Linux will not recognize my BOB no matter WHAT I try to do

Mr. Beagle, THANK YOU SINCERELY for that last post. The tenor and topic of it really makes some things click a little bit and makes me feel very optimistic about where this will all end. I'm not really afraid of the command terminal. To be perfectly honest with you, it is actually one of the main reasons I chose to try to run with Linux to begin with (besides believing it to be the absolute BEST platform for CNC functionality), and it has quickly become one of my absolute FAVORITE features of the operating system. I just don't speak the language very well at all yet. I would liken it to being in say, Mexico, and not knowing the words to be able to order the taco-burrito hybrid thingie you want to have for lunch. You know what you want because you can see it right there, you know what you want to do with it once you can physically access it, but you don't know the right words to tell the waitress to get her to understand what it is that you actually want to eat -- and you want to make CERTAIN that it is carne asada and not menudo..... I'll get better with my computer speak as I work through dialing in my machine, but until then, I have to beat my head against the wall la vida loca style.... That's why I am so grateful for that last post. It saved me at LEAST a FEW head bonks....

Thank you for the link to the wiki page. I have read it twice, but I will be reading it again at least a few more times because there are still some parts of it that just aren't clicking in my brain quite just yet. I will also MOST CERTAINLY be checking out the *extra credit* references. Those sound like they are probably going to be my best source for learning to speak Linux and Python.

So, I have renamed the file Linux_parport.conf and saved it to my home directory as you directed. When I open a command terminal and type in what you directed me to, this is what I am getting back from the OS.

kidkasual@Mill:~$ sudo cp Linux_parport.conf /etc/modprobe.d/
[sudo] password for kidkasual:
cp: -r not specified; omitting directory 'Linux_parport.conf'
kidkasual@Mill:~$


What is "-r not specified" telling me? What is it that I am doing wrong and not telling Linux to do, or put a different way, what is "-r" and how do I specify it?

somebody wrote: Actually just tried with e100 & 0xe100 both gave message no parallel found & 57600

NO, it is 0xe010 not 0xe100. Makes a big difference!

Jon

Kidkasual1 wrote: Thank you for directing me to that other thread. I think it is an avenue that is worth pursuing. I have read it and am trying to create the /alsa-base.conf file to map to the parallel port, but I cannot add or create any files in /etc/modprobe.d. As soon as I get to the folder in the directory, I can no longer do anything to change that folder. I created the file on my desktop and tried copy/pasting it, but Linux will not allow me to. I tried dragging and dropping the file, but again, no luck. I am not yet savvy enough to run everything through the command terminal using lines of code, so I am using the graphical interface, but it should all essentially be the same thing though, correct?

These files are part of the OS, and protected. You need to use sudo to alter them. But, again, you are barking up the wrong tree. This is NOT an OS problem, it is almost entirely out of the control of Linux. LinuxCNC runs outside of Linux, under the control and support of the real time option that you are using. (Several different real time options are supported by LinuxCNC.)
The only thing that Linux provides is a way to relinquish control over a parallel port that is assigned to its line printer driver so that LinuxCNC can have exclusive use of the port.

If you really dig into system configuration files you may well prevent it from booting again. Note that ALSA is the Advanced Linux Sound Architecture, and relates to sound cards and audio input/output, and has nothing to do with parallel ports.

As for the "parallel port at address xxxx not found" this message is WRONG! What it actually SHOULD say is "Linux has not reserved control of this port, so it is all yours to access freely".

Jon

jmelson wrote:

BeagleBrainz wrote: Actually just tried with e100 & 0xe100 both gave message no parallel found & 57600

NO, it is 0xe010 not 0xe100. Makes a big difference!

Jon

With ef00
With 0xef00
Both forms give Linux parallel port @61184 not found.

It would appear you created a directory called Linux_parport.conf.
Lets assume temp2 is actually your home directory
Now this is what happens when we have a file called'Linux_parport.conf'

So it would appear rather than a file called Linux_parport.conf you have a directory named that.

What address does sudo lspci -v give for the parallel port adaptor?
Last I saw, you were showing 0xe010 and 0xe000, which is a pretty common address enumeration for this type of parallel port. Adding/removing other PCI or PCIe devices can cause the address of a particular device to change, however.

Jon

jmelson wrote:

Kidkasual1 wrote: Thank you for directing me to that other thread. I think it is an avenue that is worth pursuing. I have read it and am trying to create the /alsa-base.conf file to map to the parallel port, but I cannot add or create any files in /etc/modprobe.d. As soon as I get to the folder in the directory, I can no longer do anything to change that folder. I created the file on my desktop and tried copy/pasting it, but Linux will not allow me to. I tried dragging and dropping the file, but again, no luck. I am not yet savvy enough to run everything through the command terminal using lines of code, so I am using the graphical interface, but it should all essentially be the same thing though, correct?

These files are part of the OS, and protected. You need to use sudo to alter them. But, again, you are barking up the wrong tree. This is NOT an OS problem, it is almost entirely out of the control of Linux. LinuxCNC runs outside of Linux, under the control and support of the real time option that you are using. (Several different real time options are supported by LinuxCNC.)
The only thing that Linux provides is a way to relinquish control over a parallel port that is assigned to its line printer driver so that LinuxCNC can have exclusive use of the port.

If you really dig into system configuration files you may well prevent it from booting again. Note that ALSA is the Advanced Linux Sound Architecture, and relates to sound cards and audio input/output, and has nothing to do with parallel ports.

As for the "parallel port at address xxxx not found" this message is WRONG! What it actually SHOULD say is "Linux has not reserved control of this port, so it is all yours to access freely".

Jon

It really doesn't matter what file is called in the directory /etc/modprobe.d/ as long as it has .conf extension. The boot procedure will load the kernel module as specified. Note I did recommend change the file name the module options are put in to avoid confusion.

From investigations I have found the following.
The message is not wrong, although a PITA.
You are correct in that linuxcnc hasn't reserved the port.
Reserving the Parallel Port is to prevent other apps from trying to reserve that port, eg during printing. Although it doesn't stop raw access to the port.
The hal_parport code queries Linux about the existence of a at the specified address.
Linux returns that there is no parport at that address.

The way around this error is to do the following, assuming address 0xdc00 and irq of 10

Now the "0x" prefix is required in this instance.
parport_pc registers the parallel port with the Linux kernel.
ppdev creates the device file /dev/parport0

Better explained here:
forum.linuxcnc.org/18-computer/42826-par...read?start=10#212188

BeagleBrainz wrote:

jmelson wrote: [
From investigations I have found the following.
The message is not wrong, although a PITA.
The hal_parport code queries Linux about the existence of a at the specified address.
Linux returns that there is no parport at that address.

The message IS wrong! Because the parallel port DOES exist, but Linux's printer driver is not USING it!
Now, you will also get this message if you give a random address, but you ALSO get the message every time you
use a PCI or PCIe address. Apparently, the only time you DON'T get this message is if you use the 0x378 port.

The way around this error is to do the following, assuming address 0xdc00 and irq of 10

Well, maybe this will get rid of the message but the most important fact is that this message DOES NOT MEAN the port you specified will not work with LinuxCNC. Certain of my installs give this message either intermittently or all the time, but they all work just fine after you X-out the message.

Jon

BeagleBrainz wrote: The way around this error is to do the following, assuming address 0xdc00 and irq of 10

Code:

sudo modprobe paport_pc io=0xdc00 irq=10 sudo modprobe ppdev

OK, so your scheme here is to MAKE Linux take control of the port, so it can relinquish it when LinuxCNC asks for it.
I see why that works, but it just seems kind of backwards. Yes, it will get rid of a totally spurious error message on certain current builds. But, really, LinuxCNC should ask if the port is reserved by the OS, then ask for the port ONLY if it is reserved. But, it should never give this error message if the port is just available and NOT reserved. That's the real issue, the code in hal_parport asks for the port when it is NOT reserved, and reports an error if it was available all the time.

Jon

jmelson wrote: Note that ALSA is the Advanced Linux Sound Architecture, and relates to sound cards and audio input/output, and has nothing to do with parallel ports.

Yeah i did see that when it got posted but was to busy to reply and later could not find it, was wondering what is going on there .....