PCMCIA howto for laptops

1. Since Vector Linux does not come with the linux
source code, it must be installed on the notebook
computer. I downloaded the 2.4.25 kernel from
http://www.kernel.org

2. Install PCMCIA driver on the notebook. This may
be obtained at http://pcmcia-cs.sourceforge.net I
used pcmcia-cs-3.2.3

3. The linux kernel especially would not fit on a
floppy disk. Without a working network card,
installing such large files is problematic. I was
able to burn them (linux-2.4.20.tar.bz2 and
pcmcia-cs-3.2.3.tar.gz) on to a CD and install them
from the notebook's CD-ROM drive.

4. Install and unpack both the linux kernel and the
PCMCIA driver in /usr/src Change directory to
/usr/src/linux or /usr/src/linux-2.4.20 Run make
menuconfig. Configure the kernel appropriately for
your computer. The two important things with regard
to the PCMCIA Ethernet card, in General
Setup/PCMCIA/CardBus Support say "no" to
PCMCIA/CardBus support. As the none of the ethernet
drivers in the kernel will be used, save some memory
by saying "no" to any Ethernet drivers in "Network
device support".

5. Once the kernel has been configured, build the
kernel using "make dep; make clean; make BzImage; make
modules; make modules_install".

6. Install the kernel using "cp -u
/usr/src/linux/arch/i386/boot/bzImage
/boot/vmlinuz-new". Then configure "LILO" or "Grub"
to point to "vmlinuz-new".

7. Reboot the computer using "vmlinuz-new". Change
directory to /usr/src/pcmcia-cs-3.2.3 Again,
instructions for this may be found at
http://pcmcia-cs.sourceforge.net Type "./configure"
and answer the questions appropriately. Then type
"make" and then "make install". The "pcmcia-cs"
driver will now be installed as a module under the
2.4.20 module library. Complete rebuilds of the
kernel will erase (make clean) this module and "make
install" will have to be run from the
/usr/src/pcmcia-cs-3.2.3 directory. The installation
of the PCMCIA module has to be done as root.

8. Configure "/etc/pcmcia/network.opts" The lines I
changed for use with my notebook on my home
IP-Masquarade network are
BOOTP="n"
DHCP="n"
IPADDR="192.168.1.3"
NETMASK="255.255.255.0"
NETWORK="192.168.1.0"
BROADCAST="192.168.1.255"
DOMAIN="home.org"
DNS_1="208.180.118.2"
DNS_2="208.180.0.2"
These values will be different for you particular
computer on your particular network.

9. Use "vasm" to setup your network and get your
PCMCIA card to come up at boot.

10. Assuming the everything is configured, built, and
installed properly (and I didn't forget anything), you
should be able to reboot the computer with the new
kernel (vmlinuz-new) and have the PCMCIA Ethernet card
come up automagically. The card may not actually come
on until you try to access the network. Try "ping
158.135.10.9" and see of that works. If so, try "ping
rainbow.uchicago.edu". If that works, you are in
business.

11. If you run into problems, there are some
utilities in /usr/src/pcmcia-cs-3.2.3/debug-tools
"test_setup" and "test_network" can be very useful.
Again refer to the "PCMCIA HOWTO" for more detailed
information.