Installing ALSA Driver

Forum: System
Topic: Installing ALSA Driver
started by: piccolo

Posted by piccolo on April 06 2006,12:47

ISA Plug and Play Sound Card
Chipset: Opti 931

How Linux can't automatically configure ISA cards is necesary assign manually resources (port, irq, dma) to driver or use a configuration sound card utility.

I) USING OSS DRIVER BEFORE TO TRY ALSA

Anyway first i tried play sound, a simple test: This should generate a 2 Khz audible tone
XMMS -> Play Location -> tone://2000
Then, XMMS open box dialog: Can't open etc, etc.

Manual Configuration:
1) Then i downloaded a package Debian utility
#apt-get sndconfig

2) Launch utility:
#sndconfig
Was all automatic. Used driver MAD16.

3) XMMS -> Play Location -> tone://2000
Yes, it generate tone. Well

4) Other test:
XMMS -> Play File -> anyfile.mp3 or anyfile.wav
Problems, play repeatedly a small sound track, without any advance over reproduction time. Not play other than the beginning of the file or were is set the time cursor.

II)USING ALSA

I configured correctly this sound card with snd-opti93x ALSA driver, assigning the resources with help from isapnptools and worked fine, but at that time the computer had installed other Linux distro than DSL.

Now the same computer (hardware unchanged) have DSL 2.3 (HD install).

My procedure:

1) Edit /etc/lilo.conf adding "alsa" to "append" section:

2) Download MyDSLs:
PanelDSL -> MyDSL -> gnu-utils.dsl
-> dsl-dpkg.dsl
-> alsa.dsl
3) REBOOT

4) MyDSL -> ALSA install

5) REBOOT

At boot time show soundcard=opti93x (Before edit /etc/lilo.conf was: soundcard=MAD16) but instead seem to attempt to load OSS module MAD16

1) #lsmod
Confirmed, not there are loaded snd-opti93x module (neither MAD16 module)

2) Then attempt to load manually:
# modprobe snd-opti93x
But fail to load.

3) Edit /etc/modules.conf (Reading snd-opti93x Alsa Driver Documentation) so load modules at time boot:

# ALSA portion
alias char-major-116 snd
alias snd-card-0 snd-opti93x
# module options should go here

# OSS/Free portion
alias char-major-14 soundcore
alias sound-slot-0 snd-card-0

# card #1
alias sound-service-0-0 snd-mixer-oss
alias sound-service-0-1 snd-seq-oss
alias sound-service-0-3 snd-pcm-oss
alias sound-service-0-8 snd-seq-oss
alias sound-service-0-12 snd-pcm-oss

4) REBOOT

1) #lsmod
Even not load snd-opti93x module

2) Then, try to execute command:
#update-modules

3) Again attempt to load the driver:
# modprobe snd-opti93x
Well, not problem. it is evident update-modules command had effect on.

4) Checking:
#lsmod
Confirmed, snd-opti93x is now present.

5) Launch alsamixer:
#alsamixer
And proceed to unmuting all channels.
well, not problem.

6) Test play sound:
XMMS -> Open Location -> tone://2000
System freeze, not respond.
ALT+CTR+BACK and ALT+CTR+DEL neither have effect, then not there are alternative other than RESET button.

AFTER THE RESET:
(Other intent)

1) Then to try with Debian isapnptools package:
#apt-get isapnptools

2) Generate isapnp.conf sample file:
pnpdump > /etc/isapnp.conf

3) Edit /etc/isapnp.conf (Uncomment one of possible: port, irq, dma resource assigns)

4) Test that configuration:
isapnp /etc/isapnp.conf

5) Get around steps 3) and 4) until that isapnp say that the choice is OK. Exactly was: port=0x538 irq=7 dam1=0 dma2=1

6)#update-modules

7) Load driver module:
#modprobe snd-opti93x
Well, not problem.

8) Launch alsamixer:
#alsamixer
And proced to unmuting all channels.
well, not problem.

9) Set the driver used by XMMS to ALSA:
XMMS -> Options -> Preferences -> ALSA

10) Test play sound:
XMMS -> Open Location -> tone://2000
Time again, DSL freeze, not respond.
Not there are alternative other than RESET button.

Finally:
If above, instead step 7) do this:
#modprobe snd-opti93x port=0x538 irq=7 dam1=0 dma2=1
DSL freeze there is same, not there are alternative other than RESET button.

III) QUESTIONS:

1) What is the problem with OSS?

2) Why DSL not updated modules at time boot even editing /etc/modules.conf file?. DSL use other than /etc/modules.conf file?

3)Why DSL freeze using ALSA?... Ideas?

Posted by doobit on April 06 2006,19:31

There's nothing wrong with OSS. Often it works well with older hardware.
If DSL is freezing it's because of a hardware conflict somewhere.

Posted by Onyarian on April 06 2006,21:33

You say..
.......
My procedure:

1) Edit /etc/lilo.conf adding "alsa" to "append" section:

2) Download MyDSLs:
PanelDSL -> MyDSL -> gnu-utils.dsl
-> dsl-dpkg.dsl
-> alsa.dsl <------------------- wrong!
...................
you have to download alsadebs.dsl (alsa.dsl is for DSL v2.0 v2.1 only (info file))

perhaps so goes!!!

Posted by piccolo on April 07 2006,22:04

Tanks Doobit and Onyarian, usefully comments.
I used isapnptools because would help to find the resources avoiding hardware conflicts but now i understand, from Onyarian explanation, that the alsa.dsl extension is incorrect for DSL 2.3.
Then i installed alsadeb.dsl but the problem persist.
When i installed alsa.dsl ran a script but installing alsadebs.dsl not ran a script or i not saw.
Is not application to uninstall MyDSL extensions and the install procedure is the same for alsa.dsl and alsadebs.dsl extensions, so i must believe that alsadebs overwrite to alsa installation, but really not know which of both is working or if there are alsa interference over alsadebs installation.
Do you know any test to know it?