Wit's End: ALSA & "Unresolved Symbols" Messages

I'm trying to install my SBLive soundcard (emu10k1) onto a PIII 900 MHz machine with Gentoo installed (so ignore my signature rig). I've checked their forums and found no definitive answer (there was one, but it assumes the reader has experience with the Linux command line, which is of no help).

I've recompiled ALSA and make menuconfig a zillion times today, including make dep clean and make mrproper etc... and still get the following errors when I do a # modules-update:

depmod: *** Unresolved symbols in /lib/modules/2.4.25-gentoo/kernel/drivers/net/dummy.o
depmod: *** Unresolved symbols in /lib/modules/2.4.25-gentoo/kernel/drivers/sound/ac97_codec.o
depmod: *** Unresolved symbols in /lib/modules/2.4.25-gentoo/kernel/drivers/sound/emu10k1/emu10k1.o
depmod: *** Unresolved symbols in /lib/modules/2.4.25-gentoo/kernel/drivers/sound/sound.o
depmod: *** Unresolved symbols in /lib/modules/2.4.25-gentoo/kernel/net/ipsec/alg/ipsec_aes.o
depmod: *** Unresolved symbols in /lib/modules/2.4.25-gentoo/kernel/net/ipsec/alg/ipsec_serpent.o
depmod: *** Unresolved symbols in /lib/modules/2.4.25-gentoo/kernel/net/ipsec/alg/ipsec_twofish.o
depmod: *** Unresolved symbols in /lib/modules/2.4.25-gentoo/kernel/net/ipsec/ipsec.o
depmod: *** Unresolved symbols in /lib/modules/2.4.25-gentoo/kernel/sound/acore/oss/snd-mixer-oss.o
depmod: *** Unresolved symbols in /lib/modules/2.4.25-gentoo/kernel/sound/acore/oss/snd-pcm-oss.o
depmod: *** Unresolved symbols in /lib/modules/2.4.25-gentoo/kernel/sound/acore/seq/oss/snd-seq-oss.o
depmod: *** Unresolved symbols in /lib/modules/2.4.25-gentoo/kernel/sound/acore/seq/snd-seq-device.o
depmod: *** Unresolved symbols in /lib/modules/2.4.25-gentoo/kernel/sound/acore/seq/snd-seq-dummy.o
depmod: *** Unresolved symbols in /lib/modules/2.4.25-gentoo/kernel/sound/acore/seq/snd-seq-midi-emul.o
depmod: *** Unresolved symbols in /lib/modules/2.4.25-gentoo/kernel/sound/acore/seq/snd-seq-midi-event.o
depmod: *** Unresolved symbols in /lib/modules/2.4.25-gentoo/kernel/sound/acore/seq/snd-seq-midi.o
depmod: *** Unresolved symbols in /lib/modules/2.4.25-gentoo/kernel/sound/acore/seq/snd-seq-virmidi.o
depmod: *** Unresolved symbols in /lib/modules/2.4.25-gentoo/kernel/sound/acore/seq/snd-seq.o
depmod: *** Unresolved symbols in /lib/modules/2.4.25-gentoo/kernel/sound/acore/snd-hwdep.o
depmod: *** Unresolved symbols in /lib/modules/2.4.25-gentoo/kernel/sound/acore/snd-page-alloc.o
depmod: *** Unresolved symbols in /lib/modules/2.4.25-gentoo/kernel/sound/acore/snd-pcm.o
depmod: *** Unresolved symbols in /lib/modules/2.4.25-gentoo/kernel/sound/acore/snd-rawmidi.o
depmod: *** Unresolved symbols in /lib/modules/2.4.25-gentoo/kernel/sound/acore/snd-timer.o
depmod: *** Unresolved symbols in /lib/modules/2.4.25-gentoo/kernel/sound/acore/snd.o
depmod: *** Unresolved symbols in /lib/modules/2.4.25-gentoo/kernel/sound/pci/ac97/snd-ac97-codec.o
depmod: *** Unresolved symbols in /lib/modules/2.4.25-gentoo/kernel/sound/pci/emu10k1/snd-emu10k1.o
depmod: *** Unresolved symbols in /lib/modules/2.4.25-gentoo/kernel/sound/support/pnp/snd-pnp.o
depmod: *** Unresolved symbols in /lib/modules/2.4.25-gentoo/kernel/sound/synth/emux/snd-emux-synth.o
depmod: *** Unresolved symbols in /lib/modules/2.4.25-gentoo/kernel/sound/synth/snd-util-mem.o

I know it has something to do with the kernel is pointing to the right directory (or something like that) and I'm really stuck. I've read the ALSA article Whiteskin mentioned in http://forums.techguy.org/t213247, and got up to

# make oldconfig
and my gnome window terminal becomes stuck after I go through it. I've pressed CTRL+C, CTRL+X, and it will not get out of oldconfig so I can continue.

Even if I manage to get through the initial bit of that article, I have no idea what to do with the next because there is no alsa-driver directory (at least I can't find it).

I hope I made sense... I've been plugging at this on-and-off for a couple of days.

 

First: Best bet with alsa, is not to go with 2.4. While it is possible to get it going, 2.6's features + ALSA integration make it worth the upgrade.

Second: On a 2.4 series kernel, as long as you have soundcore built, you can make and install ALSA without recompiling the entire kernel. Check the Alsa-HOWTO:http://www.alsa-project.org/alsa-doc/alsa-howto/alsa-howto.html

 

OK... will try and configure 2.6 kernel... off to do some reading!

 

First thing to do when moving to 2.6.... module-init-tools. They wil save you oodles of frustration. (Namely because they are required....)

 

hehe shadow its actually quite easy, just copy your config from the /usr/src/linux to somewhere else
download the sys-kernel/development-sources thru emerge (that's the base for the gentoo 2.6 kernel and easiest to work with, basically its the vanilla version of 2.6 )
its currently at 2.6.6_rc1.

After that and SAVING YOUR CONFIG FILE SOMEWHERE ELSE. You have 2 options of how to go about doing the new kernel. You can delete your linux in source and recreate it so the syslink goes to 2.6 kernel source and copy your config back to the new properly syslinked linux folder, or there's a way to just change the syslink without deleting syslink.

ls -l /usr/src/linux will tell you that its currently pointing to the 2.4.25 kernel or whichever you happen to be using.

The easiest way will be to
rm /usr/src/linux && ln -s /usr/src/linux-2.4.24 /usr/src/linux where (the ln -s /usr/src/(version) is the 2.6 one that you want to use then you just go about doing a normal kernel compile . Which for 2.6 will be make && make modules_install . let it do its thing and then mount the boot drive. Rename the current bzimage (whatever your kernel name is) to bzimage.old and copy the new bzimage in to the boot. Modify your lilo or grub config so you have the old kernel as a secondary option and the primary should be fine as is. (now you have a safety guarenteed backup won't break version as well as the new kernel)

 

I have to day. everytime i hear about someone installing a kernel the "normal" way, i thank whomever created kernel-package. For he should be thanked.