Re: [ubuntu-uk] Non-default driver
On Mon, Mar 2, 2009 at 7:58 AM, Rowan rowan.berke...@googlemail.com wrote: I don't understand instruction 2. Is it one long line? What is the doing there, and is it single spaced in between the two long strings? Or did it creep in when the email was transmitted? sed 's/blacklist r8169/#blacklist r8169/' /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist.bak /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist It's one line. sed is a command in Unix/Linux which substitutes one string for another. In a shell if you do cmd file it takes the output from the command and writes it to the file specified. So, the instructions are thus :- 1. mv /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist.bak mv is the shell equivilant of the DOS ren, it renames the file. So we take the file blacklist and rename it to blacklist.bak 2. sed 's/blacklist r8169/#blacklist r8169/' /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist.bak /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist our sed instruction is to replace the string blacklist r8169 in the file with #blacklist r8169 - in other words to comment out any lines that say that (# being the comment command), s/string1/string2 being the sed command for substitution. we're then going to output the results to the file /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist (ie. the same as the file we renamed in 1). Hope that is helpful. They could, of course, have simply given you the following instructions which would do the same thing... -- edit the file /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist and comment out using # any lines that say blacklist r8169, then reboot. Be sure to back up the file before you start. ...but I guess that'd be too easy, eh? Sean -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
Re: [ubuntu-uk] Non-default driver
2009/3/2 Rowan rowan.berke...@googlemail.com: Tell me, do you think there is any good reason, in anybody's minds but the LinuxCertified engineers, to use a non default driver at all? Is the instability in the r8169 driver a matter of common knowledge, or just something they dreamed up to make life more confusing? Unfortunately it's actually not _that_ easy to fulfil Linux-type customer requirements such that all of the following are true:- a) provide a wide range of diverse hardware at low cost which all works with linux b) support all of those systems through any possible software upgrade path. Those might be ideal, but they're really hard to achieve. a) has problems in that as a small-time Linux Laptop vendor, you are at the behest of the hardware vendors and manufacturers as to what chips go in them. If the hardware vendor uses some bleeding edge chipset which only has a stable driver on windows then you're screwed. The vendor can of course also change chipset from one revision of a device to another b) is near impossible with a small vendor because whilst they could test the next version of each distribution they ship on every machine they ship, this would be quite a workload. I'd say the reason they shipped the non-default driver is so that you have something that _works_. If they didn't then you'd have received a laptop which (out of the box) failed to connect to the network. Whilst there may be side effects to this - such as some manual labour required after a system update, the primary goal of a Linux hardware vendor is surely to ship a device that works from the factory. I seriously doubt there was any malicious intent, it makes no sense whatsoever for them to deliberately screw machines up for customers. Cheers, Al. -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
Re: [ubuntu-uk] Non-default driver
Morning, 2009/3/2 Rowan rowan.berke...@googlemail.com: So you think it's worth using the non-default driver. I think it's worth using whatever driver works :) That means that I must switch off auto-updates, after reinstalling the non-default driver, No, it doesn't as I understand it. They have provided a manual solution to fix the driver as and when it breaks after a system update, and the updates wont install (usually) until you confirm them to in update-manager, or manually update them yourself. and before going back online, and that I must install DKMS before switching auto-updates back on, I'm not sure if DKMS would resolve this, it is worth having a look at the documentation for it though. Cheers, Al. -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
Re: [ubuntu-uk] Non-default driver
Just a couple of after-thoughts, Al: One, the thing already installed some of the auto-updates, then got stuck, because it had disabled the interface and couldn't download the rest, so I shall have to tell it to stop complaining about this fact until I am sorted. Two, in fact, it appears the machine was not purpose designed, with or without bleeding edge chipsets (lovely phrase!) - it was designed and built in Japan to run Vista, and these LinuxCertified people just rebranded it. Alan Pope wrote: 2009/3/2 Rowan rowan.berke...@googlemail.com: Tell me, do you think there is any good reason, in anybody's minds but the LinuxCertified engineers, to use a non default driver at all? Is the instability in the r8169 driver a matter of common knowledge, or just something they dreamed up to make life more confusing? Unfortunately it's actually not _that_ easy to fulfil Linux-type customer requirements such that all of the following are true:- a) provide a wide range of diverse hardware at low cost which all works with linux b) support all of those systems through any possible software upgrade path. Those might be ideal, but they're really hard to achieve. a) has problems in that as a small-time Linux Laptop vendor, you are at the behest of the hardware vendors and manufacturers as to what chips go in them. If the hardware vendor uses some bleeding edge chipset which only has a stable driver on windows then you're screwed. The vendor can of course also change chipset from one revision of a device to another b) is near impossible with a small vendor because whilst they could test the next version of each distribution they ship on every machine they ship, this would be quite a workload. I'd say the reason they shipped the non-default driver is so that you have something that _works_. If they didn't then you'd have received a laptop which (out of the box) failed to connect to the network. Whilst there may be side effects to this - such as some manual labour required after a system update, the primary goal of a Linux hardware vendor is surely to ship a device that works from the factory. I seriously doubt there was any malicious intent, it makes no sense whatsoever for them to deliberately screw machines up for customers. Cheers, Al. -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
Re: [ubuntu-uk] Non-default driver
Well, it's true one has to confirm the install by clicking an OK button, before the auto-updater starts installing anything at all, so I guess it follows that merely going online and downloading updates is harmless. I did, unfortunately, click OK to install on the first occasion, being an innocent Windoze user and totally unaware of this kind of issue. I had hoped that DKMS would solve this for future occurrences. If not, then that is one more good argument for reverting to the default driver, I feel. I do not want to keep having to do all this, even though I can see that, once I have done it once, it will seem less daunting, and, possibly, eventually, seem no more than a trivial chore. Alan Pope wrote: Morning, 2009/3/2 Rowan rowan.berke...@googlemail.com: So you think it's worth using the non-default driver. I think it's worth using whatever driver works :) That means that I must switch off auto-updates, after reinstalling the non-default driver, No, it doesn't as I understand it. They have provided a manual solution to fix the driver as and when it breaks after a system update, and the updates wont install (usually) until you confirm them to in update-manager, or manually update them yourself. and before going back online, and that I must install DKMS before switching auto-updates back on, I'm not sure if DKMS would resolve this, it is worth having a look at the documentation for it though. Cheers, Al. -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
Re: [ubuntu-uk] Non-default driver
2009/3/2 Rowan rowan.berke...@googlemail.com: One, the thing already installed some of the auto-updates, then got stuck, because it had disabled the interface and couldn't download the rest, so I shall have to tell it to stop complaining about this fact until I am sorted. Yes, the instructions that Sean and LC provided should get you back online. Of course you could then install more updates that break it again, and so you'd need to go through the procedure again. It should take only about 1 min once you have got your head around the commands. Two, in fact, it appears the machine was not purpose designed, with or without bleeding edge chipsets (lovely phrase!) - it was designed and built in Japan to run Vista, and these LinuxCertified people just rebranded it. Pretty much all laptops these days are designed for vista, and most linux vendors simply buy those laptops and rebrand/reinstall on them to get a more acceptable solution. Of course things are getting better. Canonical and others are testing hardware and providing feedback both to western distributors/manufacturers and the original equipment manufacturers in the far east. Things are a lot better these days than they were a few years ago. Some of us were in a Sony store recently and one person put a bootable Ubuntu linux USB stick in one of the display Sony laptops. It booted up and everything we tested worked, straight out of the box. Now I'm not saying everyone should go out and buy Sony kit, but in the past Sony laptops had been somewhat troublesome in getting working in Linux. To be able to boot one off a usb stick (or CD/DVD) in a store and find _everything_ work is quite a mean feat. I'd say it's only going to get better as companies like Canonical, Novell and Red Hat test and certify kit. But then I'm a glass half full kinda guy. Cheers, Al. -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
Re: [ubuntu-uk] Non-default driver
The machine itself is a Compal JHL 90 (Korean, not Japanese, my bad). Gorgeous screen to it. The Compal manual is online in various places. I would be very grateful if anyone could tell me whether this machine really has bleeding edge chipsets. Alan Pope wrote: 2009/3/2 Rowan rowan.berke...@googlemail.com: One, the thing already installed some of the auto-updates, then got stuck, because it had disabled the interface and couldn't download the rest, so I shall have to tell it to stop complaining about this fact until I am sorted. Yes, the instructions that Sean and LC provided should get you back online. Of course you could then install more updates that break it again, and so you'd need to go through the procedure again. It should take only about 1 min once you have got your head around the commands. Two, in fact, it appears the machine was not purpose designed, with or without bleeding edge chipsets (lovely phrase!) - it was designed and built in Japan to run Vista, and these LinuxCertified people just rebranded it. Pretty much all laptops these days are designed for vista, and most linux vendors simply buy those laptops and rebrand/reinstall on them to get a more acceptable solution. Of course things are getting better. Canonical and others are testing hardware and providing feedback both to western distributors/manufacturers and the original equipment manufacturers in the far east. Things are a lot better these days than they were a few years ago. Some of us were in a Sony store recently and one person put a bootable Ubuntu linux USB stick in one of the display Sony laptops. It booted up and everything we tested worked, straight out of the box. Now I'm not saying everyone should go out and buy Sony kit, but in the past Sony laptops had been somewhat troublesome in getting working in Linux. To be able to boot one off a usb stick (or CD/DVD) in a store and find _everything_ work is quite a mean feat. I'd say it's only going to get better as companies like Canonical, Novell and Red Hat test and certify kit. But then I'm a glass half full kinda guy. Cheers, Al. -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
Re: [ubuntu-uk] Non-default driver
Sean, is make clean modules an instruction you type in? I assumed it was an instruction to ME, to make them clean somehow. Sean Miller wrote: Hi Rowan, What is it you don't understand? They appear to be giving you two options :- a. revert to the default Ubuntu driver 1. mv /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist.bak 2. sed 's/blacklist r8169/#blacklist r8169/' /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist.bak /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist 3. reboot So you go into shell and switch to root, which you can do by typing sudo bash and then entering your password. You then take what's written in 1 and 2 above and type them into the shell exactly as shown. After that you shutdown and restart the computer, either by using shutdown -rf from the shell or from the desktop. b. update their driver 1. cd /root/lc2000/r8168-8.008.00 2. make clean modules 3. depmod -a 4. reboot Same principle as above... type exactly what's written in 1-3 and then restart. Best, Sean -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
Re: [ubuntu-uk] Non-default driver
2009/3/2 Rowan rowan.berke...@googlemail.com: Sean, is make clean modules an instruction you type in? I assumed it was an instruction to ME, to make them clean somehow. It is a command, yes. However I just tried it here using that driver and it fails, because the (realtek - not LC) seem to have hard-wired the kernel version in the Makefile. Note:- r...@mpc-xubuntu:/root/lc2000# grep KVER r8168-8.008.00/src/Makefile KVER:= 2.6.25.17 So when you come to run the make clean modules command it will fail thusly:- r...@mpc-xubuntu:/root/lc2000/r8168-8.008.00# make clean modules make -C src/ clean make[1]: Entering directory `/root/lc2000/r8168-8.008.00/src' rm -rf *.o *.ko *~ core* .dep* .*.d .*.cmd *.mod.c *.a *.s .*.flags .tmp_versions Module.symvers Modules.symvers *.order make[1]: Leaving directory `/root/lc2000/r8168-8.008.00/src' make -C src/ modules make[1]: Entering directory `/root/lc2000/r8168-8.008.00/src' make -C /lib/modules/2.6.25.17/build SUBDIRS=/root/lc2000/r8168-8.008.00/src modules make: Entering an unknown directory make: *** /lib/modules/2.6.25.17/build: No such file or directory. Stop. make: Leaving an unknown directory make[1]: *** [modules] Error 2 make[1]: Leaving directory `/root/lc2000/r8168-8.008.00/src' make: *** [modules] Error 2 (Note it's looking for /lib/modules/2.6.25.17/build which wont exist on my system (and probably yours) because that's not a kernel I've ever used - and certainly don't currently). If you're lucky then perhaps LC have modified the file already from the version shipped by RealTek, (I don't have an LC machine to check this) and so that command above may well work. However what I did was modify the file /root/lc2000/r8168-8.008.00/src/Makefile to change the following line from:- KVER:= 2.6.25.17 to:- KVER:= `uname -r` This means that when you run the make commands in their guide, it will determine at runtime what the current kernel version is - which is what the command uname -r does:- r...@mpc-xubuntu:/root/lc2000/r8168-8.008.00# uname -r 2.6.27-11-generic So now, when I run the command they recommend, it works (unlike earlier where it failed to find 2.6.25.17):- r...@mpc-xubuntu:/root/lc2000/r8168-8.008.00# make clean modules make -C src/ clean make[1]: Entering directory `/root/lc2000/r8168-8.008.00/src' rm -rf *.o *.ko *~ core* .dep* .*.d .*.cmd *.mod.c *.a *.s .*.flags .tmp_versions Module.symvers Modules.symvers *.order make[1]: Leaving directory `/root/lc2000/r8168-8.008.00/src' make -C src/ modules make[1]: Entering directory `/root/lc2000/r8168-8.008.00/src' make -C /lib/modules/`uname -r`/build SUBDIRS=/root/lc2000/r8168-8.008.00/src modules make[2]: Entering directory `/usr/src/linux-headers-2.6.27-11-generic' CC [M] /root/lc2000/r8168-8.008.00/src/r8168_n.o /root/lc2000/r8168-8.008.00/src/r8168_n.c: In function ârtl8168_downâ: /root/lc2000/r8168-8.008.00/src/r8168_n.c:4494: warning: unused variable âpoll_lockedâ /root/lc2000/r8168-8.008.00/src/r8168_n.c: At top level: /root/lc2000/r8168-8.008.00/src/r8168_n.c:2420: warning: ârtl8168_phy_power_downâ defined but not used /root/lc2000/r8168-8.008.00/src/r8168_n.c:3834: warning: ârtl8168_reinit_taskâ defined but not used LD [M] /root/lc2000/r8168-8.008.00/src/r8168.o Building modules, stage 2. MODPOST 1 modules CC /root/lc2000/r8168-8.008.00/src/r8168.mod.o LD [M] /root/lc2000/r8168-8.008.00/src/r8168.ko make[2]: Leaving directory `/usr/src/linux-headers-2.6.27-11-generic' strip --strip-debug r8168.ko make[1]: Leaving directory `/root/lc2000/r8168-8.008.00/src' Note that it now uses 2.6.27-11-generic which (as you see from uname -r above) is the kernel I am running. I have not installed it because my ,machine doesn't have that chipset so the driver would be redundant, but I just wanted you to see what happens when you run the command so you know what output to expect. Note: In the pasted output above, ignore the odd accented characters, these are an artifact of the way I am connected to my server. Cheers, Al. -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
Re: [ubuntu-uk] Non-default driver
Al, this is exactly the sort of thing that made me ask over and over for hands-on help - which would not only be more likely to succeed but would be faster than all this online discussion. Alan Pope wrote: 2009/3/2 Rowan rowan.berke...@googlemail.com: Sean, is make clean modules an instruction you type in? I assumed it was an instruction to ME, to make them clean somehow. It is a command, yes. However I just tried it here using that driver and it fails, because the (realtek - not LC) seem to have hard-wired the kernel version in the Makefile. Note:- r...@mpc-xubuntu:/root/lc2000# grep KVER r8168-8.008.00/src/Makefile KVER:= 2.6.25.17 So when you come to run the make clean modules command it will fail thusly:- r...@mpc-xubuntu:/root/lc2000/r8168-8.008.00# make clean modules make -C src/ clean make[1]: Entering directory `/root/lc2000/r8168-8.008.00/src' rm -rf *.o *.ko *~ core* .dep* .*.d .*.cmd *.mod.c *.a *.s .*.flags .tmp_versions Module.symvers Modules.symvers *.order make[1]: Leaving directory `/root/lc2000/r8168-8.008.00/src' make -C src/ modules make[1]: Entering directory `/root/lc2000/r8168-8.008.00/src' make -C /lib/modules/2.6.25.17/build SUBDIRS=/root/lc2000/r8168-8.008.00/src modules make: Entering an unknown directory make: *** /lib/modules/2.6.25.17/build: No such file or directory. Stop. make: Leaving an unknown directory make[1]: *** [modules] Error 2 make[1]: Leaving directory `/root/lc2000/r8168-8.008.00/src' make: *** [modules] Error 2 (Note it's looking for /lib/modules/2.6.25.17/build which wont exist on my system (and probably yours) because that's not a kernel I've ever used - and certainly don't currently). If you're lucky then perhaps LC have modified the file already from the version shipped by RealTek, (I don't have an LC machine to check this) and so that command above may well work. However what I did was modify the file /root/lc2000/r8168-8.008.00/src/Makefile to change the following line from:- KVER:= 2.6.25.17 to:- KVER:= `uname -r` This means that when you run the make commands in their guide, it will determine at runtime what the current kernel version is - which is what the command uname -r does:- r...@mpc-xubuntu:/root/lc2000/r8168-8.008.00# uname -r 2.6.27-11-generic So now, when I run the command they recommend, it works (unlike earlier where it failed to find 2.6.25.17):- r...@mpc-xubuntu:/root/lc2000/r8168-8.008.00# make clean modules make -C src/ clean make[1]: Entering directory `/root/lc2000/r8168-8.008.00/src' rm -rf *.o *.ko *~ core* .dep* .*.d .*.cmd *.mod.c *.a *.s .*.flags .tmp_versions Module.symvers Modules.symvers *.order make[1]: Leaving directory `/root/lc2000/r8168-8.008.00/src' make -C src/ modules make[1]: Entering directory `/root/lc2000/r8168-8.008.00/src' make -C /lib/modules/`uname -r`/build SUBDIRS=/root/lc2000/r8168-8.008.00/src modules make[2]: Entering directory `/usr/src/linux-headers-2.6.27-11-generic' CC [M] /root/lc2000/r8168-8.008.00/src/r8168_n.o /root/lc2000/r8168-8.008.00/src/r8168_n.c: In function ârtl8168_downâ: /root/lc2000/r8168-8.008.00/src/r8168_n.c:4494: warning: unused variable âpoll_lockedâ /root/lc2000/r8168-8.008.00/src/r8168_n.c: At top level: /root/lc2000/r8168-8.008.00/src/r8168_n.c:2420: warning: ârtl8168_phy_power_downâ defined but not used /root/lc2000/r8168-8.008.00/src/r8168_n.c:3834: warning: ârtl8168_reinit_taskâ defined but not used LD [M] /root/lc2000/r8168-8.008.00/src/r8168.o Building modules, stage 2. MODPOST 1 modules CC /root/lc2000/r8168-8.008.00/src/r8168.mod.o LD [M] /root/lc2000/r8168-8.008.00/src/r8168.ko make[2]: Leaving directory `/usr/src/linux-headers-2.6.27-11-generic' strip --strip-debug r8168.ko make[1]: Leaving directory `/root/lc2000/r8168-8.008.00/src' Note that it now uses 2.6.27-11-generic which (as you see from uname -r above) is the kernel I am running. I have not installed it because my ,machine doesn't have that chipset so the driver would be redundant, but I just wanted you to see what happens when you run the command so you know what output to expect. Note: In the pasted output above, ignore the odd accented characters, these are an artifact of the way I am connected to my server. Cheers, Al. -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
Re: [ubuntu-uk] Non-default driver
p.s. (sorry to double post where one would do): I shall ask them by email whether or not that is the case. Before even turning it on, I want comprehensive instructions including contingencies. Alan Pope wrote: 2009/3/2 Rowan rowan.berke...@googlemail.com: Sean, is make clean modules an instruction you type in? I assumed it was an instruction to ME, to make them clean somehow. It is a command, yes. However I just tried it here using that driver and it fails, because the (realtek - not LC) seem to have hard-wired the kernel version in the Makefile. Note:- r...@mpc-xubuntu:/root/lc2000# grep KVER r8168-8.008.00/src/Makefile KVER:= 2.6.25.17 So when you come to run the make clean modules command it will fail thusly:- r...@mpc-xubuntu:/root/lc2000/r8168-8.008.00# make clean modules make -C src/ clean make[1]: Entering directory `/root/lc2000/r8168-8.008.00/src' rm -rf *.o *.ko *~ core* .dep* .*.d .*.cmd *.mod.c *.a *.s .*.flags .tmp_versions Module.symvers Modules.symvers *.order make[1]: Leaving directory `/root/lc2000/r8168-8.008.00/src' make -C src/ modules make[1]: Entering directory `/root/lc2000/r8168-8.008.00/src' make -C /lib/modules/2.6.25.17/build SUBDIRS=/root/lc2000/r8168-8.008.00/src modules make: Entering an unknown directory make: *** /lib/modules/2.6.25.17/build: No such file or directory. Stop. make: Leaving an unknown directory make[1]: *** [modules] Error 2 make[1]: Leaving directory `/root/lc2000/r8168-8.008.00/src' make: *** [modules] Error 2 (Note it's looking for /lib/modules/2.6.25.17/build which wont exist on my system (and probably yours) because that's not a kernel I've ever used - and certainly don't currently). If you're lucky then perhaps LC have modified the file already from the version shipped by RealTek, (I don't have an LC machine to check this) and so that command above may well work. However what I did was modify the file /root/lc2000/r8168-8.008.00/src/Makefile to change the following line from:- KVER:= 2.6.25.17 to:- KVER:= `uname -r` This means that when you run the make commands in their guide, it will determine at runtime what the current kernel version is - which is what the command uname -r does:- r...@mpc-xubuntu:/root/lc2000/r8168-8.008.00# uname -r 2.6.27-11-generic So now, when I run the command they recommend, it works (unlike earlier where it failed to find 2.6.25.17):- r...@mpc-xubuntu:/root/lc2000/r8168-8.008.00# make clean modules make -C src/ clean make[1]: Entering directory `/root/lc2000/r8168-8.008.00/src' rm -rf *.o *.ko *~ core* .dep* .*.d .*.cmd *.mod.c *.a *.s .*.flags .tmp_versions Module.symvers Modules.symvers *.order make[1]: Leaving directory `/root/lc2000/r8168-8.008.00/src' make -C src/ modules make[1]: Entering directory `/root/lc2000/r8168-8.008.00/src' make -C /lib/modules/`uname -r`/build SUBDIRS=/root/lc2000/r8168-8.008.00/src modules make[2]: Entering directory `/usr/src/linux-headers-2.6.27-11-generic' CC [M] /root/lc2000/r8168-8.008.00/src/r8168_n.o /root/lc2000/r8168-8.008.00/src/r8168_n.c: In function ârtl8168_downâ: /root/lc2000/r8168-8.008.00/src/r8168_n.c:4494: warning: unused variable âpoll_lockedâ /root/lc2000/r8168-8.008.00/src/r8168_n.c: At top level: /root/lc2000/r8168-8.008.00/src/r8168_n.c:2420: warning: ârtl8168_phy_power_downâ defined but not used /root/lc2000/r8168-8.008.00/src/r8168_n.c:3834: warning: ârtl8168_reinit_taskâ defined but not used LD [M] /root/lc2000/r8168-8.008.00/src/r8168.o Building modules, stage 2. MODPOST 1 modules CC /root/lc2000/r8168-8.008.00/src/r8168.mod.o LD [M] /root/lc2000/r8168-8.008.00/src/r8168.ko make[2]: Leaving directory `/usr/src/linux-headers-2.6.27-11-generic' strip --strip-debug r8168.ko make[1]: Leaving directory `/root/lc2000/r8168-8.008.00/src' Note that it now uses 2.6.27-11-generic which (as you see from uname -r above) is the kernel I am running. I have not installed it because my ,machine doesn't have that chipset so the driver would be redundant, but I just wanted you to see what happens when you run the command so you know what output to expect. Note: In the pasted output above, ignore the odd accented characters, these are an artifact of the way I am connected to my server. Cheers, Al. -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
Re: [ubuntu-uk] Non-default driver
I typed that in exactly as you gave it, Al, and got no output at all. How do I check which ubuntu version I have? I know it goes by very fast during the boot sequence, I think it's 24 something. Alan Pope wrote: 2009/3/2 Rowan rowan.berke...@googlemail.com: p.s. (sorry to double post where one would do): I shall ask them by email whether or not that is the case. Before even turning it on, I want comprehensive instructions including contingencies. Just open a terminal and issue this command to find out:- sudo grep KVARS /root/lc2000/r8168-8.008.00/src/Makefile You'll get about 5 lines, the first of which will probably say KVER := 2.6.25-17 Let us know. Cheers, Al. -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
Re: [ubuntu-uk] Non-default driver
Nope, and I am no idea where to find this magazine of which you speak, nor do I much want to. I have the restore discs, and that's it. But thanks. Tony Travis wrote: Rowan wrote: Al, this is exactly the sort of thing that made me ask over and over for hands-on help - which would not only be more likely to succeed but would be faster than all this online discussion. [...] Hello, Rowan. Have you tried booting from a 'live' CD - e.g. the Ubuntu 8.10 CD from a recent issue of Linux Format Magazine? This will detect the hardware you have, and use the appropriate modules compiled for the 'generic' kernel. This is the simplest way of checking that the current release of Ubuntu supports your hardware. It's also a good thing to know how to boot from a 'live' CD if you have to 'rescue' a system that has crashed: Telling us what the 'live' CD boot detects would help to resolve the problems you've encountered and you might be helping other people to solve similar problems... Bye, Tony. -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
Re: [ubuntu-uk] Non-default driver
Rowan wrote: I typed that in exactly as you gave it, Al, and got no output at all. How do I check which ubuntu version I have? I know it goes by very fast during the boot sequence, I think it's 24 something. [...] Hello, Rowan. To find out which kernel you are running type: uname -a An easy way to find out the distribution of Ubuntu you're running is to use System Monitor - Click on System at the top of the screen, then: Administration System Monitor System The 'System' Tab shows which version of Ubuntu is installed. Bye, Tony. -- Dr. A.J.Travis, University of Aberdeen, Rowett Institute of Nutrition and Health, Greenburn Road, Bucksburn, Aberdeen AB21 9SB, Scotland, UK tel +44(0)1224 712751, fax +44(0)1224 716687, http://www.rowett.ac.uk mailto:a.tra...@abdn.ac.uk, http://bioinformatics.rri.sari.ac.uk/~ajt -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
Re: [ubuntu-uk] Non-default driver
Excellent stuff, Tony, thanks again. uname -a gives Linux ubuntu 2.6.24-23-generic #1 SMP Mon Jan 26 00:13:11 UTC 2009 i686 GNU/Linux administration/system monitor/system gives Ubuntu Release 8.04 (hardy) Kernel Linux 2.6.24-23-generic GNOME 2.22.3 Tony Travis wrote: Rowan wrote: I typed that in exactly as you gave it, Al, and got no output at all. How do I check which ubuntu version I have? I know it goes by very fast during the boot sequence, I think it's 24 something. [...] Hello, Rowan. To find out which kernel you are running type: uname -a An easy way to find out the distribution of Ubuntu you're running is to use System Monitor - Click on System at the top of the screen, then: Administration System Monitor System The 'System' Tab shows which version of Ubuntu is installed. Bye, Tony. -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
Re: [ubuntu-uk] Non-default driver
2009/3/2 Rowan rowan.berke...@googlemail.com: I typed that in exactly as you gave it, Al, and got no output at all. It's case sensitive. Alternatively you can press ALT+F2, and then in the box type gksu nautilus /root and then navigate to /root/lc2000/r8168-8.008.00/src and open the Makefile to see the KVARS line. Cheers, Al. -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
Re: [ubuntu-uk] Non-default driver
I reproduced the cases (and the spaces) as you gave them, Al. There is no KVARS line at all in the Makefile. Here are the contents. KVER := $(shell uname -r) KDIR := /lib/modules/$(KVER)/build KMISC := /lib/modules/$(KVER)/kernel/drivers/net/ KEXT := $(shell echo $(KVER) ¦ sed -ne 's/^2\.[567]\..*/k/p')o KFLAG := 2$(shell echo $(KVER) ¦ sed -ne 's/^2\.[4]\..*/4/p')x modules: ifeq ($(KFLAG),24x) $(MAKE) -f Makefile_linux24x else $(MAKE) -C $(KDIR) SUBDIRS=$(PWD)/src modules strip --strip-debug r8168.$(KEXT) endif clean: rm -rf *.o *.ko *~core* .dep* .*.d .*.cmd *.mod.c *.a *.s .*.flags .tmp_versions Module.symvers Modules.symvers *.order install: install -m 744 -c r8168.$(KEXT) $(KMISC) ifneq ($(KFLAG),24x) r8168-objs := r8168_n.o obj -m += r8168.o endif#($(KFLAG),24x) Alan Pope wrote: 2009/3/2 Rowan rowan.berke...@googlemail.com: I typed that in exactly as you gave it, Al, and got no output at all. It's case sensitive. Alternatively you can press ALT+F2, and then in the box type gksu nautilus /root and then navigate to /root/lc2000/r8168-8.008.00/src and open the Makefile to see the KVARS line. Cheers, Al. -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
Re: [ubuntu-uk] Non-default driver
Rowan wrote: Excellent stuff, Tony, thanks again. uname -a gives Linux ubuntu 2.6.24-23-generic #1 SMP Mon Jan 26 00:13:11 UTC 2009 i686 GNU/Linux administration/system monitor/system gives Ubuntu Release 8.04 (hardy) Kernel Linux 2.6.24-23-generic GNOME 2.22.3 Hello, Rowan. OK, you are running the 8.04 LTS (Long Term Support) release, which is more stable, but it might not have the latest drivers. According to the Compal JHL 90 service manual. Your laptop has a Realtek RTL8111c NIC (Network Interface card): http://service1.marasst.com/Compal/JHL90_91/Service Manual/ Askey/AgereAM5/CastleNet/Moto V.92/56K bps; V.90/56K bps JHL91/JHT01 LAN: 10/100Mbps, Realtek RTL8102e - JHL90/JHT00 LAN: 10/100/1000Mbps, Realtek RTL8111c Wireless LAN, 802.11a/g/n, Intel Shirley Peak (option) 802.16e Mobile WiMAX and 802.11abgn, Intel Echo Peak (TBC) Antenna: WiMAX x 2 Bluetooth USB type, ver 2.1, Foxconn (Broadcom) (Option) The RTL8111 driver doesn't work properly with the 'generic' kernel used in Hardy, which is probably why your supplier used a different driver: https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/linux/+bug/221499 In fact, it does look like a very nice laptop :-) My advice is to obtain an Ubuntu 8.10 Intrepid CD, and try booting it 'live' (I can send you one if you can't get one locally). That way you can tell if your hardware is supported by the current Ubuntu release. You can get a free Ubuntu CD from Canonical: https://shipit.ubuntu.com/login You could always ask your supplier to upgrade your laptop to Ubuntu 8.10 if you don't want to do that yourself. However, it's not difficult to install Ubuntu, and there are plenty of people here on this list willing to help you learn if you want to give it a try... Bye, Tony. -- Dr. A.J.Travis, University of Aberdeen, Rowett Institute of Nutrition and Health, Greenburn Road, Bucksburn, Aberdeen AB21 9SB, Scotland, UK tel +44(0)1224 712751, fax +44(0)1224 716687, http://www.rowett.ac.uk mailto:a.tra...@abdn.ac.uk, http://bioinformatics.rri.sari.ac.uk/~ajt -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
Re: [ubuntu-uk] Non-default driver
My head is spinning. I shall let the machine have a rest (and also my brain). We can maybe discuss what you all think is really the best thing long-term. It is a lovely, lovely machine. I need to power it down now anyway, because I took a little tip from the Compal manual, which is this: after you first charge up the rechargeable battery, it says, you should run it right down again, once, and thereafter you can use it normally. This is supposed to prolong the battery life, and so this is what I have been doing, and it will run down in twenty minutes (est.) anyway. My head really is spinning. Everybody has all these great ideas, but they all point in different directions... but in some ways, I am sort of beginning to enjoy this -- just as long as this bashed-up little Sony doesn't pack up on me. Computers don't much like this flat, it's too damp. I'm saving all these emails to a separate hard disc drive, in case the Sony goes down on me. Thanks to all. Rowan Alan Pope wrote: 2009/3/2 Rowan rowan.berke...@googlemail.com: I reproduced the cases (and the spaces) as you gave them, Al. There is no KVARS line at all in the Makefile. Here are the contents. KVER := $(shell uname -r) ^^^ sorry, my bad, it's KVER, and they _have_ modified it in almost the same way I did. This is good news, the compiling of the module should work as explained in their notes. Also worth noting that ralink now have a new version of their driver available r8168-8.008.00 is replaced by r8168-8.011.00. Cheers, Al. -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
Re: [ubuntu-uk] Non-default driver
Could people kindly amplify the following cryptic instructions from LinuxCertified's engineers so that a complete ignoramus like me can follow them? I have reproduced the lines of code EXACTLY as transmitted. My current machine is getting rather wonky, so I need to get all this on paper pronto. r8168 only applies to the Ethernet controller, and r8168 is the only non-default driver module that will be affected by updates. If you want to use r8169 make sure to unblacklist it and remove r8168. Since your interface is inoperable due to the fact that Ubuntu itself auto-updated the kernel, you will need to do one of the following in a terminal as the root user. To use the ubuntu default r8169 driver: 1. mv /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist.bak 2. sed 's/blacklist r8169/#blacklist r8169/' /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist.bak /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist 3. reboot To use the r8168 driver, which we installed for preference: 1. cd /root/lc2000/r8168-8.008.00 2. make clean modules 3. depmod -a 4. reboot -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
Re: [ubuntu-uk] Non-default driver
Hi Rowan, What is it you don't understand? They appear to be giving you two options :- a. revert to the default Ubuntu driver 1. mv /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist.bak 2. sed 's/blacklist r8169/#blacklist r8169/' /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist.bak /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist 3. reboot So you go into shell and switch to root, which you can do by typing sudo bash and then entering your password. You then take what's written in 1 and 2 above and type them into the shell exactly as shown. After that you shutdown and restart the computer, either by using shutdown -rf from the shell or from the desktop. b. update their driver 1. cd /root/lc2000/r8168-8.008.00 2. make clean modules 3. depmod -a 4. reboot Same principle as above... type exactly what's written in 1-3 and then restart. Best, Sean -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
Re: [ubuntu-uk] Non-default driver
I don't understand instruction 2. Is it one long line? What is the doing there, and is it single spaced in between the two long strings? Or did it creep in when the email was transmitted? sed 's/blacklist r8169/#blacklist r8169/' /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist.bak /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist Sean Miller wrote: Hi Rowan, What is it you don't understand? They appear to be giving you two options :- a. revert to the default Ubuntu driver 1. mv /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist.bak 2. sed 's/blacklist r8169/#blacklist r8169/' /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist.bak /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist 3. reboot So you go into shell and switch to root, which you can do by typing sudo bash and then entering your password. You then take what's written in 1 and 2 above and type them into the shell exactly as shown. After that you shutdown and restart the computer, either by using shutdown -rf from the shell or from the desktop. b. update their driver 1. cd /root/lc2000/r8168-8.008.00 2. make clean modules 3. depmod -a 4. reboot Same principle as above... type exactly what's written in 1-3 and then restart. Best, Sean -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
Re: [ubuntu-uk] Non default driver
I would certainly want to make it clear to anyone considering starting with Linux that unless they are already online with another machine (I am using a beat-up old sony running WinXP) it will be absolute hell for them to find anyone who can help them get started. I could not possibly have figured out what my problems were unless I had been online, and I spent altogether about a week picking people's brains online (on this and two other lists, in addition to talking to the suppliers) before I really felt that I had the problems identified. I couldn't have done it using an online terminal at the local public library, it would have been insane, because you keep getting sent back to the machine to try suggestions. I hope that explains my ready recourse to offering money - it's a reflex from not really expecting to be able to deal with it except as a well-defined commercial contract, which I could book and rely on. That sort of contract you can set up with one phone call - assuming there is a commercial outfit in your town that you can locate for such tasks ,which is probably not the case anyway, but you see what I am getting at - I was looking for a one-stop solution I could just dump the problem on, who could provide a hands-on engineer rather than just advice. That would be a good angle for some commercial software service outfit: they should advertise as linux newbies' rescue centres. Jon Reynolds wrote: Hi all, I would like to add something to this, although not entirely relevant to Rowan's case, but it reminds me of a lot of people thinking when it comes to adopting Linux. I have tried, half-heartedly, to get family members to switch to Ubuntu, or even just try it out for a while, thinking once they've used it for a while they will convert. My father, for example, seems genuinely keen to give it a go; he isn't a 'why would I want anything but windows' person, he is quite open minded to the open source community, but as a basic user has a bit of fear of the unknown. His reason for not trying is support. Now for most of us that's not an issue... we have a problem, we go on the web and find a solution. He is not like that, not capable of that and not inclined to want to do that. How he works at the moment and how he wants to continue to work, is that if something goes wrong with the computer, if he can't solve it over the phone with me, he just drops it into his local computer shop and says 'fix it'. I am not sure on the capabilities of the local computer shop, but assuming they are Windows people, then he is right in as far as what does a new linux user do when things go wrong? I think this puts off a lot of people even trying.. because of the 'what if something goes wrong'. Perhaps most local computer shops are full of linux buffs anyway and they would be happier to fix his pc if it was linux rather than windows...? Jon Reynolds On Tue 24/02/09 21:02 , Rowan rowan.berke...@googlemail.com sent: Thanks but I shall wait until someone is able to reinstall the driver, install DKMS, and give the thing a general once-over, as discussed earlier.Please understand that although I appreciate the 'open source philosophy' I do NOT regard myself as competent to fix this. -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
Re: [ubuntu-uk] Non default driver
On 25/02/2009 15:19, Jon Reynolds wrote: Hi all, I would like to add something to this, although not entirely relevant to Rowan's case, but it reminds me of a lot of people thinking when it comes to adopting Linux. I have tried, half-heartedly, to get family members to switch to Ubuntu, or even just try it out for a while, thinking once they've used it for a while they will convert. My father, for example, seems genuinely keen to give it a go; he isn't a 'why would I want anything but windows' person, he is quite open minded to the open source community, but as a basic user has a bit of fear of the unknown. His reason for not trying is support. Now for most of us that's not an issue... we have a problem, we go on the web and find a solution. He is not like that, not capable of that and not inclined to want to do that. How he works at the moment and how he wants to continue to work, is that if something goes wrong with the computer, if he can't solve it over the phone with me, he just drops it into his local computer shop and says 'fix it'. I am not sure on the capabilities of the local computer shop, but assuming they are Windows people, then he is right in as far as what does a new linux user do when things go wrong? I think this puts off a lot of people even trying.. because of the 'what if something goes wrong'. Perhaps most local computer shops are full of linux buffs anyway and they would be happier to fix his pc if it was linux rather than windows...? Jon Reynolds I think it certainly helps if you're near to a local LUG, but I guess for some new users they might not know where to look to find a LUG (or even what a LUG is). I can't speak for general computer magazines (I only get Retro Gamer and Linux Format) but I certainly do like the idea that Linux Format does (or at least did, IIRC how it's changed) have a directory of LUGs across the country, or at least details of how to find a local LUG for support. I found when I seriously started using Linux (rather than dual booting and poking around with RedHat) that my local LUG was a great source for help with members willing to help out either via e-mail or in person (be it popping over to my place or meeting at a LUG meet). With regards to my own local LUG (Devon Cornwall LUG), I can't help think we could do with a bit more promotion to the masses. Luckily I think we're slowly getting the word out a bit better especially now we have more venues. Rob -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
Re: [ubuntu-uk] Non default driver
Rowan wrote: I would certainly want to make it clear to anyone considering starting with Linux that unless they are already online with another machine (I am using a beat-up old sony running WinXP) it will be absolute hell for them to find anyone who can help them get started. [...] Hello, Rowan. I'm not unsympathetic to your plight, but I've lost count of the many family and friends that I've helped to resolve problems caused by new releases, or incompatible upgrades, of Windows that didn't recognise hardware on their PC's. I don't think their Windows 'hell' was any less frustrating than your experience with Linux has been to date: I've got to say that I've found the online Windows community every bit as helpful to each other as the Linux community are in resolving problems. Quite a lot of knowledge is actually shared between these two user communities. What I witnessed in response to your post on this list was many people responding to you and offering to help you resolve your problem. I was one of the people who responded, and suggested you tried booting from the Ubuntu 'live' CD. Matt Daubney also suggested your try booting from the 'live' CD and Rob beard suggested you look at some Linux magazines. We were, of course, trying to help you to resolve your driver problem yourself because that is part of what Linux is all about and why people like to use it. However, what seems to have frustrated you most is that few of us realised that you wanted someone else to solve the problem... That's not unreasonable if you can't or don't want to solve the problem yourself, but there is a community of people here who are used to a way of solving problems that appears unfamiliar to you. I think you've put your finger on a genuine problem, but I don't think that it's unique to Linux. What I would say to anyone considering starting to use Linux is that making contact with other people who are already using Linux can be helpful, and an up-to-date list of UK LUG's (Linux User Groups) where you can meet them is published every month in 'Linux Format' magazine. Bye, Tony. -- Dr. A.J.Travis, University of Aberdeen, Rowett Institute of Nutrition and Health, Greenburn Road, Bucksburn, Aberdeen AB21 9SB, Scotland, UK tel +44(0)1224 712751, fax +44(0)1224 716687, http://www.rowett.ac.uk mailto:a.tra...@abdn.ac.uk, http://bioinformatics.rri.sari.ac.uk/~ajt -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
Re: [ubuntu-uk] Non default driver
I didn't start out with the preconception that someone else would have to sort it out for me hands-on. However, I do feel that now, and yesterday two people on this list said quite cheerfully that at some point it should be possible to do just that, and I don't want to start reviewing that decision all over again. I am quite happy to wait until someone has the time and energy and inclination to arrange a time and place to sort it out with me hands-on. Reinstalling the whole of ubuntu seems unnecessary. It's just a matter of recompiling the driver, installing the DKMS, and checking for any other instances of non-default modules. Thanks Rowan Tony Travis wrote: Rowan wrote: I would certainly want to make it clear to anyone considering starting with Linux that unless they are already online with another machine (I am using a beat-up old sony running WinXP) it will be absolute hell for them to find anyone who can help them get started. [...] Hello, Rowan. I'm not unsympathetic to your plight, but I've lost count of the many family and friends that I've helped to resolve problems caused by new releases, or incompatible upgrades, of Windows that didn't recognise hardware on their PC's. I don't think their Windows 'hell' was any less frustrating than your experience with Linux has been to date: I've got to say that I've found the online Windows community every bit as helpful to each other as the Linux community are in resolving problems. Quite a lot of knowledge is actually shared between these two user communities. What I witnessed in response to your post on this list was many people responding to you and offering to help you resolve your problem. I was one of the people who responded, and suggested you tried booting from the Ubuntu 'live' CD. Matt Daubney also suggested your try booting from the 'live' CD and Rob beard suggested you look at some Linux magazines. We were, of course, trying to help you to resolve your driver problem yourself because that is part of what Linux is all about and why people like to use it. However, what seems to have frustrated you most is that few of us realised that you wanted someone else to solve the problem... That's not unreasonable if you can't or don't want to solve the problem yourself, but there is a community of people here who are used to a way of solving problems that appears unfamiliar to you. I think you've put your finger on a genuine problem, but I don't think that it's unique to Linux. What I would say to anyone considering starting to use Linux is that making contact with other people who are already using Linux can be helpful, and an up-to-date list of UK LUG's (Linux User Groups) where you can meet them is published every month in 'Linux Format' magazine. Bye, Tony. -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
Re: [ubuntu-uk] Non default driver
Thanks but I shall wait until someone is able to reinstall the driver, install DKMS, and give the thing a general once-over, as discussed earlier. Please understand that although I appreciate the 'open source philosophy' I do NOT regard myself as competent to fix this. Matthew Daubney wrote: Hiya Rowan, You may have already tried this, and if so feel free to ignore this email. I don't suppose you have an Ubuntu LiveCD about? These can be downloaded from the Ubuntu website if you don't and burnt to a CD-R. additional information you may want to skip, I'm uncertain as to your familiarity with Linux and Ubuntu to so please feel free to jump anything you already know The LiveCD gives you an Ubuntu environment running of the CD with all of Ubuntu's default settings. Unless you click the install and go through the installer, it should make no changes to your current computer configuration. end additional information If you can boot your computer from one of these, and the network works, then all we have to identify is which network card you have and which modules you need to install. If so this is a very easy task if you can get the results from a couple of commands to us. The best one to send to the list is the result from running lspci* in a terminal and the bit that says something like Ethernet Controller. Mine looks like 00:0b.0 Ethernet controller: D-Link System Inc Gigabit Ethernet Adapter (rev 11) Hope this helps somewhat. -Matt Daubney * You might be used to working in a terminal already, but just in case, open a terminal (applications - accessories - Terminal) and type: lspci then enter. This will tell us everything that is connected to a PCI type adapter in your laptop. On Tue, 2009-02-24 at 19:53 +, Rowan wrote: LinuxCertified have informed me that r8168 is the only driver we chose to use instead of default driver in Ubuntu, so hopefully things will be simpler than I feared. -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/