Installing SMC 8416BTA network card Knoppix v5.0.1

[RedNeckWilly]

Linux noobie . . . I've looked through the forums and FAQs and I'm still not clear how to proceed.

I'm trying to get a network card working that is not autodetected by Knoppix v5.0.1 when using it on my system. The network card is no longer supported by the manufacturer (SMC). I have what's supposed to be the Linux driver source file and instructions for compiling and installing the driver. The instructions I have are mostly beyond my skill level. The system on which I'm using Knoppix is very limited in RAM so, I'm using icewm and Konsole.

My System:

-Dell OptiPlex GMT 5100 (built around 1994)
-BIOS is updated with latest/last available
--Does not support booting from CD-ROM
--Using SBM (floppy) to enable booting Knoppix v5.0.1 CD
-Pentium 100MHZ
-96MB EDO
--". . . only 73,632kB of RAM available . . ." when loading Knoppix
--". . . no usable [DOS]-partitions available for swapfile."
-2MB Video RAM
-Western Digital 1.03GB HDD
--VFAT (FAT32)
--Only approx 125MB available
-MS Windows 98SE OS
--Numerous infected files due to viruses, trojans, worms
--Will only boot to Safe Mode Command Prompt Only, or Command Prompt Only
-SMC 8416BTA network interface card
--Installed in a 16-bit ISA slot
--Used successfully with Windows 98SE
--Using UTP Cat5 Cable
-Broadband Router LinkSys BEFW11S4 ver4

*****Here's an extract from the instructions:

Compiling a Device Driver Module

In the instructions below, driver.c refers to the name of the driver source file for your device e.g. epic.c, and driver.o refers to the compiled driver module binary.

-Verify that the source code for your current kernel version is installed.

-If you don't have a /usr/include/linux/version.h file, do
cd /usr/src/linux; make include/linux/version.h

-Copy the driver source code to a source directory. I usually use /usr/src/modules/driver.c.

-Compile the file using the compile-command at the bottom of the driver source file. If a compile-command is not there use the following compile command:

gcc -DMODVERSIONS -DMODULE -D__KERNEL__ -I/usr/src/linux/net/inet -O6 -c driver.c

-If the previous command fails with the error "linux/modversions.h not found", delete the
-DMODVERSIONS
from the compile command and try again.


-As 'root', test the module by doing "insmod driver.o".

-Install the driver module in the proper location for your distribution. This is usually /lib/modules/kernel-version/net/driver.o. The command to do this is

install -m 644 driver.o /lib/modules/`uname -r`/net/

*****

QUESTIONS/NOTES:

1. The driver source file I have is on floppy and is named smc-ultra.c

2. Can anyone out there give me a step-by-step, command-bycommand interpretation of SMC's instructions?

3. Does anyone have an easier way to go about getting my network card to work?

4. I have no money to buy even a $2 PCI network card. So, I need to work with what I have.

Thanks in advance!

[Harry Kuhman]

4. I have no money to buy even a $2 PCI network card. So, I need to work with what I have.
That's a shame, because you're going to find out that what you are up to is likely a lot more work than a $2 NIC is worth. (By the way, the last few I bought were "free" after rebate, but those deals are getting fewer and farther between lately). Personally I would skip my next burger and get the NIC, but that's just me.

I don't know anything about your drivers, but if they need to be compiled into the kernel I don't know how you are going to do that without remaster the Knoppix CD (and then remastering it again every time you want a new release).

Did this NIC work with previous versions of Knopix, or is this the first that you have tried? If you have not tried older versions I would suggest backing up and trying them. 4.0.2 with a network connection is a lot better than 5.0.1 without one.

This is an old ISA NIC. Do you even have PCI slots available in the old system for a PCI NIC? (I have run past versions of Knoppix on an old ISA NIC though).

You might consider this just not worth the effort and look at the many other Live CDs out there to see if any of them support your hardware better and still offer the software packages that you are interested in. At a minumum I would suggest looking at Katonix, Mandirva, Mepis, DSL and Puppy Linux, although there are many others.

What is your goal here? You mention the hard disk being infested with all sorts of things. Are you trying to do a virus removel? A data backup? A completely fresh Windows install? An install of Linux rather than Windows (in which case I sure hope you are not planning on installing Knoppix)? A dual boot system, or what? A Linux hard disk install might give you a lot better chance of using that NIC than a Knoppix Live CD.

You mention the low memory and lack of a swap file, so the NIC is far from your only problem. Knoppix used to offer to create a swap file for you on a FAT partition if it found these conditions. As far as I know it still should, I don't know why you have no swap file unless the disk was so full that Knoppix could not make a file. I would strongly suggest that you look into the Knoppix swap file and either make a swap file on a FAT partition for Knoppix or if you can make a Linux swap partition on the hard disk (I would suggest 120 megs to 200 megs based on what you posted). Delete some stuff if you need to. It will not turn that clunker into a 3.6 ghz screamer, but it will at least make life bearable (as much as can be with that CPU and no extra cost). Even a smaller swap file would help some, unless you have given up on using a GUI at all.

I would consider this system close to the end of it's life. Personally I would still be willing to stick a newer NIC in it, but I certainly wouldn't spend anything else on it, like memory or hard disk space.

Good luck.

[RedNeckWilly]

Personally I would skip my next burger and get the NIC, but that's just me.


I'm on a fixed income (small pension) so, burgers are rarely an option to begin with . . . :cry:


What is your goal here?

Good question! And several answers!

1. My primary goal is to recover data files. My intent was to transfer them to another system on my network. The other system is known to be free of viruses, etc.; it also has Win98SE but also includes a firewall and AV protection, as well as ad-ware and spyware protection. There's plenty of HDD space available (about 30GB) on the second system.

2. My next goal is to reinstall Win98SE on a larger HDD, add a firewall and AV protection, then transfer the data files back. As you pointed out, this system is close to the end of its life. However, it's still useful for simple things (browsing, e-mail, etc.); gaming and the like is not needed. Additionally, getting this system back up and running will keep my roommate and visitors off of my good system!!

3. Lastly, I want to learn Knoppix (and Linux in general) in greater depth.

A. I thought perhaps Knoppix would be useful for disaster recovery efforts not just on Win98 systems but also WinXP. There are a lot of people I know who use no protection of any kind on their Wal-Mart specials. As soon as their warranties and trial AV subscription expire, they're finding out the hard way that using Microsoft's System Recovery (and/or OEM tools) is often an all or nothing affair. I successfully used Knoppix on a severely infected Win XP machine to move files to my machine, cleanly reinstalled XP, then moved the files back to the original system. Worked great!

B. Since money is an issue with me, I'm considering moving to Linux and other open source software. (As I'm sure you know, Microsoft is ending support for Win98 July 11, 2006.) I can't afford to purchase even an OEM upgrade of Win XP and upgrading my AV software (current version does not run on XP).


Did this NIC work with previous versions of Knopix, or is this the first that you have tried?

This is the first I've tried Knoppix of any kind on this machine. I've read through enough forum posts to know better than to try to install Knoppix! I may take your advice and try v4.0.2. I have DSL (v2.2?)--I'll experiment with that. Ironically, I missed tonight's Linux User's Group meeting--Puppy Linux was their topic! In any case, I think trying to scrounge a PCI NIC may be a better answer overall. (There is one PCI slot available.)


Knoppix used to offer to create a swap file for you on a FAT partition if it found these conditions. As far as I know it still should, I don't know why you have no swap file unless the disk was so full that Knoppix could not make a file.

I don't know the full extent of the infections on this machine. Plus, I'm just now learning Linux and Knoppix. So, I'm puzzled too. Knoppix did attempt to create a swap file. However, it reported ". . . no usable [DOS]-partitions available for swapfile." I'm not sure why this happened. The HDD is FAT32 and has approximately 125MB of free space. As a side question, does Knoppix care if the drive is FAT16 or FAT32?

At this point, it seems my best bet is to:

A. Scrounge either a PCI NIC and try again or,

B. Scrounge a small HDD and recover the data files via DOS or,

C. Try another Live CD or,

D. Wipe the HDD, do a clean minimal reinstall of Win98SE, and tell my roommate he missed the worst %#$^ storm I'd seen in years while he was outta state!

I appreciate your feedback to my posts . . . you've been very helpful!

[Harry Kuhman]

Knoppix should create that swap file on any FAT partition (AFAIK). I'm wondering how corrupt your system may be. have you confirmed that Knoppix can see the files on the hda1 partition?

As to trying 4.0.2, a lot of people are finding that not everything quite works right in 5.0.1. I just found out tonight that I can't get wireless networking working with it, although it still recognizes the same wireless card that worked with the last few releases of Knoppix. It just can't find the access point any more. And I have confirmed that the computer gets a good signal when running windows both before and after trying to get Knoppix 5.0.1 to connect.


At this point, it seems my best bet is to:

A. Scrounge either a PCI NIC and try again or,
Yea, reasonable thing to do if you can.


B. Scrounge a small HDD and recover the data files via DOS or,
If you can scrounge another one this may be ok, but be warned that this old of a system likely will not support hard drives over about 7-8 gig in size, so that limits the drives that you can use somewhat. Another option might be to move this hard drive to your other Windows system and install it as the slave drive (but be very careful not to make it the master drive or it may infect everything on the other system as soon as it boots). From there you should be able to move what you need to the empty space on that system. Just use a lot of care and absolutely don't run or even open anything from this computer until you have done lots of virus scans on the recovered data.


C. Try another Live CD or,
You mentioned DSL 2.2. If I remember right this is Knoppix based but uses an older Kernel, would be my next choice for a disc to try. If that works and you can still find any of the older versions of Knoppix versions 3.6 or prior then you might want to grab a copy of them.

[RedNeckWilly]

have you confirmed that Knoppix can see the files on the hda1 partition?
Yes, Knoppix sees them. But, it was a pain in the neck navigating via Konsole. DSL 2.2 was also able to see them using the (elfem?) GUI interface.

Q: Is there a Linux console command similar to DOS's TREE or DIR /S? I tried the FAQs, Google, and a 1999 copy of Sybex's Mastering Linux Premium Ed. I think my limited technical knowledge of Linux/Unix is hindering my searches!


I'm wondering how corrupt your system may be.
Before Win98 became nearly unusable, I installed and ran anti-virus software (AVG's latest) in Windows Safe Mode. (I knew of no way to run a dos-based version with what I have available.) Unfortunately, the viruses and trojans were triggered by the scan. I was able to determine the important user data files are probably unaffected. Nearly all the infected files are .exe, .ocx, .scr, .sys, and .bat. Registry problems seem to be limited to the HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run key. CHKDSK and SCANDISK report no problems, including a surface scan.


this old of a system likely will not support hard drives over about 7-8 gig in size
Yes! I had several nearly identical systems a few years ago. I think the largest HDD the BIOS (and DOS/Win95A) supported was around 3GB or 8GB. We successfully used WD's drive overlay (written by Trend Micro?). (A lot of technicians dislike using a drive overlay but, I've never had any problems with it.)


Another option might be to move this hard drive to your other Windows system and install it as the slave drive (but be very careful not to make it the master drive or it may infect everything on the other system as soon as it boots).
Yes, again! I had this in the back of my mind and was trying to formulate a plan to prevent this very threat!

Q: Is it possible to disable the infected drive's active partition without destroying the data? If so, how?


You mentioned DSL 2.2. If I remember right this is Knoppix based but uses an older Kernel, would be my next choice for a disc to try.

If I remember right, DSL is a "hack down of Knoppix." I was able to get DSL running without problem. I didn't write down the kernel version but, I think it was something like v2.1xxx. DSL did not support my SMC NIC either.

Well, sorry this thread has drifted way off the networking topic. Still, you've been extremely helpful. I'll get some sleep and attack this again in the AM!

[Harry Kuhman]

Yes, Knoppix sees them. But, it was a pain in the neck navigating via Konsole. DSL 2.2 was also able to see them using the (elfem?) GUI interface.

Q: Is there a Linux console command similar to DOS's TREE or DIR /S? I tried the FAQs, Google, and a 1999 copy of Sybex's Mastering Linux Premium Ed. I think my limited technical knowledge of Linux/Unix is hindering my searches!
I not sure what GUI tool you used under DSL, but you should be able to browse the directories in a GUI on Knoppix. You might even find that what DSL has is on the Knoppix disc, even if it's not in the menus (try starting it by name at a console screen). And thanks to unionfs you might even be able to install the tool that you like with apt-get. I don't know my way around the Linux shells well enough to give you command line advice.


Yes! I had several nearly identical systems a few years ago. I think the largest HDD the BIOS (and DOS/Win95A) supported was around 3GB or 8GB. We successfully used WD's drive overlay (written by Trend Micro?). (A lot of technicians dislike using a drive overlay but, I've never had any problems with it.)
If you've gotten these overlays to work on identical systems in the past, great. I have a P160 that started life as a P90 and it would lock up tight if I even put an oversized drive on the IDE bus. Couldn't even start booting to load any overlays. Also, I hope that you don't need windows running for those overlays and that they support DOS.


Q: Is it possible to disable the infected drive's active partition without destroying the data? If so, how?
I don't know what you mean by this. I know some ways to twiddle with bits in the partition table that might be called disabling a drive's partition, but then you couldn't access the information at all (except by raw track/sector/platter reads) until you put the partition back the way it should be. So what what you want to do here isn't clear to me.


If I remember right, DSL is a "hack down of Knoppix." I was able to get DSL running without problem. I didn't write down the kernel version but, I think it was something like v2.1xxx. DSL did not support my SMC NIC either.
Too bad. But that bring up one more thought: as long as you are tryoing to scrounge for NICs, don't limit yourself to PCI NICS. While Knoppix isn't any longer supportingg your old ISA NIC (and I don't know if it ever did), it very likely is still supporting some of the old more popular ISA interfaces like 3Com and the many NE-2000 clones. So if you get offers of any of these ISA NICS, accpt them, as long as they have twisted pair connectors on them (assuming that you don't have a hub with a coax port on it).

[malaire]

Q: Is there a Linux console command similar to DOS's TREE or DIR /S? I tried the FAQs, Google, and a 1999 copy of Sybex's Mastering Linux Premium Ed. I think my limited technical knowledge of Linux/Unix is hindering my searches!

ls -R and ls -lR are similar to DIR /S (List files & directories recursively)

I don't know anything exactly like TREE for linux.
You could try du (Disk Usage) which lists directories recursively and shows how much space each takes.
There's also find which lists files & directories recursively.

And for most unix commands, you can use man to see the manual. (e.g. man ls, man du, man find etc...) (Exit with 'q')

You could also check these links:
(Found with this Google search (http://www.google.fi/search?hs=yn&hl=fi&client=firefox&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aunofficial&q=dos+linux+dir+tree&btnG=Hae&meta=))
http://www.faqs.org/docs/Linux-HOWTO/DOS-Win-to-Linux-HOWTO.html
http://yolinux.com/TUTORIALS/unix_for_dos_users.html