Hardware issues-kernel recompile?

[itlarson]

My new install is mostly successful, but I have some hardware issues:
-sound is not working (but I think I know which driver to install).
-usb flash drives are not recognized.

Here are my questions:
-How do I compile just the module for a driver, instead of the whole kernel? This seems a quicker way to troubleshoot, even if I re compile the kernel latter.
-Where do I start with the usb thing? maybe I just need to mount it manually, but /dev/sdb1, which works on my other computers, doesn't here.
-How do I tell which driver is actually being used? There are redundant drivers I would like to remove next time I recompile the kernel .
-I also would like advise on modules- is there a disadvantage to using them over putting something in the kernel? Other than things you need at boot, that is.

[melchoir]

My new install is mostly successful, but I have some hardware issues:
-sound is not working (but I think I know which driver to install).
-usb flash drives are not recognized.

Here are my questions:
-How do I compile just the module for a driver, instead of the whole kernel? This seems a quicker way to troubleshoot, even if I re compile the kernel latter.

Well that depends, on if your using a manually compiled kernel or genkernel.
If you are using a manually compiled kernel, you'd do the following.

Code: Select all

cd /usr/src/linux
make menuconfig
make modules && make modules_install

If you are using genkernel, then I'm really unsure how to do it without recompiling the kernel, but you'd issue the command.

Code: Select all

genkernel --menuconfig --no-clean kernel

-Where do I start with the usb thing? maybe I just need to mount it manually, but /dev/sdb1, which works on my other computers, doesn't here.

Well first you'll want to make sure you have all those features compiled, either statically or as modules.
Check in Device Drivers > SCSI Device Support > and use SCSI disk support and SCSI CDROM support (if applicable)
Also in Devices Drivers > USB Support ECHI (USB2.0), OHCI and UHCI (USB1.1), and USB Mass Storage Support
And lastly go into Loadable Module support and enable Automatic kernel module loading if you haven't.

-How do I tell which driver is actually being used? There are redundant drivers I would like to remove next time I recompile the kernel .

the command is lsmod

-I also would like advise on modules- is there a disadvantage to using them over putting something in the kernel? Other than things you need at boot, that is.

Well if you do a static kernel you'd of course want to make sure you aren't compiling things you aren't using, and as you said, some things like drive controllers and file systems need to be statically compiled, but that aside it doesn't matter.
Personally, my kernel is all static except for devices that can in fact be removed, like usb drives, joysticks, things of that nature, which I keep as modules.

Hope that answered your questions.

[dev_zero]

To build only modules, make modules && make modules_install
Usb disk driver is called usb-storage, make sure the module is loaded and when insterting the device try checking dmesg and see if you get any output or have gotten any output from the usbmodules which says anything about which device (/dev/*) it is on.

[itlarson]

Thanks to those who answered- I ran out of time to deal with this until the weekend. I got sound working, but not USB, please see my new thread.