[mythtv-users] ALSA/linux-source problem *slighlty OT*

[Ray Olszewski]

At 10:17 PM 6/30/2003 -0400, Mike Miller wrote:
>Sorry if this is slightly OT but I have a problem, im following the alsa
>directions, and when I go to install the alsa driver it says it cant
>find my file version.h, and it says please install the packge with full
>kernel sources distribution.  Ok so I apt-get install kernel-source
>2.4.19 ...whadya know that particular package appears to be "missing".

I infer from your use of apt-get that we are talking about Debian, but 
which Debian -- Woody or Sid?

Is it possible that you simply need to do an "apt-get update" first? If the 
package was updated since the last time you apt-get update'd your package 
list, you will have the wrong last number in the version identifier so be 
unable to find the current version of the package. Here is the current 
listing for Sid:

         autovcr at kuryakin:~$ apt-cache show kernel-source-2.4.19
         Package: kernel-source-2.4.19
         Priority: optional
         Section: devel
         Installed-Size: 25208
         Maintainer: Herbert Xu <herbert at debian.org>
         Architecture: all
         Version: 2.4.19-8
         Provides: kernel-source, kernel-source-2.4

This suggestion is just a guess, of course. If it is wrong, please be more 
specific than "whadya know that particular package appears to be 
"missing""? What response did you actually get, and to what command, that 
lies behind this "appears to be"?

>All of the other kernel-source versions are there, cept this one.  Im
>really stuck here, I guess I could attempt to update my kernel (don't
>really know how and would that require reinstalling everything?)
>Thanks

You can update your kernel without needing to reinstall "everything". You 
just need to recompile any add-in kernel modules (like alsa and lirc) so 
they match your new kernel. From what you wrote, it is unclear to me if you 
compiled your own 2.4.19, though ... if you did not, you may find that 
locally compiled alsa modules do not work with your stock Debian kernel. If 
that proves to be the case, your options are to compile a 2.4.19 kernel 
locally, or move to 2.4.20, for which Debian (at least Sid) makes available 
precompiled alsa modules.