Compiling kernel module problem with header

[dante.signal31]

I'm programming a pretty simple kernel module just to learn. I'm in a Ubuntu 11.04 box.

The point is that my module includes these libraries at beginning of its source code:


#include <linux/kernel.h>
#include <linux/module.h>
#include <linux/init.h>
#include <sys/types.h>

To compile my source code I have a makefile like this:


obj-m += mymod.o

all:
make -C /lib/modules/$(shell uname -r)/build M=$(PWD) modules

clean:
make -C /lib/modules/$(shell uname -r)/build M=$(PWD) clean


Problem is that when I try compile my source code doing "make" I get this error:


fatal error: sys/types.h: no such file or directory
compilation terminated.

I've been searching the web for any solution but althought it seems I'm not the very first with this problem I've got no clear solution for this.

Before compiling I had already installed build-essentials, libc6-dev, linux-headers-generic-pae and linux-source. Besides, I've checked I have sys/types.h at: /usr/include/sys/types.h, so I'm sure I have that header but somehow compiler doesn't find it.

Thanks for your help.

Dante

[dante.signal31]

OK, I guess I've found the solution so I reply myself to leave it registered.

Problem was (I suppose) I'm trying to compile a kernel module so I have no access to userland libraries. I'm not sure because I'm a noob in kernel modules programming, but I think sys/types.h is a userland library. So switching to a kernel space library alternative like linux/types.h should work. I tried that way, changing my include to linux/types.h, and it compiled properly :D

[Bachstelze]

There is no sys/types.h in Linux, it is a BSD thing I think (I have it on OS X).

[dante.signal31]

It may come from BSD world, but now it's not exclusive from there.

As far as I know, doing a "dpkg-query -S /usr/include/sys/types.h", that header is provided by libc6-dev package from Ubuntu repositories.

[Bachstelze]

firas@itsuki ~ % dpkg-query -S /usr/include/sys/types.h
dpkg-query: no path found matching pattern /usr/include/sys/types.h.

[dante.signal31]

Try to install libc6-dev package and run command again...

[dante.signal31]

Dpkg-query works over files already present in your system.

If you have not installed a package its files are not registered in the database dpkg-query uses.

[Bachstelze]

*sigh*


firas@itsuki ~ % dpkg -l | grep libc6-dev
ii libc6-dev 2.13-20ubuntu5 Embedded GNU C Library: Development Libraries and Header Files
firas@itsuki ~ % dpkg-query -S /usr/include/sys/types.h
dpkg-query: no path found matching pattern /usr/include/sys/types.h.

I know how dpkg-query works, thank you very much.

[dante.signal31]

It's strange ... maybe its a problem with libc6-dev package version. Mine has that header, look:



@Camelot:~$ dpkg-query -S /usr/include/sys/types.h
libc6-dev: /usr/include/sys/types.h
@Camelot:~$ dpkg -L libc6-dev | grep types.h
/usr/include/bits/ioctl-types.h
/usr/include/bits/pthreadtypes.h
/usr/include/bits/types.h
/usr/include/bits/xtitypes.h
/usr/include/bits/ipctypes.h
/usr/include/sys/bitypes.h
/usr/include/sys/types.h
/usr/include/nl_types.h
/usr/include/rpc/types.h
/usr/include/inttypes.h
@Camelot:~$ dpkg -l | grep libc6-dev
ii libc6-dev 2.13-0ubuntu13 Embedded GNU C Library: Development Libraries and Header Files
@Camelot:~$ uname -a
Linux Camelot 2.6.38-13-generic-pae #52-Ubuntu SMP Tue Nov 8 17:50:45 UTC 2011 i686 athlon i386 GNU/Linux
@Camelot:~$ cat /etc/issue
Ubuntu 11.04 \n \l

I don't know why you have not that header but mine comes from that package as you can see.

[Bachstelze]

If you are not using the latest version of Ubuntu, say so. ;) Unless otherwise stated, I always assume the latest version.

[Bachstelze]

So I guess "there's no sys/types.h in Linux" was a bit of a stretch, but it certainly isn't available on all distros. Now I'm not sure why it couldn't be found on your system if you have it, though...

[dante.signal31]

It looks new versions of package relocate these headers but they are still present.

Libc6-dev in Ubuntu 11.04 installs (among others) these headers:


@Camelot:~$ dpkg -L libc6-dev | grep "/sys/" | sort
/usr/include/sys/acct.h
/usr/include/sys/bitypes.h
/usr/include/sys/cdefs.h
/usr/include/sys/debugreg.h
/usr/include/sys/dir.h
/usr/include/sys/elf.h
/usr/include/sys/epoll.h
/usr/include/sys/errno.h
/usr/include/sys/eventfd.h
/usr/include/sys/fanotify.h
/usr/include/sys/fcntl.h
/usr/include/sys/file.h
/usr/include/sys/fsuid.h
/usr/include/sys/gmon.h
/usr/include/sys/gmon_out.h
/usr/include/sys/inotify.h
/usr/include/sys/ioctl.h
/usr/include/sys/io.h
/usr/include/sys/ipc.h
/usr/include/sys/kdaemon.h
/usr/include/sys/kd.h
/usr/include/sys/klog.h
/usr/include/sys/mman.h
/usr/include/sys/mount.h
/usr/include/sys/msg.h
/usr/include/sys/mtio.h
/usr/include/sys/param.h
/usr/include/sys/pci.h
/usr/include/sys/perm.h
/usr/include/sys/personality.h
/usr/include/sys/poll.h
/usr/include/sys/prctl.h
/usr/include/sys/procfs.h
/usr/include/sys/profil.h
/usr/include/sys/ptrace.h
/usr/include/sys/queue.h
/usr/include/sys/quota.h
/usr/include/sys/raw.h
/usr/include/sys/reboot.h
/usr/include/sys/reg.h
/usr/include/sys/resource.h
/usr/include/sys/select.h
/usr/include/sys/sem.h
/usr/include/sys/sendfile.h
/usr/include/sys/shm.h
/usr/include/sys/signalfd.h
/usr/include/sys/signal.h
/usr/include/sys/socket.h
/usr/include/sys/socketvar.h
/usr/include/sys/soundcard.h
/usr/include/sys/statfs.h
/usr/include/sys/stat.h
/usr/include/sys/statvfs.h
/usr/include/sys/stropts.h
/usr/include/sys/swap.h
/usr/include/sys/syscall.h
/usr/include/sys/sysctl.h
/usr/include/sys/sysinfo.h
/usr/include/sys/syslog.h
/usr/include/sys/sysmacros.h
/usr/include/sys/termios.h
/usr/include/sys/timeb.h
/usr/include/sys/time.h
/usr/include/sys/timerfd.h
/usr/include/sys/times.h
/usr/include/sys/timex.h
/usr/include/sys/ttychars.h
/usr/include/sys/ttydefaults.h
/usr/include/sys/types.h
/usr/include/sys/ucontext.h
/usr/include/sys/uio.h
/usr/include/sys/ultrasound.h
/usr/include/sys/un.h
/usr/include/sys/unistd.h
/usr/include/sys/user.h
/usr/include/sys/ustat.h
/usr/include/sys/utsname.h
/usr/include/sys/vfs.h
/usr/include/sys/vlimit.h
/usr/include/sys/vm86.h
/usr/include/sys/vt.h
/usr/include/sys/vtimes.h
/usr/include/sys/wait.h
/usr/include/sys/xattr.h

If you read content of libc6-package in Ubuntu 11.10 (for instance in: http://packages.ubuntu.com/oneiric/i386/libc6-dev/filelist) you'll see that those headers are relocated under "/usr/include/i386-linux-gnu" subdir:


/usr/include/i386-linux-gnu/sys/acct.h
/usr/include/i386-linux-gnu/sys/bitypes.h
/usr/include/i386-linux-gnu/sys/cdefs.h
/usr/include/i386-linux-gnu/sys/debugreg.h
/usr/include/i386-linux-gnu/sys/dir.h
/usr/include/i386-linux-gnu/sys/elf.h
/usr/include/i386-linux-gnu/sys/epoll.h
/usr/include/i386-linux-gnu/sys/errno.h
/usr/include/i386-linux-gnu/sys/eventfd.h
/usr/include/i386-linux-gnu/sys/fanotify.h
/usr/include/i386-linux-gnu/sys/fcntl.h
/usr/include/i386-linux-gnu/sys/file.h
/usr/include/i386-linux-gnu/sys/fsuid.h
/usr/include/i386-linux-gnu/sys/gmon.h
/usr/include/i386-linux-gnu/sys/gmon_out.h
/usr/include/i386-linux-gnu/sys/inotify.h
/usr/include/i386-linux-gnu/sys/io.h
/usr/include/i386-linux-gnu/sys/ioctl.h
/usr/include/i386-linux-gnu/sys/ipc.h
/usr/include/i386-linux-gnu/sys/kd.h
/usr/include/i386-linux-gnu/sys/kdaemon.h
/usr/include/i386-linux-gnu/sys/klog.h
/usr/include/i386-linux-gnu/sys/mman.h
/usr/include/i386-linux-gnu/sys/mount.h
/usr/include/i386-linux-gnu/sys/msg.h
/usr/include/i386-linux-gnu/sys/mtio.h
/usr/include/i386-linux-gnu/sys/param.h
/usr/include/i386-linux-gnu/sys/pci.h
/usr/include/i386-linux-gnu/sys/perm.h
/usr/include/i386-linux-gnu/sys/personality.h
/usr/include/i386-linux-gnu/sys/poll.h
/usr/include/i386-linux-gnu/sys/prctl.h
/usr/include/i386-linux-gnu/sys/procfs.h
/usr/include/i386-linux-gnu/sys/profil.h
/usr/include/i386-linux-gnu/sys/ptrace.h
/usr/include/i386-linux-gnu/sys/queue.h
/usr/include/i386-linux-gnu/sys/quota.h
/usr/include/i386-linux-gnu/sys/raw.h
/usr/include/i386-linux-gnu/sys/reboot.h
/usr/include/i386-linux-gnu/sys/reg.h
/usr/include/i386-linux-gnu/sys/resource.h
/usr/include/i386-linux-gnu/sys/select.h
/usr/include/i386-linux-gnu/sys/sem.h
/usr/include/i386-linux-gnu/sys/sendfile.h
/usr/include/i386-linux-gnu/sys/shm.h
/usr/include/i386-linux-gnu/sys/signal.h
/usr/include/i386-linux-gnu/sys/signalfd.h
/usr/include/i386-linux-gnu/sys/socket.h
/usr/include/i386-linux-gnu/sys/socketvar.h
/usr/include/i386-linux-gnu/sys/soundcard.h
/usr/include/i386-linux-gnu/sys/stat.h
/usr/include/i386-linux-gnu/sys/statfs.h
/usr/include/i386-linux-gnu/sys/statvfs.h
/usr/include/i386-linux-gnu/sys/stropts.h
/usr/include/i386-linux-gnu/sys/swap.h
/usr/include/i386-linux-gnu/sys/syscall.h
/usr/include/i386-linux-gnu/sys/sysctl.h
/usr/include/i386-linux-gnu/sys/sysinfo.h
/usr/include/i386-linux-gnu/sys/syslog.h
/usr/include/i386-linux-gnu/sys/sysmacros.h
/usr/include/i386-linux-gnu/sys/termios.h
/usr/include/i386-linux-gnu/sys/time.h
/usr/include/i386-linux-gnu/sys/timeb.h
/usr/include/i386-linux-gnu/sys/timerfd.h
/usr/include/i386-linux-gnu/sys/times.h
/usr/include/i386-linux-gnu/sys/timex.h
/usr/include/i386-linux-gnu/sys/ttychars.h
/usr/include/i386-linux-gnu/sys/ttydefaults.h
/usr/include/i386-linux-gnu/sys/types.h
/usr/include/i386-linux-gnu/sys/ucontext.h
/usr/include/i386-linux-gnu/sys/uio.h
/usr/include/i386-linux-gnu/sys/ultrasound.h
/usr/include/i386-linux-gnu/sys/un.h
/usr/include/i386-linux-gnu/sys/unistd.h
/usr/include/i386-linux-gnu/sys/user.h
/usr/include/i386-linux-gnu/sys/ustat.h
/usr/include/i386-linux-gnu/sys/utsname.h
/usr/include/i386-linux-gnu/sys/vfs.h
/usr/include/i386-linux-gnu/sys/vlimit.h
/usr/include/i386-linux-gnu/sys/vm86.h
/usr/include/i386-linux-gnu/sys/vt.h
/usr/include/i386-linux-gnu/sys/vtimes.h
/usr/include/i386-linux-gnu/sys/wait.h
/usr/include/i386-linux-gnu/sys/xattr.h

Look at that subdir, surely you'll find it there.