Debian: PCMCIA issues

Discussion in 'Linux / Unix Discussion' started by Fergal1982, Feb 16, 2008.

  1. Fergal1982

    Fergal1982 Petabyte Poster

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    Hey guys, got a slight issue with my debian system. After upgrading to the latest kernel (i think), the pcmcia slots have died on me. I can still go back to the previous version, and when I do, I get a message during boot that the PCMCIA system is being deprecated - so presumeably this upgrade is where its been removed from the kernel.

    Problem is, I dont know how to fix it. I went and downloaded the pcmciautils from apt-get but this didnt resolve the issue.

    can anyone help?
     
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  2. hbroomhall

    hbroomhall Petabyte Poster Gold Member

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    First off - version numbers would help here!

    The docs for pcmciautils state that you need to have the kernel modules installed and possibly udev.

    At a guess - it is the pcmcia-cs module that is being deprecated?

    Harry.
     
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  3. tripwire45
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    tripwire45 Zettabyte Poster

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    Oh Freddy! Where *are* you? :wink:
     
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    BosonMichael Yottabyte Poster

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    Last I saw him, he was battling it out in the Microsoft vs. Yahoo thread. You might check there.
     
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  5. ffreeloader

    ffreeloader Terabyte Poster

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    Fergal,

    Enter "uname -a" at a bash prompt and post the output here. Also, what hardware is this? Give me brand and model number of the laptop. Also, are you running Debian "stable"(Etch) or one of the other releases?
     
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  6. Fergal1982

    Fergal1982 Petabyte Poster

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    Ah yes, oops. I've not had time to check the laptop out yet. Hopefully should have some time tonight, so i'll let you guys know then.
     
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  7. Fergal1982

    Fergal1982 Petabyte Poster

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    Output from Uname -a:

    Code:
    Linux fergal-laptop 2.6.18-6-686 #1 SMP Sun Feb 10 22:11:31 UTC 2008 i686 GNU/Linux
    its stable (etch), running on a Toshiba 1800-921 laptop, with a PCMCIA wireless card (although the PCMCIA USB card also doesnt seem to be working). PCMCIA wireless is a BT Voyager 1065 Adapter (I had problems with it initially as i recall)
     
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  8. Fergal1982

    Fergal1982 Petabyte Poster

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    if it helps at all. I hooked it up to the wired and updated it. also removed pcmciautils-cs (the deprecated version), leaving pcmciautils (and udev) installed on the system. I would assume that the kernel modules are installed, but i couldnt say for definate.

    Oh, when im trying to install some things in debian (I tried to uninstall libdiscover1 and replace it with libdiscover2), Im getting prompted for the original netinst cd media i used to install the system, is there any way to stop this? i ditched the media a fair while ago.
     
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  9. ffreeloader

    ffreeloader Terabyte Poster

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    First let's take care of the cd message. As root, open /etc/apt/sources.list with a text editor and comment out the line (use a # to do that)that refers to the CD. Then run apt-get update and you're golden.

    In reference to the pcmcia problem make sure that the modules are being loaded. Run "lsmod" from a bash prompt and look for yenta_socket, pcmcia, and pcmcia_core. Also, make sure sysfsutils is installed. It's also probably a good idea to use hotplug too. You can check to see if it's installed by running dpkg -l | grep hotplug. If it's not installed, install it.

    If that doesn't get you going here is a link with a lot of information on this changeover. To tell the truth, I'm pretty surprised that between -releases, .i.e. 2.6.18-3 and 2.6.18-4 something like this would quit working. Normally any changes like this are reserved for a point release such as 2.6.18 to 2.6.19.

    http://kernel.org/pub/linux/utils/kernel/pcmcia/howto.html

    The other thing you can try is to add the following line to your /etc/apt-sources.list file: deb http://www.backports.org/debian etch-backports main contrib non-free

    Once that is added run apt-get update. Then run apt-get install -t etch-backports linux-image-2.6-686. That will install the 2.6.22-11-686 kernel which is quite a bit newer and will have much better hardware support. To use it you'll have to reboot into it. It will be at the top of your list of kernels so it will be booted into by default.

    I don't use any pcmcia cards at all so I have no experience with this issue. I'll work through it with you but it's just as much a learning experience for me as it is for you.
     
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  10. Fergal1982

    Fergal1982 Petabyte Poster

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    Thanks mate. OK.

    I updated the sources.list file, and ran apt-get update.

    Unfortunately, I think i've just hosed the system (and i was warned about it too - doh!) ran apt-get install hotplug sysutils ifupdown (i'd noticed that ifup and ifdown no longer worked, and first time i tried to run it (without my network being connected) it was listed as a recommended package.). It did actually warn about potentially hosing the system but i ignored it (mutter). Now, when it boots, it boots into the GNU GRUB version 0.97 loader at the command prompt. if i try to use the boot command, it says that the kernel must be loaded beforebooting.

    doh!
     
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  11. ffreeloader

    ffreeloader Terabyte Poster

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    What exactly was the warning? A specific package that shouldn't be installed? And, yes, when apt-get warns you it's time to pay attention.
     
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  12. Fergal1982

    Fergal1982 Petabyte Poster

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    i cant remember exactly to be honest. i think it was about replacing the kernel actually. ah well, i suppose its another chance to do a fresh install.

    This is how i learnt about windows back in the day. hose the system, and reinstall.
     
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  13. ffreeloader

    ffreeloader Terabyte Poster

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    I would be really surprised if you received the warning when installing the new kernel. I've installed kernels from etch backports in several machines that are running Etch and have not had any problems. They are a straight drop-in replacement for 2.6.18 with no additional libraries or anything added at the same time.

    As to the reinstalling, yeah, I did a lot of that too with Windows and Linux during the steepest part of my learning curves with both.
     
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  14. Fergal1982

    Fergal1982 Petabyte Poster

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    it was before i got to backport, during the apt-get install of hotplug, sysutils, and ifupdown.
     
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