You are not logged in.

#1 2011-04-21 02:52:29

Zymus
Member
Registered: 2010-05-09
Posts: 18

Unable To Install Due To NIC Drivers

I'm trying to install Arch Linux on my Toshiba Satellite L655D. The problem is the NIC driver's aren't included in the current release on the main page (2010.05). If I used the core-install disk, I can run it, but I can't update anything (because neither wireless, nor wired connection drivers are included in 2.6.33). And because my network drivers aren't included in the download, the netinstall wouldn't help me either.

lspci:

02:00.0 Network controller: Realtek Semiconductor Co., Ltd. RTL8191SEvB Wireless LAN Controller (rev 10)
08:00.0 Ethernet controller: Atheros Communications AR8152 v1.1 Fast Ethernet (rev c1)

I've tried installing the drivers supplied from the manufacturer's website but they didn't work.

What are my options from here?

Offline

#2 2011-04-21 03:28:06

ewaller
Administrator
From: Pasadena, CA
Registered: 2009-07-13
Posts: 19,739

Re: Unable To Install Due To NIC Drivers

You could grab the package you need from a server using another computer, copy it to a USB Flash Disk, 'sneaker net' it to your system, copy it in and install it.

-or- (my preference)

Boot a Live CD from a USB Flash or CD that can use the hardware (It does not have to be an Arch disk)
Chroot into Arch
Install using pacman in the chroot environment, while using the kernel and drivers from the host disk


Nothing is too wonderful to be true, if it be consistent with the laws of nature -- Michael Faraday
Sometimes it is the people no one can imagine anything of who do the things no one can imagine. -- Alan Turing
---
How to Ask Questions the Smart Way

Offline

#3 2011-04-21 03:55:34

Zymus
Member
Registered: 2010-05-09
Posts: 18

Re: Unable To Install Due To NIC Drivers

Hmm, would you happen to know of any LiveCDs that use pacman?

Or could I just use an Ubuntu LiveCD, install pacman, and then chroot and install?

Offline

#4 2011-04-21 04:06:27

ewaller
Administrator
From: Pasadena, CA
Registered: 2009-07-13
Posts: 19,739

Re: Unable To Install Due To NIC Drivers

boot a disk that can talk to the hardware.
Use this article as a guide
Create a mount point and mount the system partition of your Arch installation. 
Chroot into the Arch system.
You are now running your Arch system -- except you are using the kernel and kernel drivers from the host boot disk
You can use all of the software installed there (mostly -- I would not try something like Xorg)
Use the pacman from your arch system to do the install
reboot.


Nothing is too wonderful to be true, if it be consistent with the laws of nature -- Michael Faraday
Sometimes it is the people no one can imagine anything of who do the things no one can imagine. -- Alan Turing
---
How to Ask Questions the Smart Way

Offline

#5 2011-04-21 04:10:17

Zymus
Member
Registered: 2010-05-09
Posts: 18

Re: Unable To Install Due To NIC Drivers

Ah, okay I'm tracking now.

I got lost in the wording.

Will do this when I get to my machine.

Offline

#6 2011-04-21 06:58:28

tomk
Forum Fellow
From: Ireland
Registered: 2004-07-21
Posts: 9,839

Re: Unable To Install Due To NIC Drivers

Or use the pre-release iso, available here.

Offline

#7 2011-04-22 01:34:10

Zymus
Member
Registered: 2010-05-09
Posts: 18

Re: Unable To Install Due To NIC Drivers

Okay so after trying out your method ewaller, and it didn't work. Well, I'm not entirely sure what happened. I did:

sudo mkdir /mnt/arch
sudo mount /dev/sdb3 /mnt/arch
sudo mount -t proc proc /mnt/arch/proc
sudo mount -t sysfs sys /mnt/arch/sys
sudo mount -o bind /dev /mnt/arch/dev
sudo chroot /mnt/arch

Everything went fine. I was also told to copy the /etc/resolv.conf from my LiveCD to the Arch root, and then I was able to do

sudo pacman -Syu

And it updated and installed everything.

However, when I type

uname -r

It prints out the value for the LiveCD (in my case, 2.6.35-22-generic)

A bit strange, but I ran

mkinitcpio -p kernel26

And it says

==> Building image "default"
==> Running command: /sbin/mkinitcpio -k 2.6.38-ARCH -c /etc/mkinitcpio.conf -g /boot/kernel26.img
:: Begin build
:: Parsing hook [base]
:: Parsing hook [udev]
:: Parsing hook [autodetect]
:: Parsing hook [pata]
:: Parsing hook [scsi]
:: Parsing hook [sata]
:: Parsing hook [filesystems]
:: Generating module dependencies
:: Generating image '/boot/kernel26.img'...SUCCESS
==> SUCCESS
==> Building image "fallback"
==> Running command: /sbin/mkinitcpio -k 2.6.38-ARCH -c /etc/mkinitcpio.conf -g /boot/kernel26-fallback.img -S autodetect
:: Begin build
:: Parsing hook [base]
:: Parsing hook [udev]
:: Parsing hook [pata]
:: Parsing hook [scsi]
:: Parsing hook [sata]
:: Parsing hook [filesystems]
:: Generating module dependencies
:: Generating image '/boot/kernel26-fallback.img'...SUCCESS
==> SUCCESS

But when I boot, I am greeted with the old 2.6.33-ARCH, and still no working drivers.

Did I miss something?

Offline

#8 2011-04-22 03:55:45

ewaller
Administrator
From: Pasadena, CA
Registered: 2009-07-13
Posts: 19,739

Re: Unable To Install Due To NIC Drivers

I'll bet you have a separate boot partition, and I bet that partition was not mounted in your chroot environment.

When the boot partition is mounted, it is mounted at /boot.  Normally, that directory is empty except when the boot partition is 'grafted' to your file system at that point.  When the kernel was generated, it was copied to what had been the empty /boot directory.  When you booted, the boot partition is mounted to /boot -- hiding the stuff that had been copied there in the chroot.

Check this by running the command mount and verifying that the boot partition is mounted at /boot.
Look at the contents of /boot for reference
Then, as root, umount boot
Now look at the contents of /boot again.  I'll  bet there are files and the date stamps match when you were in the chroot
Copy the contents of /boot to the boot partition.  The easiest way is probably to create a mount point somewhere and mount the boot partition there, then move the files from /boot to the temporary mount point


Nothing is too wonderful to be true, if it be consistent with the laws of nature -- Michael Faraday
Sometimes it is the people no one can imagine anything of who do the things no one can imagine. -- Alan Turing
---
How to Ask Questions the Smart Way

Offline

#9 2011-04-22 09:07:38

.:B:.
Forum Fellow
Registered: 2006-11-26
Posts: 5,819
Website

Re: Unable To Install Due To NIC Drivers

If ewaller's suggestion does not work, try what tomk said. The pre-release ISOs have a newer kernel, so that means a better chance you'll have the driver necessary. Apparently 2.6.36 and up should support your NIC. You won't get anywhere with that 2.6.33 kernel and compiling Atheros' own drivers against that kernel; that's just a waste of time. Once you get that working, the kernel will get upgraded, and you can ditch Atheros' own drivers, so you'll have done all that work for nothing.

Last edited by .:B:. (2011-04-22 09:09:09)


Got Leenucks? :: Arch: Power in simplicity :: Get Counted! Registered Linux User #392717 :: Blog thingy

Offline

Board footer

Powered by FluxBB