[SOLVED] Compiled kernel wrong, can't load modules now

Darkyyo · n00b Joined: 27 Sep 2022 Posts: 21

I tried to get audio to work by emerging with the "pulseaudio" and "alsa" flags globally enabled, as well as by following this post which prompted me to enable the PINCTRL and CONFIG_PINCTRL_SUNRISEPOINT options in my kernel, since my sound card wasn't being recognized. After a reboot, I got a bunch of errors regarding failures to load present modules, one of which was holding me back from logging in. Thinking that I probably shouldn't have changed the kernel in this way, I reverted this change through a LiveCD chroot, yet nothing changed — strangely. I removed said problematic module (x86_pkg_temp_thermal.ko) from /etc/modules-load.d/modules.conf, and was able to log in with dmesg outputting: https://pastebin.com/iPTF2Z6U

This wouldn't be as bad if, as evidenced by this post, my wireless network interface's functionality didn't depend on iwlwifi, iwlmvm, and (probably) iwldvm actually loading. I tried to force-load them by putting them in /etc/modules-load.d/modules.conf to no avail. I don't think the absence of the other modules will matter that much.

Also, in case I should make any further changes to my kernel, it would be nice to first fix the clock being skewed. I stupidly recompiled the kernel when I was able to log in with no changes made (make && make modules_install), "to make sure modules were properly installed". Now most options are unsynced with significant variable delay, and neither tinkering with the date command nor re-emerging the sys-libs/timezone-data package have had any positive effect.

alamahant · Advocate Joined: 23 Mar 2019 Posts: 3879

Hi
Plz dpaste your kernel .config and your emerge --info
You cant load the iwlwifi module because it can not load the associated firmware.
Plz install
linux-firmware.
_________________

Darkyyo · n00b Joined: 27 Sep 2022 Posts: 21

Terribly sorry for the late reply.

emerge --info:

alamahant · Advocate Joined: 23 Mar 2019 Posts: 3879

Did you recently update your kernel?
From your dmesg it seems that it has problem loading iwlwifi firmware chunk and the firmware needed for your i915 module
In your .config you have

Darkyyo · n00b Joined: 27 Sep 2022 Posts: 21

Yes, as I said, I did naively update my kernel as soon as I was able to log in.

I applied the temporary fix for my system's clock, and then loaded CONFIG_DRM_I915 as a module. However, my kernel's options' update times continue to remain wildly unsynced (some are 74s, others are 5000s), so just synchronizing synchronizing the clock always ends up satisfying only a portion of such. Is there not a way to reset these options' times and compile from scratch, or should I just switch kernels? I wouldn't mind the wait.

As for switching profiles, is it documented somewhere what exact changes/packages it will make/emerge? I would like my system to remain minimal and thus remove what's unnecessary, if this is what enables sound.

pietinger · Posted: Fri Sep 30, 2022 1:28 pm Post subject:

Darkyyo,

it seems to me you have edited your .config manually ... please read this: https://wiki.gentoo.org/wiki/User:Pietinger/Tutorials/Manual_kernel_configuration#Never_edit_.config

I can see in your dmesg it is a notebook: Dell Inc. Inspiron 5559. But you are missing in your kernel config very important settings, like (and many more):

Darkyyo · n00b Joined: 27 Sep 2022 Posts: 21

pietinger,

You raise a good conclusion: I should've acknowledged this from earlier broken/unrecognised driver problems. Would "start[ing] completely new" be as easy as deleting my current .config file and then doing

alamahant · Advocate Joined: 23 Mar 2019 Posts: 3879

At the present time with a kernel seriously misconfigured plz use
gentoo-kernel-bin

NeddySeagoon · Posted: Fri Sep 30, 2022 3:57 pm Post subject:

Darkyyo,

If you delete the .config file then run make meneconfig, you will get make defconfig for free, on x86 anyway.

Do not continue while your clock is in a mess. Sort that out first,

make is lazy to save CPU time.
It looks at the timestamps on the output files that exist and checks that all the input files are older than the output file.
If so, it does nothing and reuses the existing output file.

To force make to rebuild everything, run

pietinger · Posted: Fri Sep 30, 2022 4:12 pm Post subject:

NeddySeagoon · Posted: Fri Sep 30, 2022 4:22 pm Post subject:

Darkyyo,

With your system time being in a fankle (a Scottish term for a bit of a mess) and

pietinger · Posted: Fri Sep 30, 2022 4:36 pm Post subject:

NeddySeagoon · Posted: Fri Sep 30, 2022 4:52 pm Post subject:

pietinger,

Every day is a school day. Thank you.

I don't keep .config files in /boot, so its not bitten me yet.
_________________
Regards,

NeddySeagoon

Computer users fall into two groups:-
those that do backups
those that have never had a hard drive fail.

Darkyyo · n00b Joined: 27 Sep 2022 Posts: 21

I would really like to follow through with your recommended steps to rebuild my kernel, but I just can't get around unskewing my clock. BIOS displays UTC; installed system displays "[date] [UTC] +07"; chroot displays "[date] [localtime] +07" (LiveCD displays UTC outside of chroot, of course). Regardless of which of the two I go with, when I delete .config, do "make clean", and then "make menuconfig" (or vice-versa regarding the last two steps), I am warned that my clock is skewed. I don't get a warning while doing "make clean" on the LiveCD.

Since my installed system's network interface doesn't work, I can only access the ntp's servers or re-emerge sys-libs/timezone-data on the LiveCD, which aren't of much use when "date" already displays the correct time there.

* After doing "make distclean", only Makefile is now complaining about the clock being skewed. Any way to refresh its modification time?

NeddySeagoon · Posted: Fri Sep 30, 2022 6:40 pm Post subject:

Darkyyo,

Go into the BIOS and verify that the BIOS time is correctly set to UTC.
At boot either the kernel or the hwclock service (or both) should copy the BIOS time to the system time.

pietinger · Posted: Fri Sep 30, 2022 7:09 pm Post subject:

Maybe you want delete /var/lib/ntp/ntp.drift (in your chroot). See also here: https://linux.die.net/man/8/ntpd
I recommend for a workstation (doing a dayly shutdown) only "ntp-client" (IMHO only servers need "ntpd"). ntp-client doesnt use a drift file.

P.S.: Try "make distclean" instead of "make clean" (be aware it deletes also your .config).

Darkyyo · n00b Joined: 27 Sep 2022 Posts: 21

You mentioned the hwclock service... I looked into its available options, and after doing