[NBLUG/talk] Debian kernel source from initial install

[ME]

Rob Orsini said:
> Well I first want to apologize for previously posting before doing a good
> amount of research on my own first.  I just read a section in 'Running
> Linux' that warned about people like me doing just that.  So, apologies
> for
> that.
>
> That being said, I have been heads down reading the Talk archives as well
> as my pile of books, but I can't seem to find how to install the kernel
> source from the initial Debian CD install.  I combed the cd's and found
> empty directories named 'souce'.  I then grabbed the source corresponding
> to my kernel version (2.2.20) from kernel.org.  Now I remember reading
> something warning about just installing the kernel headers and not the
> full
> source.

In debian, "source" copies of the kernel ar packages that can be
installed. (more below.)

> I downloaded linux-2.2.20.tar.gz and tossed it in /usr/src/
> (/usr/src/liniux).  Then proceeded with configuration of pcmcia-cs (went
> fine).  Then `make config` in linux-wlan-ng complained that my source was
> just headers and not the full kit and kabootle.

If you have not built your own kernel (this applies to RedHat too) you
should probably use the kernel source package that matches your distro's
provided running kernel.

If you buildyour own kernel, don't "make clean" after you are done, or
else the data that pcmcia-cs 's configure needs from the kernel will be
lost.
(there are ways to read configs from the presently running kernel, but if
you can avoid them it is better.)

> Derailed the train.  Am I
> missing something really easy here?

Going to include a lot here. If something does not make sense, ask about
it! As you should have noticed, we generally don't bite people's heads off
(unless we know them *really* well and know they won't be offended. ;-)

I think your question is this:
-- I am trying to build a custom pcmcia-cs from source, and am trying to
find and or use a copy of kernel source for Debian. How do I build
pcmcia-cs?

After you have actually built a kernel, several files are created in the 
kernel source tree that are not there when you have not built a kernel.
The default
# make config
from pcmcia-cs looks in just the kernel source tree to understand how your
present running kernel was configured.

However, if you did not build the kernel that you are runnin, then the
default "# make config" in the pcmcia-cs probably won't work.

There is another way around it. You can run the pcmcia-cs "./Configure"
script with other flags and have it read your presently running kernel for
configuration settings. However, you still need to kernel source/headers.

You may also get a warning like "kernel source tree does not match
presently running kernel"

Some other background info in addition to this: