[Sussex] Debian and the nvidia driver!

[John D.]

On Sunday 20 August 2006 16:10, Steven Dobson wrote:
> John
>
> On Sun, 2006-08-20 at 14:46 +0100, John D. wrote:
> > I'm guessing that the top 3 can be discounted as they refer to the old
> > kernel version, the next 3 can also be discounted as they are the debug,
> > lock and the empty link, which leaves me with the last one.
> >
> > file:///usr/include/linux/kernel.h
>
> This is the standard one applications would compile against - it isn't
> the one drivers need.
>
> > file:///usr/src/linux-headers-2.6.14-kanotix-9/include/config/debug/kerne
> >l.h
> > file:///usr/src/linux-headers-2.6.14-kanotix-9/include/config/lock/kernel
> >.h file:///usr/src/linux-headers-2.6.14-kanotix-9/include/linux/kernel.h
>
> These three are for and old kernel yes.
>
> > file:///usr/src/linux-headers-2.6.17-2-686/include/config/debug/kernel.h
> > file:///usr/src/linux-headers-2.6.17-2-686/include/config/lock/kernel.h
> > file:///usr/src/linux-headers-2.6.17-2-686/include/linux/kernel.h (empty)
>
> There are for your current kerenel
>
> > file:///usr/src/linux-source-2.6.17/include/linux/kernel.h
>
> This is probably the one that is needed but the empty link one is looking
> for it in:
>    file:///usr/src/linux-headers-2.6.17-2/include/linux/kernel.h
>
> > Now that is the linux-source, so I don't know what to do with it from
> > there (apart from going to the synaptic listing again to see if theres a
> > linux-headers package that I may have missed).
> > Or is it that I need to link the
> > original /lib/modules/2.6.17-2-686............../kernel.h that the nvidia
> > driver can't find to
> > the /usr/src/linux-source-2.6.17/include/linux/kernel.h ?
>
> When I installed "linux-headers-2.6.17-2-amd64" it also installed
> "linux-headers-2.6.17-2" did that package get installed for you too.
> Not that this is the common header file that both your 686 kernel and my
> amd64 one was built against.  Try:
>
>   # apt-get install linux-headers-2.6.17-2
>
> and see if that helps.
Believe it or not, I've solved this - but in a rather unexpected way.

I've been thinking (apparently) along debian lines - making the mistake of 
confusing debian and kanotix.

I'm presuming that Kano has done something with his kernel versions, because 
during my digging around, I found this :- 
http://www.kanotix.de/FAQ-id_cat-15.html#q109

So, I thought, after checking out the kanotix page/website, I noticed that his 
kernel version number is even higher than the one that I was trying to manage 
courtesy of synaptic/debian mirrors and decided that I couldn't make any more 
of a "pigs ear" of this than I already have.

Suffice to say that I'm now running this:-

john at johnspc:~$ uname -r
2.6.17.9-slh-up-1
john at johnspc:~$

with a working nvidia driver :-D)))))))))

Now all I have to do, is reset all my desktop icons etc that I had to change 
to make the system even moderately readable, plus try to work out, why, when 
I booted into the new kernel version that I had to play "hunt the key" - 
which I'm presuming is to do with Kano being German and having a different 
Xkb setting (it was the | symbol that I couldn't find - it was at shft ~).

Should I just stick with this and learn the kanotix way of doing stuff or look 
into making it properly "debianised" ? I don't know.

With your assistance and eventually finding some instructions that work, it's 
been one hell of a learning curve (again) :-P but I suppose, like British 
Rail, I'll get there, eventually.

regards

John D.