Guidelines to use the kernel generic 2.6.17.8 in a vmware virtual machine
 

Hello,
I need to use the kernel 2.6.17.8 testing package, downloadable in the slackware package browcer on slackware's webpage. I followed all the necessary steps:
Installed the kernel, kernel modules and mkinitrd packages and, as I use reiserfs I did the initrd as stated by the readme.initrd instructions. Ok, it worked in my machine. Now I have an windows machine with vmware, and a slackware 10.2 virtual machine. As you know vmware creates virtual machines as having scsi hard drives. Now how can I use the kernel generic package to use the 2.6.17.8 kernel on this machine? I guess I need to specify one scsi module in the mkinitrd script but what is this module name? The file system of this virtual machine is also a reiserfs. I looked in the internet but didn't find anything...
The slackware running in the virtual machine is 10.2 but I've choosen to use the kernel generic 2.6.17.8 as I did in my home machine.
Thanks for any help

AFAIK you don't have to use SCSI emulation but can tell vmware to use an IDE hard disk emulation.
I guess you could take a look at your virtual machine's boot messages, wouldn't there be an entry about the emulated SCSI device?

Hello,
Thanks for replaying. I did a research and found that vmware uses the busLogic scsi device. But the question is: How to discover the name of a kernel module? I do know the devide is called buslogic, but don't kmnow what module name i should put in tjhe -m option in mkinitrd. I also do know by researching that linux suports this device. But still don't know how the module is called. I could use a ide but vmware recomends use scsi device, and when using ide it gets ytoo slow... and I want to learn anyways.
Thanks for helping!!

And if you do a "make menuconfig" as if you would like to compile your kernel, you can get a help text about it:


To compile this driver as a module, choose M here: the
module will be called BusLogic.

Hello,
Well as I am blind compile the kernel is a prety hard task. The only really accessible option for doing it right now is using make config and it just ask so many questions I have no idea what to answer that I gave up. This is the reazon I've used the kernel generic tgz package from the slackware repository. Then you're saying that when creating my initrd I should use the mkinitrd -m CONFIG_SCSI_BUSLOGIC:reiserfs command line?

No, the module should be called just "BusLogic", the line you mentioned was an excerpt of my kernel config file.

If you though want to compile your kernel, you can find the appropriate point in the kernel configuration under:

Device Drivers > SCSI device support > SCSI low level drivers > BusLogic SCSI support

Hi. You don't need to make an initrd or recompile your kernel to get scsi (virtual) drives work in VMware. Yes, the vmware default for linux are scsi drives but there are 2 options there, one is BusLogic and second is LSI Logic and again, by default vmware chooses LSI Logic which I see they aren't recognized in neither scsi.s , scsi2.s or scsi3.s so here's what you have to do.
You go to File -> New -> Virtual Machine... , then click Next and choose Custom. Follow the wizzard and when you get to Select I/O Adapter Types make sure at SCSI Adapters you have BusLogic checked, then go on following the wizzard untill your new virtual machine is set up. Boot your Slackware CD and at the first boot prompt enter scsi.s (if you want to use the 2.4.x kernel) or choose huge26.s (if you want to use the 2.6.x kernel, which should have scsi support built in, either case don't forget to install the kernel-modules for the 2.6.x kernel). Go on with the installation process and it will ask you again what kernel you want to use select Choose one from CD (I don't remember the line exactly, but you get the point) and then choose either scsi.s or huge26.s depending on what you first entered at boot. I tell you to do this because in the installation process the kernel-ide.....tgz package get's installed and that is a kernel without scsi support so you'll have to do that and overwrite it before you finish your installation. Hopefully this helps you as it helped me and there's no need for complicating yourself with initrd and kernel recompilations. I know my english is pretty bad, but I'm doing my best to express myself in a way people can understand my ideea :). Good luck and keep us "-current" :P.

Thx guys, you all really helped a lot. I now can bootstrap myself with the two solutions.
tito,
If I wanted to know the name of one module all I have to do is grep -i [StringWithTheNameOfTheDriver] in the .config file on the kernel source I am gonna compyle?
Thx

Sorry it took so long to respond ... I don't know if there's a better way, but most often I just do a "make menuconfig" or "make xconfig" and highlight the appropriate menu entry. The description at the bottom right of the screen often tells how the build module will be named. Else I would check the output of the "make" command and watch if there is a line beginning with LD that follows some lines or one line (beginning with CC) that gives the name I'm looking for.