Module Loading Causing Reboots (long)

[RTAI-vesuvio/CVS;  COMEDI-CVS; linux-2.6.8.1-adeos]

Some of you who are following my "fun" know that I was eventually able
to successfully load all req'd RTAI and COMEDI modules and
read/display the low-order bit of the NI DIO subdevice.  This has been
working for a couple of days.

Now, I can't even load "comedi.ko" without causing the system to
reboot ... here are the important commands in a script I wrote, 
'insall' (install all):

   cd /usr/realtime/modules
   sudo insmod rtai_hal.ko

   cd /lib/modules/2.6.8.1-adeos/comedi
   sudo insmod comedi.ko
   sudo insmod 8255.ko
   sudo insmod mite.ko
   sudo insmod comedi_fc.ko
   
   cd /usr/realtime/modules
   sudo insmod rtai_up.ko
   sudo insmod rtai_fifos.ko
   
   cd /lib/modules/2.6.8.1-adeos/comedi
   sudo insmod ni_pcimio.ko
   sudo insmod kcomedilib.ko
   
   comedi_config /dev/comedi0 ni_pcimio

Running this script has -- even this morning -- successfully installed
all the modules.  But now, as I said above, it repeatedly reboots on
the attempt to install the second module, "comedi.ko".  Other times it
reboots on the next to the last 'insmod' (ni_pcimio.ko). Inconsistent
at best.

Thinking it might be timing related, I inserted a "sleep 1" after each
'insmod'.  That didn't help.  I've also manually enter the above with
similar results.

I'm wondering if "/etc/init.d/hotplug" doesn't have something to do
with my problems.  During boots, it *tries* to install some of the
COMEDI modules, but fails with "unknown symbol" errors (both RTAI and
COMEDI externs).  Here's an excerpt from 'dmesg':

   comedi: Unknown symbol rt_request_srq
   comedi: Unknown symbol rtai_domain
   comedi: Unknown symbol rt_release_irq
   ... ... ... ...
   8255: Unknown symbol comedi_buf_put
   8255: Unknown symbol comedi_event
   ... ... ... ...
   Available NI device IDs: 0x1170
   comedi_fc: Unknown symbol comedi_buf_read_free
   comedi_fc: Unknown symbol comedi_buf_write_alloc
   ... ... ... ...
   ni_pcimio: Unknown symbol cfc_write_array_to_buffer
   ni_pcimio: Unknown symbol comedi_buf_read_free
   ... ... ... ...
   ni_pcimio: Unknown symbol comedi_error
   
Something, I believe it is 'hotplug', does successfully install
ide_cd, cdrom, and mite along with nfs, lockd, sunrpc, and piix .  I
tried to find the "config file" that's doing this, but couldn't.

The other possibility, of course, is hardware failure. I'm now going
to swap hard drives with another machine.  Even if that is the cause,
I still would like to understand what 'hotplug' is doing.


In summary: how can I get all of the above modules to be automatically
loaded -- without reboots?  ;-)   What's the "right way"?

I am -- and fourteen of my students are --  most interested in
your comments!
-- 
Prof Kenneth H Jacker       khj_at_cs.appstate.edu
Computer Science Dept       www.cs.appstate.edu/~khj
Appalachian State Univ
Boone, NC  28608  USA

Received on 2005-03-02Z23:03:20