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Linux Driver question ~ Or how the hell do you update drivers in Red Hat 7.2

T

tm37

Lifer
Ok I have been reading ALOT and I can't seem to find the answer to my question.

I got a HP Computer (667 Celeron)

I installed red Hat 7.2

I then Got A Net gear FA 311 NIC card

I took out the modem- and installed the NIC

Linux noticed the modem was gone asked if I wanted to remove the Drivers, I said Yes.

It saw the NIC and It set it up (or so I thought)

When I go to Configure my Network there is nothing in the Adapeter list it won't let me add one either. When I go into Hardware browser I can see the NIC (it shows the chipset) But even if I match the IRQ and chipset info in the Netconfig It say that the NIC can't Initialize!

So I went to Netgears site and THEY have drivers!





<< "Redhat 7.1 uses kernel 2.4 which includes National Semiconductor chip set support. FA311 and FA312 both use the National Semiconductor chip set. We have tested the included driver and found that to work well. The files can be located at these locations:Module: /lib/modules/2.4.2-2/kernel/drivers/net/natsemi.oSource: /usr/src/linux-2.4/drivers/net/natsemi.cThe attachment to this article includes a makefile which can be used as a reference for the compilation.*** Please note that we do not provide support to the linux systems. Such support can be obtained through the public linux community or via paid services offered by various companies providing them, such as Redhat. Wo do want to ensure the driver works, so bug reports are encouraged via the email address unsupported@netgear.com." >>



What do I do with this Driver file? There is a makefile and two other files on my floppy now.

Is there a way to install this or do I have to manually cange the code?

I am A total nOOb at the whole linux thing.

I am running Red Hat 7.2 w/ KDE desktop
 


<< Compile the driver as a module and load the module. >>



Ok -







How do I do that?

I feel pretty stupid.
 


<<

<< Compile the driver as a module and load the module. >>



Ok -







How do I do that?

I feel pretty stupid. >>



compile that driver you downloaded. It should be in a module format. Read the instructions that come with it and see if you have anymore specific questions.
 


<< Try 'modprobe natsemi', if that works you don't need to compile anything >>



Is that a command or program?
 


<<

<< Try 'modprobe natsemi', if that works you don't need to compile anything >>



Is that a command or program? >>



modprobe will load a module I think (or is that insmod?). So try that and see what happens. "man modprobe" and "man insmod" without the quotes for more information on them.
 
Commands are programs =)

Yes modprobe is a program, it will load the module you ask and any dependent modules, insmod just tries to load the module you ask and fails if it has unmet dependencies, telling you what they are of course.
 
THERE ARE NO Instructions (that I can See)

I download the zip and get this PIC

So I copy these three files to a floppy and then type modprobe floppy/natsemi ?
 


<< THERE ARE NO Instructions (that I can See)

I download the zip and get this PIC

So I copy these three files to a floppy and then type modprobe floppy/natsemi ? >>



Forget the driver you downloaded momentarily and try the modprobe natsemi or whatever.
 
OK I went into the shell (on my start menu thing)

new window with [root@localhost root]#

I type modprobe natsemi

go to the next line.


is that it?

no conformation?

BUT when I go into the netconfig It now shows that NIC!😀

Ok WHAT DID I DO?
 
That loaded the driver module. Hopefully Nothinman will come back and let you know how to get it to load on startup because I dont feel like looking it up 😛
 
To get the driver to load each time the computer boots look for a file called /etc/rc.d/rc.local and add that 'modprobe natsemi' line to this file. It should load each time the computer starts now (there's often a lot more ways to do this depending on your distro, but rc.local is in a lot of them, including Redhat AFAIK).
 


<< To get the driver to load each time the computer boots look for a file called /etc/rc.d/rc.local and add that 'modprobe natsemi' line to this file. It should load each time the computer starts now (there's often a lot more ways to do this depending on your distro, but rc.local is in a lot of them, including Redhat AFAIK). >>



There is also an /etc/modules file, but I dont know the format and Im lazy.
 


<< To get the driver to load each time the computer boots look for a file called /etc/rc.d/rc.local and add that 'modprobe natsemi' line to this file. It should load each time the computer starts now (there's often a lot more ways to do this depending on your distro, but rc.local is in a lot of them, including Redhat AFAIK). >>



so i find the file rc.local then open it up and just add that line and save it.

This seems almost too simple.

 
There is also an /etc/modules file, but I dont know the format and Im lazy.

I think /etc/modules is Debian-specific, I believe RedHat has a /etc/rc.modules though I'm not sure.

so i find the file rc.local then open it up and just add that line and save it.

This seems almost too simple.

That would work, but I don't think it'll work well because the module will load after the network scripts.

Try adding 'alias eth0 natsemi' to /etc/conf.modules (or modules.conf, not sure which anymore heh) and see if it works from bootup.
 


<< I think /etc/modules is Debian-specific, I believe RedHat has a /etc/rc.modules though I'm not sure. >>



Yep. I'm not sure about the "exact" location on the RH mods though. 😛



<< I am A total nOOb at the whole linux thing. >>



You aren't the only one. 😀 Give it a few weeks, and you'll still be in the dark. 😀

I've already spent almost $150 on miscellaneous Linux books, and it rarely mentions how to fix the problem you useually have. 😛
 
The /etc/modules.conf file is standard for most, if not all distributions, including RedHat. In some older distributions (RedHat6.2 and older for example) it may be called conf.modules, but will still be in /etc.
 
You should use your distro's tool to configure networking.

This way, it'll add the appropriate alias to /etc/modules.conf and also configure the interface's properties. The latter are stored differently by each distro, hence using the provided tool is a good idea.

Unless you want to get real intimate w/ the system and script everything yourself.
 
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