I am a bit puzzled here. Using Slack-12 I cannot get a Logitech Quickam II to work.

I'm running on a 2.6.21.5 kernel and had used Alien Bob's slack build from www.slackware.com/~alien to build/install the gspca module but this does not work.

I had also tried a compile of this module from source. The gspca compile log shows no errors when compiling but I get the same results.

The camera is recognised when plugged in and the module is loaded but syslog indicates something is wrong

I'll post the complete error message below.

Other symptoms are that The system will hang the minute I try to access the camera as a device. I will loose my mouse/keyboard and LED's, e.g. Caps Lock, etc. begin to blink.

The camera is being recognised correctly according to spacview probe output before the hang.

If camera is plugged in at boot, the boot process hangs at udev probe.

This camera had been working on two computers in our home running slack-11 but I cannot remember what driver I compiled to run it except that it was from a French site so probably it was gspca.

Other things woth mentioning is that this camera is registered as /dev/v4l/video1 as I also have a dvb-t card which sets up first as video0 and I am running with a nvidia driver compiles for GeForce FX 5200 which is working fine.

TIA for any comment on the above.

Complete syslog entry follows:

Hi

It looks as if you are running a 2.6.21.5 kernel, i.e. the non-SMP version?
Slackware's default kernel is 2.6.21.5-smp which is what my package contains a module for.
If you want to compile new kernel modules using the kernel sources that were installed into /usr/src/linux-2.6.21.5 and you are running a non-SMP kernel, you will first have to apply the patch in the "non-SMP SDK" as Pat calls it: look in the /extra/linux-2.6.21.5-nosmp-sdk/ directory on your DVD or CD, or online at http://slackware.osuosl.org/slackwar...1.5-nosmp-sdk/ for instance .

If you are running a non-SMP kernel and try to build a kernel module using the default kernel source as installed by Slackware, all kinds of runtime errors will occur when you load your kernel module unless you have applied that patch first.

Eric

Thanks for the reply.

I believe I applied that patch before I compiled my nvidia driver. It was my understanding I would not be able to complile the nvidia driver unless that patch was first applied.

I had thought about switching back to the smp kernel but did not do so last night.

Your package does install in the smp kernel's modules tree, my compiles from both your slack build and my build from source installed in my 2.6.11.5 modules tree.

Perhaps I should patch again in case I missed something along the way and the nvidia compile was just lucky.

I actually use the gspcav1 driver for my Logitech Web Cam so I know the package is OK. Somehow your compilation seems to fail.

Eric

I would expect the problem to be at my end and not with your craftnmanship.

I can't do much more until I get back home tonight.

BTW what is the patch in you slacbuild directory for (not the one on the install sisk)? I just put in in my build directory with source, slackbuild, etc. Should that have been applied separately?

I had the quickcam express working with alien bob's package last night using the smp kernel. I don't know why I could not compile with the generic kernel after having compiled both nvidia driver and dvb-t modules using that source patched as per Pat's instructions but not the gspca driver.

My daughter uses the webcam with amsn so I'll just switch her box over to the smp kernel and be done with it although I'll have to compile her a new nvidia driver.

Since I switched to the smp kernel I know had to compile new dvb-t modules using the v4l-dvb source from linuxtv.org

Once the new modules were installed and my dvb-t card was being recognised, modules loaded, and devices created I began getting the same hang at boot and the same error messages as I was getting befor with the gspca driver and my generic 2.6.11.5 kernel.

So it seems it was not my generic source but some sort of incompatability with the gspca modules and what is built and installed with v4l-dvb source.

Maybe this explains why there wasn't a problem with Slack-11. Dvb nodules in that 2.6 kernel wouled with my cards and I didn't have roll my own with the v4l-dvb package.

I'll have to check out current with dvb-t card and webcam to see if there is any difference. The current kernel is fine with my dvb cards/modules.

I just installed Alien Bob's gspca package and zip... nothing.

Read the "readme" and tried running the command, gspcagui etc.
but get the error message, "command not found."

Ran lsmod and it is not list as loaded module.

Yes, I'm running the default Slackware 12 smp kernel.
video4linux is in the xorg.conf file and I'm running the latest Ati drivers

So, now that I have it and it is installed (I think), what is the next step?

Many Thanks.

The gspcagui ap is not in that package and does not appear to be included in the most current source.

As root "lsusb" will tell you if the webcam is recognised after plugging it in. "lsmod | grep gspca" should tell you if the gspca module had been loaded.

If the webcam is plugged in a device named /de/v4l/video0 will be created automatically by udev. If this is the second video device, e.g. you already have a tv card installed, the webcam device will be video1, etc.

KDE comes with a chat program called Kopete. Open up that and go to the configuration for webcam. I can't remember exactly what it looks like but if there is a device registered, Kopete should find it. You will get a preview of whatever is being captured in this configuration window.

@cwizardone:
Its called spcagui not gspcagui.Thats why you are getting "command not found".

From the readme file:
"The project born with spca50x for Sunplus chipset become spca5xx to support a large range of chipset,
and is now set as gspca. GSPCA mean "Generic Software Package for Camera Adaptator"."

and

"Plug your webcam and run gspcagui -d /dev/video0 adjust video0 to your hardware"

Thanks. As I get taken to a blank command line when running,
"lsmod | grep" the module is not being loaded.

OK,

Did you run lsmod to see if your camera is recognised as a usb device?

Did you run the complete lsmod command with the module name?

Have you checked to see if you have any video devices?

Note that my video0 is a TV card and the video1 is the webcam. There will also be a sym link /dev/videoX that points to the actual device in the /dev/v4l directory.

If you have installed alien bob's package you should have the module installed in /lib/modules/2.6.23.1-smp/kernel/drivers/usb/media

Finally, note the permissions for the video devices. A user will have to belong to the video group to be able to access them.

Yes, running lsusb shows:
Bus 3 Device 2: ID 0620:0004 Alaris, Inc.

Yes, both with and without, and it is not loaded.

None shown:
/dev# ls -l /dev/v4l
total 0

Yes, it is in:
/lib/modules/2.6.21.5-smp/kernel/drivers/usb/media/gspca.ko

Yes, they were added a long time ago.

Many Thanks.

Note the following from my lsusb output:

and the different output when you ran lsusb:

Note that the set of hexidecimal ID numbers are different. also that the manufacturer is different.

The gspca module works with my webcam but your webcam is not the same as mine. You will have to check again as to whether your webcam will work with this module. There is a table somewhere out there on the web that will list what webcams work/don't work based on those ID numbers.