[mythtv-users] Debian Squeeze Notes

[Michael Papet]

Just an FYI for anyone considering the move to the new Debian 6.0, Squeeze and running mythtv on it.

Right now, (March 2011) lirc kernel modules do not compile on 2.6.32.  Mythtv otherwise works for me from debian-multimedia.org.

There's a patch I just found tonight. http://us.generation-nt.com/answer/bug-588027-ftbfs-lirc-modules-lirc-i2c-c-399-error-unknown-field-id-specified-initializer-help-199345931.html It would have been great if I found it sooner.


The long workaround is to download the kernel source package for 5.0 (AKA Lenny) and build the kernel packages.  The following is light on details...

1. Add lenny sources to your /etc/apt/sources.list
2. Apt-get source -t lenny linux-2.6
3. You need dev-scripts, among other dependencies.
4. You need the kernel config from here http://merkel.debian.org/~jurij/
5. make-kpkg --initrd buildpackage  and copied per the instructions at the url.
If you have satisfied all the dependencies, it will build.  Any outlying dependencies work straight out of Squeeze. No mixed system shenanigans to track.
6. Go do something else for a while
7. When it's done, install the kernel image and headers with dpkg -i
8. edit /etc/default/grub to make grub start on the new-old kernel.
9. run grub-update
10. reboot.
11. Apt-get install -t lenny lirc-module-sources. Note! FROM LENNY.
12. link /lib/modules/2.6.26/source -> /usr/src/linux-headers-2.6.26.xx-common
12. Debian's build script doesn't work.  Just go into the /usr/src/modules/lirc and make.
13. Make a directory /lib/modules/2.6.26/misc
14. copy the .ko (and .o?) files into the directory made at step 13.
15. go to the directory at step 13.
16. insmod the modules.  There's a special order to get it to install without error.  
17. depmod -a

You should be good to go.

Michael