Craig White wrote:
> this probably isn't the type of task for a Linux newbie - at least not
> one that gets discouraged easily.
Exactly; that's why I'm building a driver disk. Compiling anything,
especially against the kernel, isn't for newbies. That doesn't mean
there aren't newbies who need this legacy megaraid in an easy-to-deploy
medium. I'm trying to step in to provide that solution.
> It does seem that you are completely over thinking the issue of a driver
> disk. Copy the megaraid.ko to a vfat formatted floppy disk and insert
> when told to insert driver disk.
I thought you'd know this, but a driver disk is much more than just a
.ko file on a floppy (or several). I'm not over thinking this, at all.
I'm just challenged by it because this is my first driver disk project
and I can't seem to find a full set of detailed requirements for
building a successful driver disk (I have provided the rhdd, modinfo,
pcitable, modules.cgz, and modules.dep files, but some important detail
is still missing). ddiskit filled in some gaps, but I still don't have
the specifications for what would cause, "No matching hardware was found
on your system."
You're right. I could get my personal server up and running if I
followed the steps on the tuxyturvy site, with your additional input,
and a 4.1 ISO set. However, that would help only me and others like you
and me who are competent with handling these low-level chores. I'm
dealing with a bigger picture. I am deliberately trying to build a
full-fledged driver disk that will help everyone else. In reality, our
process is very complex to a newbie compared to the alternative:
download a driver disk image from some web site and use it with the very
convenient 'linux dd' install mode. I'm trying to provide that driver
disk image; one that I can say works with confidence. That is my only
goal. :) I'm not at all desperate to get this particular server
running. If I was, I wouldn't be posting on this thread (or the threads
that I've started, myself). :)
Part of my problem is that this is my hobby, which I only work on over
the weekends. When I started this project, CentOS 4.0 was still
available and in wide use. That said, you're right. There is no longer
any point in trying to continue with 4.0. I just hope I can make a good
driver disk before 4.1 becomes antiquated. :)
After all that, I hope that I have clearly asserted my objective, which
isn't quite what you had previously assumed. :) You have helped me
clarify some important details in the kernel matching requirements (I
had no idea i586 and i686 sources couldn't be on the machine at the same
time). Now, if you know where I might find all the specifications and
troubleshooting details I need to make a working driver disk (aside from
ddiskit), I'm all ears! :)
--
William Kimball, Jr.
http://www.kimballstuff.com/
"Programming is an art-form that fights back!" (Unknown)
