New developer to linux and ath5k, request for assistance :)

New developer to linux and ath5k, request for assistance :)

[Ray]

Hi fellow developers,

I have just started to look into Linux and would like to get my hands dirty with the ATH5k development.

As of now, I have installed Ubuntu LTS 10.04 and some software packages I believe would be necessary for development (i.e. Build-essentials, linux-libc-dev and linux-source-2.6.32). The next step I suppose is to download the ATH5k source and start to look into the codes. But I have several questions in mind and would appreciate if some of you can shed me some light and point me to the right direction.

I understand that this version is Ubuntu already comes with ATH5k installed by default. My understanding is that I have to first disable it and then download the ATH5K source off the internet and work on the downloaded copy instead. In that case, may I know how can I unload the default ATH5K from Ubuntu? I tried using the blacklist method as suggested by some folks in a forum but I am wondering if that will effectively blacklist my home-brewed ATH5K as a result subsequently.

Lastly, may I know if theres any online guide on how do I get started with ATH5K development for a new developer who has little Linux experience? I'm a relatively quick learner, so if theres an online guide somewhere, I should be able to follow it through and hopefully get up to speed quickly.

Thanks for reading and I appreciate all the help I can get. Cheers! :)


Best,
Simon

Re: New developer to linux and ath5k, request for assistance :)

[Holger Schurig]

> The next step I suppose is to download the ATH5k source and start to look
> into the codes. But I have several questions in mind and would appreciate if
> some of you can shed me some light and point me to the right direction.

Go and visit

http://wireless.kernel.org/

There's a large section there for "Developers".


You don't download the source of ath5k. Instead, you download the source of 
Linux, it contains the source of ath5k. The best option is to use the 
wireless-testing tree. More info about that on the above mentioned web page.


> I understand that this version is Ubuntu already comes with ATH5k installed
> by default.

For any serious linux kernel hacking you need to learn how to work without a 
Distribution supplied kernel. Basically, you want to load and run your own 
kernel on your distribution. Forget about all the Distribution supplied 
things. At least this is what I make, your mileage may vary. I personally get 
the "vanilla" or "wireless-testing" source tree via git, do a "make xconfig" 
or similar, and then a "make && make install". Now I reboot into this kernel, 
look if everything works still, and maybe do one more iteration. I keep the 
distro-supplied kernel just for reference, or in case I make something 
horribly. then I reboot into the distro-kernel via the grub menu.

Later, when you have your wireless-kernel up & running, you simply do "make && 
make modules_install", remove all old modules and reload the new modules, 
without booting into new kernels. I have made my own custom scripts for that.


I'm assuming you already know "Linux Device Drivers 3", available as paper-
book and in the web?  And also http://kernelnewbies.org?



Which parts of ath5k do you want to modify?