[SLUG] Vanilla kernel headers
Guys, I've tried googling this so please don't solve it too easily and embarass me. I've got a server running Debian 5 and vmware server that I'd like to upgrade the kernel in but I want to upgrade it further then Debian's repos go. After compiling the kernel I've got to run vmware-config.pl but it asks for the headers and it seems the directory I compiled the kernel from isn't it. Can anyone help me out or do I need to stick to the headers offered by Debian? Thanks, Ashley -- SLUG - Sydney Linux User's Group Mailing List - http://slug.org.au/ Subscription info and FAQs: http://slug.org.au/faq/mailinglists.html
Re: [SLUG] Vanilla kernel headers
look in communities.vmware.com/thread/26693 and http://symbolik.wordpress.com/2008/02/12/vmware-any-any-update116/ hth Kevin On Sat, 2009-10-24 at 17:03 +1100, Ashley Glenday wrote: Guys, I've tried googling this so please don't solve it too easily and embarass me. I've got a server running Debian 5 and vmware server that I'd like to upgrade the kernel in but I want to upgrade it further then Debian's repos go. After compiling the kernel I've got to run vmware-config.pl but it asks for the headers and it seems the directory I compiled the kernel from isn't it. Can anyone help me out or do I need to stick to the headers offered by Debian? Thanks, Ashley -- SLUG - Sydney Linux User's Group Mailing List - http://slug.org.au/ Subscription info and FAQs: http://slug.org.au/faq/mailinglists.html
Re: [SLUG] Vanilla kernel headers
Kevin, Thanks for that, I'll give that a go. I'm sorry I overlooked it, everything I searched for told me to download the headers using my distros package manager nothing I saw related to a fresh kernel from kernel.org Thanks again, Ashley Kevin Shackleton wrote: look in communities.vmware.com/thread/26693 and http://symbolik.wordpress.com/2008/02/12/vmware-any-any-update116/ hth Kevin On Sat, 2009-10-24 at 17:03 +1100, Ashley Glenday wrote: Guys, I've tried googling this so please don't solve it too easily and embarass me. I've got a server running Debian 5 and vmware server that I'd like to upgrade the kernel in but I want to upgrade it further then Debian's repos go. After compiling the kernel I've got to run vmware-config.pl but it asks for the headers and it seems the directory I compiled the kernel from isn't it. Can anyone help me out or do I need to stick to the headers offered by Debian? Thanks, Ashley -- SLUG - Sydney Linux User's Group Mailing List - http://slug.org.au/ Subscription info and FAQs: http://slug.org.au/faq/mailinglists.html
Re: [SLUG] Vanilla kernel headers
Ashley Glenday ash...@mobileitdept.com.au writes: Thanks for that, I'll give that a go. I'm sorry I overlooked it, everything I searched for told me to download the headers using my distros package manager nothing I saw related to a fresh kernel from kernel.org I assume you worked it out, but the answer to your original question is: You need the kernel headers (and configuration) that match the kernel you are building the module against. The any-any patch helps with newer kernels, but doesn't change the equation: build VMWare against the same headers as the kernel. The reason for this is that different kernels, and different configuration options, all change the layout of binary data structures that the module refers to. Get that wrong and you can go direct to data corruption city, not passing go, and not collecting anything but a lot of grief on the way. Daniel -- ✣ Daniel Pittman✉ dan...@rimspace.net☎ +61 401 155 707 ♽ made with 100 percent post-consumer electrons Looking for work? Love Perl? In Melbourne, Australia? We are hiring. -- SLUG - Sydney Linux User's Group Mailing List - http://slug.org.au/ Subscription info and FAQs: http://slug.org.au/faq/mailinglists.html
Re: [SLUG] Vanilla kernel headers
Daniel Hi :-) I assume you worked it out, but the answer to your original question is: You need the kernel headers (and configuration) that match the kernel you are building the module against. The any-any patch helps with newer kernels, but doesn't change the equation: build VMWare against the same headers as the kernel. The reason for this is that different kernels, and different configuration options, all change the layout of binary data structures that the module refers to. Get that wrong and you can go direct to data corruption city, not passing go, and not collecting anything but a lot of grief on the way. I remember compiling headers couple of years ago on Potato/Etch (I think it was Etch. The machine doesn't live with me anymore). Anyway, the thing with vmware-config.pl is that it will _fail_ to compile a proper module if the kernel headers are wrong or missing anyway. So, although your statement might still be valid (the corruption bit... especially if you really intend to corrupt the data using special ABI magickery), I think in the OPs case, it will simply fail to compile+link if he/she gets the wrong headers. -- Regards, Ishwor Gurung -- SLUG - Sydney Linux User's Group Mailing List - http://slug.org.au/ Subscription info and FAQs: http://slug.org.au/faq/mailinglists.html
Re: [SLUG] Vanilla kernel headers
Daniel, You explain quite excitingly what happens when your headers don't match your kernel. I've never actually studied what the any-any script does - perhaps you have an equally interesting summary of that? Thanks, Kevin. On Sat, 2009-10-24 at 20:25 +1100, Daniel Pittman wrote: Get that wrong and you can go direct to data corruption city, not passing go, and not collecting anything but a lot of grief on the way. Daniel -- SLUG - Sydney Linux User's Group Mailing List - http://slug.org.au/ Subscription info and FAQs: http://slug.org.au/faq/mailinglists.html
Re: [SLUG] Vanilla kernel headers
Kevin Shackleton kev...@reachnet.com.au writes: You explain quite excitingly what happens when your headers don't match your kernel. I've never actually studied what the any-any script does - perhaps you have an equally interesting summary of that? Heh. That is a patch — a collection of changes to move a set of files from one version to another. All it does is aim to make the VMWare module wrappers, which are what is compiled, work with newer versions of Linux. Specifically, it contains changes to adapt the VMWare supplied code to the source version of the binary structure layout changes (and so forth) that I mentioned in the previous post. Daniel -- ✣ Daniel Pittman✉ dan...@rimspace.net☎ +61 401 155 707 ♽ made with 100 percent post-consumer electrons Looking for work? Love Perl? In Melbourne, Australia? We are hiring. -- SLUG - Sydney Linux User's Group Mailing List - http://slug.org.au/ Subscription info and FAQs: http://slug.org.au/faq/mailinglists.html
Re: [SLUG] Vanilla kernel headers
Ishwor Gurung ishwor.gur...@gmail.com writes: I assume you worked it out, but the answer to your original question is: You need the kernel headers (and configuration) that match the kernel you are building the module against. The any-any patch helps with newer kernels, but doesn't change the equation: build VMWare against the same headers as the kernel. The reason for this is that different kernels, and different configuration options, all change the layout of binary data structures that the module refers to. Get that wrong and you can go direct to data corruption city, not passing go, and not collecting anything but a lot of grief on the way. I remember compiling headers couple of years ago on Potato/Etch (I think it was Etch. The machine doesn't live with me anymore). Anyway, the thing with vmware-config.pl is that it will _fail_ to compile a proper module if the kernel headers are wrong or missing anyway. *nod* Generally... So, although your statement might still be valid (the corruption bit... especially if you really intend to corrupt the data using special ABI magickery), I think in the OPs case, it will simply fail to compile+link if he/she gets the wrong headers. ...the result of a mismatch is a compilation failure, or an error caused by the checks in the Linux kernel to ensure that the module has a compatible ABI to the running kernel. However, those are not infallible, and I have come across plenty of (terribly bad) advice over the years like ...and then turn off ABI compatibility checking, so you can install the module, and... In fairness, yes, what I presented was an extreme case, and the most likely result is the compilation failure you mention. (For the OP: this compilation failure is also what the any-any stuff works with, when your kernel is newer than what was released at the time VMWare made their release. :) Daniel -- ✣ Daniel Pittman✉ dan...@rimspace.net☎ +61 401 155 707 ♽ made with 100 percent post-consumer electrons Looking for work? Love Perl? In Melbourne, Australia? We are hiring. -- SLUG - Sydney Linux User's Group Mailing List - http://slug.org.au/ Subscription info and FAQs: http://slug.org.au/faq/mailinglists.html
