kernel source

[andrewdied]

I tried to install VirtualBox 2.0.2, but it needs the kernel sources to compile a piece. I didn't see kernel sources in package manager when I searched for "kernel". Does anyone know what that package is called? (Yeah, I'm sure there are variants.) I'm runing 64 bit ubuntu 8.04 on a serval performance laptop.

Thanks for the help.

[gaussian]

I think it suffices to install linux-headers-generic. You typically don't need the actual source unless you want to recompile the kernel.

[Yannick Le Saint kyncani]

And the kernel sources package is linux-source.

[thomasaaron]

I did not have to do all of that to install Virtual Box. I just downloaded the .deb from Sun and installed it. It took care of everything else.

I've installed it from the Repos the same way (however, the one from the repos did not support USB, so I went to Sun's version).

[andrewdied]

I did not have to do all of that to install Virtual Box. I just downloaded the .deb from Sun and installed it. It took care of everything else.

I've installed it from the Repos the same way (however, the one from the repos did not support USB, so I went to Sun's version).

Huh. I downloaded the 2.0.2 deb file, but I get this error:

VirtualBox will not start until this problem is fixed. Please consult /var/log/vbox-install.log to find out why the kernel module does not compile. Most probably the kernel sources were not found. Install them and execute

/etc/init.d/vboxdrv setup

as root.


andrew@ubuntu:~$ cat /var/log/vbox-install.log
Makefile:142: *** Error: unable to find the sources of your current Linux kernel. Specify KERN_DIR=<directory> and run Make again. Stop.


So I'm doing something a little funky somewhere. I'll look around and see what it is --maybe export a variable or something.

[thomasaaron]

try...

sudo apt-get install linux-source-2.6.24
sudo /etc/init.d/vboxdrv setup

[andrewdied]

try...

sudo apt-get install linux-source-2.6.24
sudo /etc/init.d/vboxdrv setup

andrew@ubuntu:~$ cat /var/log/vbox-install.log
Makefile:142: *** Error: unable to find the sources of your current Linux kernel. Specify KERN_DIR=<directory> and run Make again. Stop.
andrew@ubuntu:~$ export KRN_DIR=/usr/src/linux-headers-2.6.24-19
linux-headers-2.6.24-19/ linux-headers-2.6.24-19-generic/
andrew@ubuntu:~$ export KRN_DIR=/usr/src/linux-headers-2.6.24-19
andrew@ubuntu:~$ sudo /etc/init.d/vboxdrv setup
* Stopping VirtualBox kernel module * done.
* Recompiling VirtualBox kernel module
* Look at /var/log/vbox-install.log to find out what went wrong
andrew@ubuntu:~$ cat /var/log/vbox-install.log
Makefile:142: *** Error: unable to find the sources of your current Linux kernel. Specify KERN_DIR=<directory> and run Make again. Stop.

I also tried the generic headers.

andrew@ubuntu:~$ export KERN_DIR=/usr/src/linux-headers-2.6.24-19-generic/
andrew@ubuntu:~$ sudo /etc/init.d/vboxdrv setup
* Stopping VirtualBox kernel module * done.
* Recompiling VirtualBox kernel module
* Look at /var/log/vbox-install.log to find out what went wrong
andrew@ubuntu:~$ cat /var/log/vbox-install.log
Makefile:142: *** Error: unable to find the sources of your current Linux kernel. Specify KERN_DIR=<directory> and run Make again. Stop.


I must be missing something obvious. I have the .26 linux-headers installed in the package manager, though.

[andrewdied]

Figured out part. I'm running 2.26.24-17, but the latest package I have installed is 2.26.24-19. Of course, -17 is the one set of headers I don't have installed.

How do I get ubuntu to use the later kernel version? I'm really clueless with ubuntu. I'd figured out the voodoo on slackware 3.0 back in the day, but the easy things mystify me now.

[gaussian]

Figured out part. I'm running 2.26.24-17, but the latest package I have installed is 2.26.24-19. Of course, -17 is the one set of headers I don't have installed.

How do I get ubuntu to use the later kernel version? I'm really clueless with ubuntu. I'd figured out the voodoo on slackware 3.0 back in the day, but the easy things mystify me now.

Install linux-image-generic and linux-headers-generic, they will point to the latest stable version always.

[andrewdied]

I already have those two packages installed. Is it ok to force a reinstall of those packages?