Compiling/installing driver for Wifi dongle missing kernel modules?

Question

Goal

Install the Netis wf2190 wifi dongle onto a NUC with Debian.

Environment

• NUC DC3217IYE
• Netis WF2190
• Debian Linux 3.16-0.bpo.2-amd64 #1 SMP Debian 3.16.3-2~bpo70+1 (2014-09-21) x86_64 GNU/Linux
• Installed build-essential

I got the driver from the website, and all I am supposed to do is run a script install.sh which throws me this error when trying to compile. I do have the /lib/modules/3.16-0.bpo.2-amd64/ directory, but no build folder. I have tried adding this folder, but the script is apparently looking for some source files and I don't know what they are and where to get them.

Any tip?

Error

Authentication requested [root] for make driver:
make ARCH=x86_64 CROSS_COMPILE= -C /lib/modules/3.16-0.bpo.2-amd64/build M=/root/netis-wf2190/driver/rtl8812AU_linux_v4.3.8_12175.20140902  modules
make: *** /lib/modules/3.16-0.bpo.2-amd64/build: No such file or directory.  Stop.
make: *** [modules] Error 2
##################################################
Compile make driver error: 2
Please check error Mesg
##################################################

... after creating the missing build folder

it is looking for rules (??)

Authentication requested [root] for make driver:
make ARCH=x86_64 CROSS_COMPILE= -C /lib/modules/3.16-0.bpo.2-amd64/build M=/root/netis-wf2190/driver/rtl8812AU_linux_v4.3.8_12175.20140902  modules
make[1]: Entering directory `/lib/modules/3.16-0.bpo.2-amd64/build'
make[1]: *** No rule to make target `modules'.  Stop.
make[1]: Leaving directory `/lib/modules/3.16-0.bpo.2-amd64/build'
make: *** [modules] Error 2
##################################################
Compile make driver error: 2
Please check error Mesg
##################################################

Here how I have installed the kernel

Added deb http://http.debian.net/debian-backports squeeze-backports(-sloppy) main to source.list and then

 aptitude -t wheezy-backports install linux-image-amd64

How do install kernel source for 3.16-0.bpo.2-amd64 kernel?

I tried this which RESOLVED!

 # apt-get install linux-headers-3.16-0.bpo.2-amd64

from /lib/modules/3.16-0.bpo.2-amd64

 ln -s /usr/src/linux-headers-3.16-0.bpo.2-amd64/ build

and ran install.sh

Answer 1

NOTE: I'm on Fedora 20 but the issue would be the same here, only the pathing and Linux kernel version numbers are different.

When I downloaded and attempted to run the install script, bash ./install.sh I noticed this error message as well.

make: *** /lib/modules/3.16.3-200.fc20.x86_64/build: No such file or directory. Stop.

The script isn't equipped to make this directory and is expecting that it's already there for it to use:

/lib/modules/3.16.3-200.fc20.x86_64/build

Checking shows that it's not there:

$ cd /lib/modules/3.16.3-200.fc20.x86_64/build
bash: cd: /lib/modules/3.16.3-200.fc20.x86_64/build: No such file or directory

This directory can be a bit confusing, but if you change directories 1 level up, the situation is a bit clearer:

$ cd /lib/modules/3.16.3-200.fc20.x86_64/
$ ls -l | grep build
lrwxrwxrwx.  1 root root     39 Sep 29 14:25 build -> /usr/src/kernels/3.16.3-200.fc20.x86_64

So build is a link to another directory. In this case it's a link where the Kernel's development tree would be installed if you had them installed. So to resolve this you simply need to install a package for your distro that includes them.

On Fedora these packages go by the name kernel-devel-<kernel version #>, so I suspect that if you simply installed those, you'd be all set.