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Gofastmotorsports > Categories > Computer and USB Satellite Receivers and Recording > Possible to automatically recompile TBS drivers after Linux kernel update?
 
 


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tv21

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Posted Reply with quote  #1 
Hi.  The only thing I really dislike about TBS cards is that the drivers have to be recompiled every time there is a Linux kernel update.  I'm surprised that neither TBS nor anyone else has ever come up with a simple install/upgrade script for TBS drivers.  Then again TBS doesn't make it easy, for example unlike some other projects there's no single link that I know of where you can always get the current version of the drivers, instead you have to specify the version date in the link.

I was reading another forum and someone suggested that it might be possible to use dkms to automatically recompile the TBS drivers at every kernel update, but they didn't get down to the specifics of how that might be done.  All they said was that there was an online example of how to do it, which is clear as mud, and that you'd "make a dkms.conf file, then sudo dkms add -m module -version bla...".  IF this would work, it probably only would work on Debian or Ubuntu based systems.

On several occasions i have put off installing kernel updates so as to not have to recompile the drivers, but this would might that problem if there were clear instructions showing how.  Has anyone else has heard of dkms?  Could be used this way, or did the guy who made that comment not know what he was talking about?
andyinyakima

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Posted Reply with quote  #2 
tv21,

if your using Linux you should be using the v4l-updatelee kernel.

The rewards you get for using that kernel are far greater than anything TBS drivers have to offer.

Also v4l-updatelee kernel has been ported to the Raspberry Pi, although you are limited to USB devices at this time.
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andyinyakima
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Recs: TBS6983, TBS5925 __ Ant: 90cm on SG6100__OSes: Linux with v4l-updatelee drivers __ RPi2 with v4l-updatelee drivers

Open Book, Open Source, You have to Open it to Know what's in it!
bluzee

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Posted Reply with quote  #3 
That is the purpose of dkms. Nvidia uses dkms to automatically compile their kernel module after a kernel upgrade.   TBS drivers don't just install one driver module though, they install the whole media tree.  I seriously doubt dkms could be set up to reinstall TBS drivers automatically after a kernel upgrade.

Because TBS drivers install the whole tree they can cause problems with drivers for other adapters you may have in you machine.  The TBS package may actually delete some drivers if they don't include them in their tree.

As long as TBS refuses to allow drivers for their devices into mainline kernel there isn't much you can do.  Most of their adapters have had open source drivers written in order to fix bugs and I think a few have made it into mainline kernel. Generally though for TBS you are going to have to install drivers.
tv21

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Posted Reply with quote  #4 
Quote:
Originally Posted by andyinyakima
tv21,

if your using Linux you should be using the v4l-updatelee kernel.

The rewards you get for using that kernel are far greater than anything TBS drivers have to offer.

Also v4l-updatelee kernel has been ported to the Raspberry Pi, although you are limited to USB devices at this time.



What rewards?  I'm not running this on a Raspberry Pi, and anyway, my impression is that the stuff that updatelee writes is for true linux gurus that understand Linux inside and out.  I am not in that league at all, and if I were, I'd probably have already figured out some simple way to automate recompiling the TBS drivers.

Basically, I need a Linux distro that offers a fair amount of handholding and is for installation and use by regular users, not gurus.  I run Debian Wheezy but will probably choose Ubuntu server next time because TVHeadend seems to support it better, but I've not had any real issues with Debian Wheezy other than that there are no TVHeadend builds for it beyond the 3.9 branch, which at this point is not a real issue.  Does the kernel you are talking about even come as a distro, and does it have any kind of package management such as apt-get?  If not, I know that I could not even begin to get around in it.
tv21

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Posted Reply with quote  #5 
Quote:
Originally Posted by bluzee
As long as TBS refuses to allow drivers for their devices into mainline kernel there isn't much you can do.  Most of their adapters have had open source drivers written in order to fix bugs and I think a few have made it into mainline kernel. Generally though for TBS you are going to have to install drivers.


Thanks for the response.  I already have the card so I guess I'm stuck.  Just out of curiosity, do you have any idea WHY TBS refuses to allow drivers for their devices into the mainline kernel?  Seems like that would cost them a lot of sales in areas of the world where a good selection of competing DVB-S2 tuners are available.
majortom

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Posted Reply with quote  #6 
Which device do you have? There may be an open source driver for it.
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Perfect 10 7.5' mesh Chapparal C/Ku Co-Rotor feed, Norsat 8115 CBAND, Norsat 4106A Ku Thomson Saginaw Actuator, Vbox positioner,
Home Brew Polarotor683 Servo circuit. Openbox S9, Prof7500, v4l-updatelee linux drivers installed.
farva

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Posts: 260
Posted Reply with quote  #7 
Quote:
Originally Posted by tv21
Just out of curiosity, do you have any idea WHY TBS refuses to allow drivers for their devices into the mainline kernel?  Seems like that would cost them a lot of sales in areas of the world where a good selection of competing DVB-S2 tuners are available.


They probably don't want to do the work it would take to get the drivers up to snuff. Code going into mainline kernel is held to a high standard; by putting some code that "works" up on their website, they get to add "linux support" to the feature list without all the effort of doing it properly.
andyinyakima

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Posted Reply with quote  #8 
Quote:
Originally Posted by tv21

Thanks for the response.  I already have the card so I guess I'm stuck.  Just out of curiosity, do you have any idea WHY TBS refuses to allow drivers for their devices into the mainline kernel?  Seems like that would cost them a lot of sales in areas of the world where a good selection of competing DVB-S2 tuners are available.


We all have our theories but you could write to them at "support@tbsdtv.com" and express your views.

I have found that they have always responded to my queries, at least concerning the hardware.
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andyinyakima
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Recs: TBS6983, TBS5925 __ Ant: 90cm on SG6100__OSes: Linux with v4l-updatelee drivers __ RPi2 with v4l-updatelee drivers

Open Book, Open Source, You have to Open it to Know what's in it!
updatelee

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Posted Reply with quote  #9 
Depending on the card you have, my driver's have added better blind scan, spectrum scan, and iq plots, plus better running in some cases. But I don't support all TBS cards. I kind of add support as someone gives me a card lol. I'm currently working on adding support for the TBS 6983

UDL
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TBS6925/5980, Prof 7301/7500/8000, Genpix Skywalker-1, Skystar 2 Express HD
Hauppauge 950Q/Aero/Aero-m, Kworld 330U/435v3/445v3

I use Linux and support open source projects
Download my opensrc projects at http://updatelee.blogspot.com
tv21

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Posted Reply with quote  #10 
Quote:
Originally Posted by majortom
Which device do you have? There may be an open source driver for it.

TBS6905 DVB-S2 Quad Tuner PCIe Card
tv21

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Posts: 89
Posted Reply with quote  #11 
Quote:
Originally Posted by updatelee
Depending on the card you have, my driver's have added better blind scan, spectrum scan, and iq plots, plus better running in some cases. But I don't support all TBS cards. I kind of add support as someone gives me a card lol. I'm currently working on adding support for the TBS 6983 UDL


Doesn't look like you support the one I have, and I don't actually see any drivers on your site at https://bitbucket.org/updatelee/ unless they are included in the v4l-updatelee package, and I'm not exactly understanding how that is used.  Specifically what I don't understand is, if you are running something like Debian or Ubuntu Server, would that package replace the existing Linux kernel?  And if that's how it works, would the distribution continue to run as it always has?  Or am I missing the point entirely?  I think that if I tried to install that I would dig myself into a very deep hole from which I'd not be able to extract myself, other than by reformatting the hard drive and starting completely over from scratch.

One question that comes to mind, if TBS won't submit their drivers to the Linux kernel, could you submit yours?  Or will they only accept drivers for a particular piece of hardware from the manufacturer?
updatelee

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Posted Reply with quote  #12 
Looks like the 6905 uses the same tuner/demod as the 6983, so currently no open source drivers. Hopefully I'll get that resolved soon. I'm trucking away on it [smile]

V4l-updatelee is a fork of the mainline kernel, I try my best to always keep it up to date.

I have tried in the past to get some of my changes mainlined but have always hit road blocks. Mostly that they want proof my fix works, which is simple it didn't work before, now it does. But they seem resistant, hopefully once I get a bladerf it will allow me to write more documented proof and get things mainlined. Basically right now I have decided to focus more on writing new code rather then countless hours of effort getting existing code into the kernel.

UDL
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TBS6925/5980, Prof 7301/7500/8000, Genpix Skywalker-1, Skystar 2 Express HD
Hauppauge 950Q/Aero/Aero-m, Kworld 330U/435v3/445v3

I use Linux and support open source projects
Download my opensrc projects at http://updatelee.blogspot.com
bluzee

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Posted Reply with quote  #13 
So to add to this, v4l-updatelee is the source code to the main linux kernel that is used in all linux distros however it has some modified dvb drivers.  The main purpose of the modifications is to add spectrum scanning to devices with the stv090x chip as well as a few others.  This works in conjunction with the updateDVB app to let you use the device as a spectrum analyzer.   Most devices can produce a graph of the frequencies on a satellite in about 3 seconds per polarity.  This allows you to find satellites quite easily.  Regular spectrum analyzers generally cost thousands of dollars unless you can find a great deal on a used one.  So this type of software is pretty handy for the amateur enthusiast.

Installation means downloading this source code and compiling it.  You need to install certain packages to your system to enable compiling.  When done it creates deb packages for the kernel which you just install using the dpkg -i command.   The new kernel is installed in addition to your old kernel and does not remove the old kernel.  When you reboot it is available as a choice on the boot menu.   If it doesn't work you simply reboot and choose your old kernel and then you can simply uninstall these new kernel packages.  This is how all kernel upgrades work. The only difference being the ones coming from your distro are made available to you automatically through their software update manager.

Your device will require you to continue with the driver package from TBS, which is fine and fairly simple.  v4l-updatelee really is more for those who wish to extend their devices functionality rather than those just wanting to tune and watch.  Because it extends the main dvb core any dvb application that you use needs to be recompiled from source against the header files from v4l-updatelee.  You can't just install the binary packages from your distro.  

I think you just have to live with running the TBS driver install after each kernel upgrade.  It's not always necessary to take the kernel upgrades as they come out.  Some do patch security issues. Some are just random bugs that may not even effect you.  Depends on your system. 
andyinyakima

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Posted Reply with quote  #14 
Very well put, bluzee.

You described the rewards of using v4l-updatelee .

Thank you.
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andyinyakima
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Recs: TBS6983, TBS5925 __ Ant: 90cm on SG6100__OSes: Linux with v4l-updatelee drivers __ RPi2 with v4l-updatelee drivers

Open Book, Open Source, You have to Open it to Know what's in it!
bluzee

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Posted Reply with quote  #15 
Yah, I moved over the summer. UpdateDVB was an enormous help in getting the dishes pointed and aligned properly again. 
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