Finding individual packages

**softedges** · 03-20-2003, 12:52 AM

I have installed to harddrive. I am wanting to switch sound to Alsa, but apt-get doesn't find the alsa modules for the kernel from Knoppix 3.1 (2.4.20-xfs). If the modules are available, can someone point to the site? If I should have to compile, where do I find the headers for this kernel? Apt-get doesn't find them, either.

**rickenbacherus** · 03-20-2003, 10:12 PM

Remember- a hard drive installation is Debian. You can get alot of info at www.debian.org. You can get alsa here:

http://packages.debian.org/testing/sound/

**softedges** · 03-20-2003, 11:16 PM

Having searched every official and unofficial debian mirror I know of, there are NO alsa modules matching the 2.4.20-xfs kernel that comes with Knoppix. Please note that I also said I couldn't find the kernel headers for 2.4.20-xfs. Nowhere do I find a Debian offering for that kernel, so I thought maybe someone from Knoppix could tell me whence came this apparently non-Debian kernel.

Care to try again?

**Dave_Bechtel** · 03-21-2003, 03:25 AM

--Actually he gave you the right info. I did a quick apt-cache search for alsa and nothing blatantly leaped out as an easy solution. The Knoppix kernel is definitely a one-off version. If you're not able to figure out how to get the .deb-provided stuff working, looks like you'll have to manually DL the alsa files (from http://www.alsa-project.org/ ) and compile from source.

--Personally I can live w/o sound under Linux, but I'm in the same boat - if I wanted sound on my Trident onboard card I'd have to do the same thing.

PS - I just went to the linuxtag website, and it looks like they're DELETED the English forum ENTIRELY - including the archive! I've sent off an angry email to Friedemann and Klaus. Will have to reboot into KPX and (thankfully) I've archived all the posts I made on that forum. BRB

--More ALSA resources:
http://www.linux.org/docs/ldp/howto/...lsa-sound.html

--Here's the exact article you need:
http://www.linuxorbit.com/modules.ph...tid=541&page=1

Originally Posted by softedges

Having searched every official and unofficial debian mirror I know of, there are NO alsa modules matching the 2.4.20-xfs kernel that comes with Knoppix. Please note that I also said I couldn't find the kernel headers for 2.4.20-xfs. Nowhere do I find a Debian offering for that kernel, so I thought maybe someone from Knoppix could tell me whence came this apparently non-Debian kernel.

Care to try again?

**softedges** · 03-21-2003, 04:28 AM

Why is this so hard to understand? No, his answer was a put down, but I swallowed that because I thought I needed to reword my question.

In my first post, I made allowance for compiling alsa. I'm still ready to do that, but -- please don't miss this -- ALSA CANNOT BE COMPILED WITHOUT KERNEL HEADERS. Now, does anybody know where I can get them for the 2.4.20-xfs kernel? They didn't come with the CD, AFAIK, and no Debian site offers them, etc. Are they archived somewhere on a Knoppix-specific site? Can someone who knows about Knoppix please tell me where the support is for this kernel?

If you tell me I have to compile a new kernel from scratch to fix this mess, then I say it's time to stop the lie that "Knoppix is Debian for newbies." I'm not fond of being rude, but no one seems interested in answering my question.

**Dave_Bechtel** · 03-21-2003, 05:08 AM

--You need to lose that attitude REAL QUICK pal, or I suspect that in a very short time no one here will be interested in helping you further. I don't see anything resembling a putdown in Rickenbacherus's post.

--See my (edited) response above for the article you need.

Originally Posted by softedges

Why is this so hard to understand? No, his answer was a put down, but I swallowed that because I thought I needed to reword my question.

In my first post, I made allowance for compiling alsa. I'm still ready to do that, but -- please don't miss this -- ALSA CANNOT BE COMPILED WITHOUT KERNEL HEADERS. Now, does anybody know where I can get them for the 2.4.20-xfs kernel? They didn't come with the CD, AFAIK, and no Debian site offers them, etc. Are they archived somewhere on a Knoppix-specific site? Can someone who knows about Knoppix please tell me where the support is for this kernel?

If you tell me I have to compile a new kernel from scratch to fix this mess, then I say it's time to stop the lie that "Knoppix is Debian for newbies." I'm not fond of being rude, but no one seems interested in answering my question.

**RockMumbles** · 03-21-2003, 05:39 AM

this may not work, but at this deb URI there is a 2.4.20-xfs-v412 kernel, alsa headers, and ??

deb http://www.esat.kuleuven.ac.be/~mleeman/debian unstable/

and/or you might want to look at the contents of this suse rpm:
http://rpmfind.net/linux/RPM/sourcef...c6-1.i386.html

you may have to break the rules and extract what you need from the suse rpm, note though that dpkg (apt-get) won't know that the files are present, so you may have to force your way through.

breaking the rules is allowed in linux if it works

**softedges** · 03-21-2003, 02:53 PM

I did indeed try the modules from Meelman's archive, but they are incompatible. The one from SuSE will probably meet the same fate. According to the article Dave Bechtel cited (I've been working from that article for over a week now) and the alsa website, alsa uses the kernel header symbols, so as to replace the compiled-in sound module from the kernel. Without the kernel header files, none of this is going anywhere.

Since no one wants to discuss the kernel-headers package, I'll have to assume no one knows, or no one is interested in this issue. I'm just a an idiot user, anyway, so what differece does it make?

Thanks for trying.

**rickenbacherus** · 03-21-2003, 04:45 PM

Originally Posted by softedges

Since no one wants to discuss the kernel-headers package, I'll have to assume no one knows, or no one is interested in this issue. I'm just a an idiot user, anyway, so what differece does it make?

Thanks for trying.

I personally don't need the alsa drivers so it isn't of major importance, I do however like to learn new things- always learning. I don't currently know the first thing about headers but will probably need to at some point. Perhaps if your responses weren't so acidic you'd be more likely to get a response.

Frankly, if you thought my first post was a put down then I'm concerned with not offending you which is most easily done by doing nothing at all. Had I meant to put you down then I would have resoundingly done so.

**softedges** · 03-21-2003, 06:17 PM

"Strangers bouncing off each others' rough edges..." was the line from a poem I forget. Who can say how another will receive your words? I don't take myself very seriously, so I am often surprised when others do. I meant no harm; "acidic" is merely a misinterpretation of "sarcasm." Since that's not one of the attributes available to apply to text on the cgi here, I hoped it would be obvious. My apologies to one and all.

Does you know how to respond to impertinent children? You laugh at them, and attempt to answer their concerns as best you can. I really expected you all to treat me that way -- I didn't think I was important enough to offend anyone.

Much yelling and screaming, but no one ever addressed the central issue of kernel headers. Okay, it's an orphaned kernel. AC does great work, but I suppose no on thought it would matter. Well, I need alsa. Can't get it here, so I'll go back to SuSE.

Thanks for the fun ride. I'm outta here, and you won't have to put up with me anymore. I'll leave you with one thought: I do a great deal of volunteer work, with an output consumed by many others. I do it because it's what I do best. I still hold myself accountable for the quality, and welcome even the most impertinent complaints, because it comes with the territory. I learned to ignore abrasive nonsense, or use it for comical relief, because everyone feels better afterwards.