[linux-laptop] PCMCIA SRAM card and memory_cs module

[John O'Hagan]

John O'Hagan wrote:

> > Hi all,
> >
> > I am running a Debian-testing based (Mepis) system with a custom 2.6.10
> > kernel. I am using the kernel PCMCIA support. When I insert an SRAM card
> > it is identified by cardinfo as "anonymous memory", for which
> > /etc/pcmcia/config is set up to load the memory_cs module, which does not
> > exist in 2.6.10 as far as I can tell; so modprobe reports an error and
> > exits.
> >
> > I have tried changing the module binding to a module that exists, but
> > this is reported as a PCMCIA error and also fails.
> >
> > Is the config file pointing to an obsolete module?


Patrick Van der Wel wrote:

> I have had problems with a similar error for my PCMCIA WLAN card before.
> Also reporting the memory_cs module. I was not able to find a very elegant
> solution but came across something on the web that at least worked.
>
> I devised the following shell script:
>
> #!/bin/bash
> cardctl eject
> killall cardmgr
> cardmgr
> cardctl insert
> sleep 2
> cardctl info
> iwconfig atml0 essid etc.....
> dhcpcd atml0
> ping www.cnn.com


Thankyou Patrick for your tip, but unfortunately it did not change the error; 
the memory_cs module was still unsuccessfully called.

I would now like to try building the stand-alone PCMCIA modules from source to 
see if that helps; however I now find that the module build fails. According 
to the build log it fails because PCMCIA support is not enabled in the kernel 
- however it is enabled!

Even stranger, according to the PCMCIA how-to and the read-me, these modules 
will only be built if CONFIG_PCMCIA is disabled. I tried this, with the same 
build error.

A further source of confusion is that the PCMCIA module is only one sub-item 
of the PCMCIA_CORE module configuration item; which makes me wonder if it is 
in fact this item which needs to be disabled.

So my question is: what kernel config. requirements apply to building PCMCIA 
modules from source? (I have a 2.6.11 kernel now, on a Debian system).

Thanks,

John O'Hagan