You need to have the Linux kernel source installed for this driver

Q. When I try to compile and install a driver downloaded from other website I get the error message:
You need to have the linux kernel source installed for this driver

How do I fix this problem and how do I install Linux kernel source code?

A. You need to install kernel source code and most important kernel headers in order to compile a driver or module.

The kernel headers are necessary if you require to install a driver for Nvidia, ndiswrapper, Cisco VPN, Vmware, Wireless card and many other drivers. If a driver requires kernel sources, it may be sufficient to install only the kernel headers.

Find running kernel version

First find out running kernel version, by typing:
$ uname -r
Output:

2.6.20-15-generic

Task: Install Kernel source and headers for Redhat Enterprise Linux or CentOS Linux

Use command to install both kernel source code and headers, enter:
# up2date kernel-source kernel-devel
If you are using RHEL/CentOS 5 or Fedora core, try:
# yum install kernel-source kernel-devel

Task: Download Kernel source code for running kernel

You can visit official Linux kernel website and install source code

Posted by: Vivek Gite

The author is the creator of nixCraft and a seasoned sysadmin, DevOps engineer, and a trainer for the Linux operating system/Unix shell scripting. Get the latest tutorials on SysAdmin, Linux/Unix and open source topics via RSS/XML feed or weekly email newsletter.

Your support makes a big difference:

I have a small favor to ask. More people are reading the nixCraft. Many of you block advertising which is your right, and advertising revenues are not sufficient to cover my operating costs. So you can see why I need to ask for your help. The nixCraft takes a lot of my time and hard work to produce. If everyone who reads nixCraft, who likes it, helps fund it, my future would be more secure. You can donate as little as $1 to support nixCraft:

nixCraft