Tell me more ×
Unix & Linux Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for users of Linux, FreeBSD and other Un*x-like operating systems.. It's 100% free, no registration required.
up vote 1 down vote favorite

I have a bug in a driver (iwlwifi/iwlagn), which I have reported, and the developers are asking me to "build the driver with debug options enabled." More specifically:

Debugging output is enabled when compiling the driver with CONFIG_IWLWIFI_DEBUG set to "y".

I do have the source. How do I put that option in when compiling?

share|improve this question

1 Answer

up vote 1 down vote accepted

This debugging option i.e. CONFIG_IWLWIFI_DEBUG is used for enabling the debugging of your WiFi card.

You have to enable this option by adding a line in the .config file in the /usr/src/linux-headers-(kernel-version) directory.

CONFIG_IWLWIFI_DEBUG=y

This .config file contains all the kernel options which you want to use while compiling the kernel.

share|improve this answer
What does boot have with compiling a kernel? Also, can't the module be compiled on its own? – jonallard Feb 27 '12 at 21:11
@jonallard You can compile a module on its own, but if it's shipped with the kernel, it's easier to take the .config from your distribution, run make menuconfig or make xonfig to add the debug option you want and recompile everything. – Gilles Feb 27 '12 at 23:07
@Gilles That's helpful, thank you. Why would it be easier to recompile the whole kernel rather than only a module? That seems counter-intuitive. – jonallard Feb 28 '12 at 18:32
@jonallard There are preexisting tutorials and commands to compile a whole kernel; the computer may churn for a long time, but it's easier for you than finding the appropriate commands to compile a module for your running kernel. – Gilles Feb 28 '12 at 18:54
@Gilles My question was: why is it so? A module is smaller than the whole kernel, so why is it easier to compile the whole thing rather than a small part of it? – jonallard Feb 28 '12 at 23:25
show 1 more comment

Your Answer

 
discard

By posting your answer, you agree to the privacy policy and terms of service.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.