Re: Hardware Configuration on DSL

From: prg (rdgentry1_at_cablelynx.com)
Date: 04/14/05 

Date: 14 Apr 2005 07:28:54 -0700

johnny bobby bee wrote:
> Mike Mol wrote:
>
> > I'd suggest trying the "Generic ESS ES18xx driver"
>
> root@ubulin-shine:/home/ubudeshine # modprobe -l|grep es18xx
> /lib/modules/2.6.10-5-386/kernel/sound/isa/snd-es18xx.ko
>
> root@ubulin-shine:/home/ubudeshine # modprobe snd-es18xx
> FATAL: Error inserting snd_es18xx
> (/lib/modules/2.6.10-5-386/kernel/sound/isa/snd-es18xx.ko): No such
device
> FATAL: Error running install command for snd_es18xx

IIRC, this is the problem I had and never bothered to work out;(

> > and "Ensoniq SoundScape PnP driver" options under ALSA's ISA
drivers catagory.
> >
>
> where do you configure this?
>
> > Let us know if any of them work. Seems like a historically
recurring
> > issue. :)
> >
>
> errors modprobing ex18xx. not sure why.
> should i just give up?

I don't think modprobe works with these built-in chips -- not sure why
as I'm not all that demanding if I even have sound on a computer;)

Not sure that Debian based systems have a ready installation solution
for these legacy cards/chips. Doing it by hand is a pain, afaict, from
hand installations by students at school lab.

RH/FC1 and Mandrake (rpm distros) apparently still have available the
old sndconfig rpm that will set up these cards. 2.6 kernels? It's
what I ended up using on this old Presario PII350 at home. Never got
the Alsa drivers to work. Probably no one ever bothered getting all
the legacy cards worked out --- why bother:(

These are supported with the old OSS drivers/interface which, IIRC, are
included with the Alsa packages.

If you do get on an rpm based distro, you can go here and locate an rpm
if one is not included on the CD images:
http://rpm.pbone.net/index.php3/stat/2/simple/2
and search for:
sndconfig

It's an ncurses (seems) app that you run as root from an xterm/console.
from rpm -qi sndconfig:
Packager : Red Hat, Inc. <http://bugzilla.redhat.com/bugzilla>
Summary : The Red Hat Linux configuration tool for legacy sound
cards.
Description :
Sndconfig is a text based tool that sets up the configuration files
you will need to use legacy sound cards (ISA, non-PnP) with a Red Hat
Linux
system. Sndconfig can be used to set the proper sound type for programs
that use the /dev/dsp, /dev/audio, and /dev/mixer devices. The sound
settings are saved by the aumix and sysV runlevel scripts.

For what it's worth:
$ /sbin/lspci
00:00.0 Host bridge: Intel Corp. 440BX/ZX/DX - 82443BX/ZX/DX Host
bridge (rev 0
2)
00:01.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corp. 440BX/ZX/DX - 82443BX/ZX/DX AGP bridge
(rev 02)
00:03.0 Serial controller: Rockwell International HCF 56k Data/Fax
Modem (rev 0
1)
00:05.0 Ethernet controller: Digital Equipment Corporation DECchip
21142/43 (re
v 41)
00:14.0 ISA bridge: Intel Corp. 82371AB/EB/MB PIIX4 ISA (rev 02)
00:14.1 IDE interface: Intel Corp. 82371AB/EB/MB PIIX4 IDE (rev 01)
00:14.2 USB Controller: Intel Corp. 82371AB/EB/MB PIIX4 USB (rev 01)
00:14.3 Bridge: Intel Corp. 82371AB/EB/MB PIIX4 ACPI (rev 02)
01:00.0 VGA compatible controller: ATI Technologies Inc 3D Rage LT Pro
AGP-133
(rev dc)

Note no audio listed ... Also:

$ /sbin/lsmod
Module Size Used by Not tainted
... [snipped]
sb 9236 0
sb_lib 44718 0 [sb]
uart401 8420 0 [sb_lib]
sound 74196 0 [sb_lib uart401]
soundcore 6500 4 [sb_lib sound]
... [snipped]

Running sndconfig... [best viewed with fixed pitch font]

# sndconfig
First screen probes for card/chip and gives...
+-----------¦ Probe Results
+------------+
| ¦
            ¦ |
¦ No PnP or PCI sound cards were found ¦
¦ in your system. Please select your ¦
¦ card type from the following list. ¦

Next screen:

+----------------------------¦
Card Type
+-----------------------------+
¦
 ¦
¦ Please select your card:
 ¦
¦
 ¦
¦ Crystal CS4281 ¦
   ¦
¦ Ensoniq AudioPCI 1370 (SoundBlaster 64/128 PCI) ¦
   ¦
¦ Creative/Ensoniq AudioPCI 1371 #
 ¦
¦ Ensoniq SoundScape ¦
   ¦
¦ Ensoniq SoundScape VIVO ¦
   ¦
¦ ESS688 AudioDrive ¦
   ¦
¦ ESS1688 AudioDrive ¦
   ¦
¦ ESS1868 AudioDrive <<<<< this is the one;) ¦
   ¦

Next is the manual set up. Be sure it's the same as your XP settings.

+----------------¦ Card Settings
+-----------------+
¦ ¦
¦ Please adjust the settings below to match the ¦
¦ dip switch settings on your sound card. ¦
¦ (No dip switches, obviously;) ¦
¦ I/O PORT IRQ DMA MPU I/O ¦
¦ ¦
¦ +-------+ +-------+
+-------+ +-------+ ¦
¦ ¦*0x220*¦ ¦ *5* ¦ ¦ 0 ¦ ¦*0x330*¦
¦
¦ ¦ 0x230 ¦ ¦ 7 ¦ ¦ *1* ¦ ¦ 0x300 ¦
¦
¦ +-------+ +-------+
+-------+ +-------+ ¦
¦ ¦

Then the sound test ... [fingers crossed]:

+-----------¦ Sound Card Test
+-----------+
¦ ¦
¦ A sound sample will now be played to ¦
¦ determine if your sound card has been ¦
¦ correctly configured. ¦

Whoopie, it works... Now to write settings:

+-------------¦ File Exists
+-------------+
¦ ¦
¦ There is already a file called ¦
¦ /etc/modules.conf. The existing file ¦
¦ will be renamed /etc/modules.conf.bak ¦
¦ and a new file will be written. ¦

Heres's mine just written :

alias parport_lowlevel parport_pc
alias eth0 tulip
alias usb-controller usb-uhci

[Sound stuff below... help with Alsa drivers?]

alias sound-slot-0 sb
post-install sound-slot-0 /bin/aumix-minimal -f /etc/.aumixrc -L
>/dev/null 2>&1 || :
pre-remove sound-slot-0 /bin/aumix-minimal -f /etc/.aumixrc -S
>/dev/null 2>&1 || :
options sound dmabuf=1
alias synth0 opl3
options opl3 io=0x388
options sb io=0x220 irq=5 dma=1 mpu_io=0x330

Works better than I thought, but the mouse signals bleed through as a
buzz. And you may occassionally get complaints on boot about the sb
module, but it seems harmless.

hth,
prg

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