Issue with SUSE 11.0 install

[waroo]

Hi guys,

I am trying to install nidaqmx-8.0.1f0 on openSuse11.0, kernel version 2.6.25.20-0.5-default

However I cannot get the NI-KAL module to compile

My install commands are roughly as follows,

# required for the NI drivers install.
zypper -n in kernel-source
zypper -n in kernel-syms

# create the souurce that the NI DAQ driver install needs
cd /usr/src/linux-2.6.25.20-0.5
make cloneconfig
make modules_prepare

cd $NIDAQDIR

Then I run install. The output to the shell for NI-KAL looks like this.

Updating NI-KAL:
NI-KAL update failed.

/bin/cp nikal.c objects/nikal.c
/bin/cp nikal.h objects/nikal.h
make -C /lib/modules/2.6.25.20-0.5-default/source SUBDIRS=/usr/local/natinst/nikal/src/objects modules
make[1]: Entering directory `/usr/src/linux-2.6.25.20-0.5'

  WARNING: Symbol version dump /usr/src/linux-2.6.25.20-0.5/Module.symvers
           is missing; modules will have no dependencies and modversions.

  CC   /usr/local/natinst/nikal/src/objects/nikal.o
  Building modules, stage 2.
  MODPOST 1 modules
  CC      /usr/local/natinst/nikal/src/objects/nikal.mod.o
  LD   /usr/local/natinst/nikal/src/objects/nikal.ko
make[1]: Leaving directory `/usr/src/linux-2.6.25.20-0.5'
Installing NI-KAL (nikal): Starting NI-KAL failed!
make: *** [install] Error 1

ERROR: make of nikal kernel module failed, not installing kernel module.
   updateNIDrivers should be called again after fixing the problem.
   Logging failure...
   Include the file /tmp/niSystemReport.out.gz when contacting
   National Instruments for support.

The last entry in my niSystemReport.out is and I am wondering if this is the cause of my failure or

is it the lack of Module.symvers that causes the issue?

********************************************************************************
/proc/ksyms: File not found!!!

I found the following post

http://mandrivausers.org/index.php?/topic/22893-missing-modulesymvers-from-kernel-source-solved/

and am now trying a

make

make modules_install

in my kernel directory to try and create the Module.symvers to see if this solves my issue. Am I on the

right track?

many thanks

[Shawn B.]

waroo wrote:

Installing NI-KAL (nikal): Starting NI-KAL failed!

This means that NI-KAL compiled correctly, but the kernel module failed to load.  The most common reason for this is that you have more than 4 GB of RAM.  If that is the case then this KnowledgeBase should help you out.  In newer kernels the same thing could happen with modversions but that shouldn't be your problem.  If you run "dmesg" right after you receive the "Starting NI-KAL failed!" message, the tail end of the dmesg output should show you why nikal.ko failed to load.

--

Shawn

[waroo]

cool,

ill try this, I do have 6G of ram but only 3G seems to be visible

ill have a look at the forums.

a

[waroo]

ive removed 4G of my 6 and that has allowed in the install to complete I can see my devices,

linux-z1lr:/home/op/NiDaqMx/install_dir # nilsdev
NI PCIe-6251: "Dev2"
NI PCIe-6251: "Dev1"

I cant see anything in the bios to remap my ram so I guess I have to buy new ram or wait until

SUSE11.3 is supported? I did try with only 4G in the machine but again the install barfed.

I'm wondering what will happen if I simply plug the ram back in?

[Shawn B.]

The NI-KAL kernel module will check how much physically addressable memory you have in the system every time it loads, so putting the RAM back in will just cause the driver to stop working until you take it back out.  On a 32-bit system if it detects more than 4GB it will fail to load.  There was also a bug in NI-KAL that if I remember correctly was fixed in NI-KAL 1.10 which would cause NI-KAL to fail to load if you had exactly 4GB of RAM, so you should make sure you have the latest NI-KAL.

With a 32-bit system, you have three choices:

1) Add mem=4096m to your kernel boot line, in /boot/grub/menu.lst

2) Remove some RAM from your system.  In this case it may only work with 3GB or possibly only 2GB.

3) Make sure that you are using a kernel that does NOT support PAE.  I don't remember off the top of my head if openSUSE provides a separate -pae kernel or if the default kernel also has PAE enabled.

waroo wrote:

I cant see anything in the bios to remap my ram so I guess I have to buy new ram or wait until

SUSE11.3 is supported? I did try with only 4G in the machine but again the install barfed.

Buying new RAM won't fix anything, the problem is that you simply have too much   Option 3 above is probably the best if openSUSE has seperate -default and -pae kernels.  Otherwise just use option 1.

--

Shawn

[mhoogend]

There was also a bug in NI-KAL that if I remember correctly was fixed in NI-KAL 1.10 which would cause NI-KAL to fail to load if you had exactly 4GB of RAM, so you should make sure you have the latest NI-KAL.

That is correct, and if you are using just the NI-KAL that comes with nidaqmx-8.0.1f0 then that will be just NI-KAL 1.9.  Basically you are best off as Shawn says to update your version of NI-KAL to 1.10 and use either option 1 or 3.