do not edit. ---
# --- ALSACONF version 1.0.9a ---
alias char-major-116 snd
alias char-major-14 soundcore
alias sound-service-0-0 snd-mixer-oss
alias sound-service-0-1 snd-seq-oss
alias sound-service-0-3 snd-pcm-oss
alias sound-service-0-8 snd-seq-oss
alias sound-service-0-12 snd-pcm-oss
alias snd-card-0 snd-via82xx
alias sound-slot-0 snd-via82xx
# --- END: Generated by ALSACONF, do not edit. ---


lsmod:

Module Size Used by Not tainted
via-rhine 12528 1
mii 2368 0 [via-rhine]
crc32 2848 0 [via-rhine]
snd-seq-oss 23840 0 (unused)
snd-seq-midi-event 3072 0 [snd-seq-oss]
snd-seq 35056 2 [snd-seq-oss snd-seq-midi-event]
snd-seq-device 3812 0 [snd-seq-oss snd-seq]
snd-pcm-oss 36736 0 (unused)
snd-pcm 54344 0 [snd-pcm-oss]
snd-timer 13764 0 [snd-seq snd-pcm]
snd-mixer-oss 12376 0 [snd-pcm-oss]
snd 32772 0 [snd-seq-oss snd-seq-midi-event snd-seq snd-seq-device snd-pcm-oss snd-pcm snd-timer snd-mixer-oss]
snd-page-alloc 4712 0 [snd-seq-oss snd-seq snd-seq-device snd-pcm snd-timer snd-mixer-oss snd]
via82cxxx_audio 22396 1
ac97_codec 13268 0 [via82cxxx_audio]
soundcore 3652 4 [snd via82cxxx_audio]

I also get an error in syslog:

insmod: /lib/modules/2.4.31/kernel/sound/pci/snd-via82xx.o.gz: insmod snd-via82xx failed

I'm not sure what's causing the problem, but it seems to be
some sort of conflict between loading modules from rc.d/rc.modules
and /etc/modules.conf.

Any help appreciated.
 
Old 03-10-2006, 11:40 AM   #11
gbonvehi
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The packages included in 10.2 are usable, but only with the same kernel version they are compiled against (all default Slackware kernel's except test26.s which is a testing kernel).

via82cxxx_audio 22396 1
ac97_codec 13268 0 [via82cxxx_audio]

Those drivers belong to OSS, probably they conflict with ALSA ones. You should make sure that they're included in hotplug's blacklist (/etc/hotplug/blacklist) and that they're not loaded from rc.modules or modprobe.conf (modules.conf).
 
Old 03-10-2006, 05:58 PM   #12
raypen
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via82cxxx_audio 22396 1
ac97_codec 13268 0 [via82cxxx_audio]

are being loaded from rc.modules and, according to the
ALSA sight page, this is the correct setup.

Upon your suggestion, I removed the module loading command
for via82cxxx_audio from rc.modules (even though the ALSA
page says that it must be loaded with modprobe), to see if
there were any conflicts. The module did not load, of course,
and I still got the syslog message:

insmod: /lib/modules/2.4.31/kernel/sound/pci/snd-via82xx.o.gz: insmod snd-via82xx failed

This is apparenty created by the /etc/modules.conf line:

alias snd-card-0 snd-via82xx

I am at a loss here. As I recall, when I had ALSA compiled
separately (from source) in Slack 9.0, I had the same setup
except without the 'alias' commands in modules.conf. However,
this setup may have used the old OSS system rather than ALSA.
Without the entries in modules.conf, the setup is essentially
the same:

rc.modules:

/sbin/modprobe via82cxxx_audio
/sbin/modprobe snd-pcm-oss
/sbin/modprobe snd-mixer-oss
/sbin/modprobe snd-seq-oss

Just for fun, I decided to remove all of the modprobe commands
in rc.modules and reboot to see if this made any difference.
I got the following bootup messages:

Loading ALSA kernel modules
/lib/modules/2.4.31/kernel/sound/pci/snd-via82xx.o.gz: /lib/modules/2.4.31/kernel/sound/pci/snd-via82xx.o.gz: unresolved symbol gameport_register_port
/lib/modules/2.4.31/kernel/sound/pci/snd-via82xx.o.gz: /lib/modules/2.4.31/kernel/sound/pci/snd-via82xx.o.gz: unresolved symbol gameport_unregister_port
/lib/modules/2.4.31/kernel/sound/pci/snd-via82xx.o.gz: insmod /lib/modules/2.4.31/kernel/sound/pci/snd-via82x x.o.gz failed
/lib/modules/2.4.31/kernel/sound/pci/snd-via82xx.o.gz: insmod snd-via82xx failed

lsmod output included only the NIC.

Since KMOD is also installed in the kernel, I thought that the
modules might not be loaded until needed, although I would think
that at least the soundcard module should be up and running.

Are we getting any closer?
 
Old 03-10-2006, 06:24 PM   #13
dive
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Quote:
Originally Posted by raypen
You must compile the kernel with sound support (CONFIG_SOUND on
2.2/2.4 kernels) either as module or built-in. You do not need to
select any of the other sound modules apart from sound support.


I recompiled the kernel selecting only 'sound support' and VIA drivers:
You do not need the via support. Thats what its telling you by no other sound modules. Just make sounds support=y and dont select any drivers from alsa or oss in kernel. Then reinstall alsa and try rebooting if it still doesnt work.
 
Old 03-11-2006, 12:37 AM   #14
raypen
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No dice! 'CONFIG_SOUND_VIA82CXXX is not set'
and recompiled. Rebooted and got the same
errors on bootup as before i.e.

Loading ALSA kernel modules
/lib/modules/2.4.31/kernel/sound/pci/snd-via82xx.o.gz: /lib/modules/2.4.31/kernel/sound/pci/snd-via82xx.o.gz: unresolved symbol gameport_register_port
/lib/modules/2.4.31/kernel/sound/pci/snd-via82xx.o.gz: /lib/modules/2.4.31/kernel/sound/pci/snd-via82xx.o.gz: unresolved symbol gameport_unregister_port
/lib/modules/2.4.31/kernel/sound/pci/snd-via82xx.o.gz: insmod /lib/modules/2.4.31/kernel/sound/pci/snd-via82x x.o.gz failed
/lib/modules/2.4.31/kernel/sound/pci/snd-via82xx.o.gz: insmod snd-via82xx failed

Ran 'alsaconf' again just to see if it made any difference:

Script started on Fri 10 Mar 2006 05:23:40 PM CST
root@dogpile:~# alsaconf
Building card database..
Soundcard Selection
OK, sound driver is configured. ALSA CONFIGURATOR will prepare the card for playing now.
Now I'll run alsasound init script, then I'll use mixer to raise the default volumes.
You can change the volume later via a mixer program such as alsamixer or gamix.
Loading driver...
Loading ALSA kernel modules.
/lib/modules/2.4.31/kernel/sound/pci/snd-via82xx.o.gz: /lib/modules/2.4.31/kernel/sound/pci/snd-via82xx.o.gz:
unresolved symbol gameport_register_port
/lib/modules/2.4.31/kernel/sound/pci/snd-via82xx.o.gz: /lib/modules/2.4.31/kernel/sound/pci/snd-via82xx.o.gz:
unresolved symbol gameport_unregister_port
/lib/modules/2.4.31/kernel/sound/pci/snd-via82xx.o.gz: insmod /lib/modules/2.4.31/kernel/sound/pci/snd-via82xx.o.gz failed
/lib/modules/2.4.31/kernel/sound/pci/snd-via82xx.o.gz: insmod snd-via82xx failed
Setting default volumes...
Saving the mixer setup used for this in /etc/asound.state.

/usr/sbin/alsactl: save_state:1163: No soundcards found...
===============================================================================

Now ALSA is ready to use.
For adjustment of volumes, use your favorite mixer.

Have a lot of fun!


root@dogpile:~# lsmod
Module Size Used by Not tainted
snd 32772 0 (autoclean)
snd-page-alloc 4712 0 (autoclean) [snd]
soundcore 3652 0 (autoclean) [snd]
via-rhine 12528 1
mii 2368 0 [via-rhine]
crc32 2848 0 [via-rhine]
root@Chipper:~# exit
Script done on Fri 10 Mar 2006 05:24:30 PM CST

Is there any log setting that will provide more detail
as to what's happening? General error messages usually do not
provide any help.
 
Old 03-11-2006, 01:49 AM   #15
Alien_Hominid
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Sorry, didn't read all the thread thorouhly but why are you trying to compile drivers as modules. Compile correct modules into the kernel and stop loading others. There won't be such mess. I didn't even need to reconfigure alsa after recompiling my kernel from 2.4 to 2.6.
 
  


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