Bug 85045 – ALSA is already compiled into the kernel, can't emerge alsa

• Status: RESOLVED INVALID
• Product: Gentoo Linux

[Description gunix 2005-03-13 00:26:13 UTC]

I do emerge -uDv gnome and I get

>>> emerge (4 of 30) media-sound/alsa-driver-1.0.8 to /
>>> md5 src_uri ;-) alsa-driver-1.0.8.tar.bz2
 * Determining the location of the kernel source code
 * Found kernel source directory:
 *     /usr/src/linux
 * Found sources for kernel version:
 *     2.6.10
 * Checking for suitable kernel configuration options
 *   ALSA is already compiled into the kernel.
 * Please check to make sure these options are set correctly.
 * Once you have satisfied these options, please try merging
 * this package again.

!!! ERROR: media-sound/alsa-driver-1.0.8 failed.
!!! Function check_extra_config, Line 439, Exitcode 0
!!! Incorrect kernel configuration options

uname -a
Linux evil 2.6.10 #2 Sat Mar 12 14:42:14 CET 2005 i686 AMD Athlon(tm) XP 2600+ AuthenticAMD GNU/Linux

I have alsa in my USE flags.

Sound is compiled as module in the kernel.
What's wrong?

Reproducible: Always
Steps to Reproduce:
1.
2.
3.

[Comment 1 Frank van de Pol (RETIRED) 2005-03-13 06:55:19 UTC]

The linux kernels have the ALSA embedded, allowing you the compile the ALSA drivers out-of-the-box as part of your kernel. However, there is some lag between the ALSA developments and synchronisation to the kernel tree causing the ALSA in the kernel to be a bit behind. Since it is imporant to have a consistent set of alsa-driver, libs, headers etc. a safeguard has been introduced to avoid people installing a mixed configuration of ALSA in kernel with the other ALSA packages.

Please compile your kernel with coresound enabled and alsa disabled. I've included an excerpt of my kernel .config below to illustrate the options needed. 

Can you please provide feedback if this fixes your problem, and possibly advise of a way how we can make this error message more understandable - I can imagine that there are more folks around gazing with big eyes at the message you got :-)



#
# Sound
#
CONFIG_SOUND=y

#
# Advanced Linux Sound Architecture
#
# CONFIG_SND is not set

#
# Open Sound System
#
# CONFIG_SOUND_PRIME is not set

[Comment 2 Jakub Moc (RETIRED) 2005-03-13 07:14:33 UTC]

Well, this does not seem to be a sane requirement to me. You are forcing people to recompile kernel to be able to install desktop environment? Uh, this has really gone too far. :-/

[Comment 3 Jakub Moc (RETIRED) 2005-03-15 02:38:14 UTC]

Also - see Bug 27746 

Actually, running 

USE="alsa" emerge -etpv gnome | grep alsa-driver

did not show even a single dependency on media-sound/alsa-driver, so I am not really sure where exactly this "safeguard" is coming from. Something is wrong here.

[Comment 4 Jeremy Huddleston (RETIRED) 2005-03-21 15:00:40 UTC]

no, we're requiring that you don't use the in-kernel alsa drivers if you want to use the out-of-kernel ones.

[Comment 5 Jakub Moc (RETIRED) 2005-03-22 01:08:31 UTC]

Jeremy, I don

[Comment 6 Jakub Moc (RETIRED) 2005-03-22 01:08:31 UTC]

Jeremy, I don´t understand your comment at all. Obviously the guy who submitted the bug does NOT want to use out-of-kernel alsa drivers - but he is unable to use the kernel ones b/c it is required somewhere (I was not able to find out) to have media-sound/alsa-driver to be able to emerge Gnome. 

Where is the "safeguard" that Frank was talking about coming from (Comment #1)?

Please reopen. 

[Comment 7 Jeremy Huddleston (RETIRED) 2005-03-22 02:44:33 UTC]

media-sound/alsa-driver is never DEPENDed on directly.  virtual/alsa is depended on, and it is provided by the 2.6 kernels in portage...

[Comment 8 Jeremy Huddleston (RETIRED) 2005-03-22 02:46:01 UTC]

gunix: Pleasse update your version of portage if you're not using the latest... maybe there's a bug in your version so it's not discovering the virtual provided by your kernel.

[Comment 9 gunix 2005-03-22 04:44:42 UTC]

I have recompiled my kernel with the suggested settings, and alsa seems to emerge fine.