via8233 sound Redhat 7.2 (YAY)

[paradox508]

what i did to get AC97 VIA8233 drivers installed on Redhat 7.2
(with excerpts from 20 steps to a New Kernel with Grub)

step on : search on linuxnewbie.org AMAP! (as much as possible)


first part:
Go to http://www.kernel.org and download the latest stable kernel
currently 2.4.19 along with modutils and ksymoops

Change user to root

su

unpack and install modutils
tar zxvf modutils-2.4.21.tar.gz

./configure
make
make install

same for kysmoops
tar zxvf ksymoops-2.4.7.tar.gz
./configure
make
make install

Copy the downloaded kernel to your /usr/src directory:

cp linux-2.4.19.tar.gz /usr/src/


Uncompress the kernel.

tar -zxvf linux-2.4.19.tar.gz


Change to the linux-2.4.19 directory

cd linux-2.4.19


Make mrproper (This will erase any .config file) This cleans out the configuration files and any object files an older version might have.

make mrproper

copy one of the default config files to your new kernels folder (trust me this is important if your a newbie, you probably wont set all your kernel
options correctly on your own)

cp /usr/src/linux-2.4.7-10/configs/kernel-2.4.7-athlon.config .config

make oldconfig

answer the questions with y/n/m if unsure go with the default. you must select sound as a module for the
drivers to work.

when done run

make dep (makes dependancies)

make bzImage (makes kernel compressed image)

make modules (builds everything you picked to load as a module)

make modules_install (installs all those modules in the right place)

move compressed kernel image to boot partition

cp /usr/src/linux-2.4.19/arch/i386/boot/bzImage /boot/vmlinuz-2.4.19

copy System.map to boot partition

cp /usr/src/linux-2.4.19/System.map /boot/System.map-2.4.19

cd /boot

remove old system.map and vmlinuz sym links

rm System.map
rm vmlinuz

creat new sym links

ln -s System.map-2.4.19 System.map
ln -s vmlinuz-2.4.19 vmlinuz

make sure you are in the /usr/src directory

cd /usr/src

remove the linux-2.4 sym link (redhat only i think)

rm linux-2.4

then make a new one to the new kernel sources

ln -s linux-2.4.19 linux-2.4

cd /boot/grub

vi grub.conf

you should see an entry that looks like this

title Red Hat Linux (2.4.7-10)
root (hd0,1)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.4.10 ro root=/dev/hda2 hdd=ide-scsi

hit the "a" key to enter insert mode

make another entry like the one above but substitute your new kernels version number for the old one
ie.

title Red Hat Linux (2.4.19)
root (hd0,1)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.4.19 ro root=/dev/hda2 hdd=ide-scsi

im dual booting with win2k so yours may look a little different
you really just want to copy the old one and change the version numbers. dont worry about the rest for now

reboot

you should be able to boot into the new kernel with out a hitch

second part *the fun part*

download
the latest alsa driver: alsa-driver-0.9.0rc6.tar.bz2,
the latest alsa utils : alsa-utils-0.9.0rc6.tar.bz2
the latest alsa library : alsa-lib-0.9.0rc6.tar.bz2
from www.alsa-project.org

unpack in your home directory /home/usrname/ and install
switch to root
su

tar xvjf alsa-lib*
cd alsa-lib*
./configure
make
make install
cd ..

tar xvjf alsa-utils*
cd alsa-utils*
./configure
make
make install
cd ..

tar xvjf alsa-drivers*
./configure --with-cards=via82xx --with-sequencer=yes --with-oss=yes --with-pnpisa=no
make
make istall
cd ..

/usr/sbin/ntsysv

select alsasound to load at start up

quit

chmod 666 /dev/dsp

reboot

login normaly

startx

run xmms
set output plugin to oss

halayluya
mp3s away

thank you all

you guys rule!

paradox@digivill.net

[tapsemi]

I tried to follow yours advice. At the last part of compiling the drivers it gives me the error while running configure

checking for directory with kernel source... /lib/modules/2.4.18-19.7.x/build
checking for kernel version... The file /lib/modules/2.4.18-19.7.x/build/include/linux/version.h does not exist.
Please, install the package with full kernel sources for your distribution
or use --with-kernel=dir option to specify another directory with kernel
sources (default is /usr/src/linux).

how can I solve this.

[mdwatts]

You need to install the kernel source for your current running kernel.

This should explain (http://www.redhat.com/docs/manuals/linux/RHL-7.3-Manual/custom-guide/ch-custom-kernel.html).

[Sastraxi]

Wow, thats freaky. Just when I was about to post this exact (well, almost exact) same thing about Via82xx sound in Debian, here you are. Good job on the tutorial! :)

[tapsemi]

Thanks for the link. Now I could successfully run .configure and it gives me a message like alsa sound module successfully compiled. But when I run
/usr/sbin/ntsysv
I don't see any alsasound option. I tried rebooting, but its still the same I don't see any alsasound option. I have already done 666 on /dev/dsp.

Can you tell me how to solve this.

Also when I run sndconfig, somewhere it gives me this errors

/lib/modules/2.4.18-19.7.x/kernel/drivers/sound/via82cxxx_
audio.o: init_module: No such device
/lib/modules/2.4.18-19.7.x/kernel/drivers/sound/via82cxxx_
audio.o: insmod
/lib/modules/2.4.18-19.7.x/kernel/drivers/sound/via82cxxx_
audio.o failed
/lib/modules/2.4.18-19.7.x/kernel/drivers/sound/via82cxxx_
audio.o: insmod sound-slot-0 failed


should I disregard this or does this points me to something else!
Any help highly appreciated.

[tapsemi]

Guys, according to the above directions when I run make install in the alsa-drivers... directory I get this run log at the end

..........
...........
make -C vx modules_install
make[2]: Entering directory `/home/tapsemi/alsa-driver-0.9.0rc6/pcmcia/vx'
make[2]: Nothing to be done for `modules_install'.
make[2]: Leaving directory `/home/tapsemi/alsa-driver-0.9.0rc6/pcmcia/vx'
make[1]: Leaving directory `/home/tapsemi/alsa-driver-0.9.0rc6/pcmcia'
/sbin/depmod -a 2.4.18-19.7.x
if [ -L /usr/include/sound ]; then \
rm -f /usr/include/sound; \
ln -sf /home/tapsemi/alsa-driver-0.9.0rc6/include/sound /usr/include/sound; \
else \
rm -rf /usr/include/sound; \
install -d -m 755 -g root -o root /usr/include/sound; \
for f in include/sound/*.h; do \
install -m 644 -g root -o root $f /usr/include/sound; \
done \
fi
if [ -d /sbin/init.d ]; then \
install -m 755 -g root -o root utils/alsasound /sbin/init.d/alsasound; \
elif [ -d /etc/rc.d/init.d ]; then \
install -m 755 -g root -o root utils/alsasound /etc/rc.d/init.d/alsasound; \
elif [ -d /etc/init.d ]; then \
install -m 755 -g root -o root utils/alsasound /etc/init.d/alsasound; \
fi
cat WARNING

WARNING!!! The mixer channels for the ALSA driver are muted by default!!!
************************************************** ************************
You would use some ALSA or OSS mixer to set the appropriate volume.

tapsemi@linux1 >

.........................

To me it looks like something is not executing right. What I also did is to take the part of the above script being printed out as here, put it in a file and executed it just to be sure but still when I run ntsysv I cannot see alsasound nor is there any option after reboot. Any help appreciated.

[ashoksagar]

as root do /etc/init.d/alsasound restart and see what output you get. BTW are you using a mixer program to adjust the volumes? You will need to do it.

[tapsemi]

I ran
alsasound restart

and it said alsasound driver successfully loaded. then I ran

alsasound status

and it said alsasound driver already running. Now I opened the Audio mixer from the menu and checked to see the volume is high and all channels unmuted. I also checked this by running alsamixer. I checked my audio output jack connection between my speakers and pc.

But still no Audio:-(

One thing I tried after this is running ntsysv to see if the menu shows alsasound but it doesn't.

[RedMap]

This is related post:

http://www.linuxnewbie.org/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=79810

Good tutorial, cheers!

[tapsemi]

Actually I followed the abovementioned post before and is similar to the first post here.

I tried running XMMS after reboot and when I try lo load a mp3 file and hit play it pops up a window saying

Couldn't open audio

please check that

1. You have the correct output pulgin selected
2. No other programs is blocking the soundcard
3. Your soundcard is configured correctly

-------------------------------------

What is my mistake?

[Sastraxi]

modprobe snd-pcm-oss to solve that (if alsa-based proggies are working).

[tapsemi]

Ok, after I run this command and I fire up XMMS and load a few different mp3 songs, it starts playing and doesn't complain anything. Great.

But still no audio in my speakers. I tried two different speakers too, tried all the audio jacks, just to be sure. No audio!

Also now I can also run

linux1> cat cuckoo.au > /dev/audio
linux1>

but there is no sound in the speakers!

[paradox508]

I'm sorry I havent been here to help out, i personally have just swapped to another distro (lycoris) and needed to find out myself how i installed the alsa drivers again.. that's when i noticed that i left alot of stuff out in the first tutorial..
once i get this set up again, i will write another tutorial and try to make it more complete.
on your issue, have you ran the alsamixer and made sure to unmute the channels "Master" and "PCM"? putting the level up isnt the same as unmuting, you have to hit M on the channel to toggle mute settings for that channel.
i hope that should do it.

P.S Good job with getting this far, some things in linux may be a pain to set up at first, but this is how you learn. the more i fight with it the more my knowledge grows. definitely been a sort of "trial by fire"
Paradox508

Originally posted by tapsemi
Ok, after I run this command and I fire up XMMS and load a few different mp3 songs, it starts playing and doesn't complain anything. Great.

But still no audio in my speakers. I tried two different speakers too, tried all the audio jacks, just to be sure. No audio!

Also now I can also run

linux1> cat cuckoo.au > /dev/audio
linux1>

but there is no sound in the speakers!