linux-headers-generic is not being installed, causes issues when installing proprietary drivers

Bug #1068488 reported by Doug McMahon
144
This bug affects 32 people
Affects Status Importance Assigned to Milestone
Release Notes for Ubuntu
New
Undecided
Unassigned
ubiquity (Ubuntu)
Confirmed
Undecided
Unassigned

Bug Description

linux-headers-generic is no longer being default installed
When users attempt to install either nvidia-* or fglrx linux-headers-3.5.0-17-generic is not being installed & the kernel module fails to build
linux-headers is default installed & likely satisfies the dep of the above packages which is linux-headers-generic | linux-headers

related bug
Bug 1068456 (now duplicate of bug #1068341)

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 12.10
Package: ubiquity (not installed)
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 3.5.0-17.28-generic 3.5.5
Uname: Linux 3.5.0-17-generic x86_64
ApportVersion: 2.6.1-0ubuntu3
Architecture: amd64
Date: Fri Oct 19 03:50:13 2012
InstallCmdLine: initrd=/ubninit file=/cdrom/preseed/ubuntu.seed boot=casper quiet splash -- BOOT_IMAGE=/ubnkern
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 12.10 "Quantal Quetzal" - Release amd64 (20121017)
ProcEnviron:
 TERM=xterm
 PATH=(custom, no user)
 XDG_RUNTIME_DIR=<set>
 LANG=en_US.UTF-8
 SHELL=/bin/bash
SourcePackage: ubiquity
UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)

Revision history for this message
Doug McMahon (mc3man) wrote :
Revision history for this message
Launchpad Janitor (janitor) wrote :

Status changed to 'Confirmed' because the bug affects multiple users.

Changed in ubiquity (Ubuntu):
status: New → Confirmed
Revision history for this message
Doug McMahon (mc3man) wrote :

Also just seen from some users trying to install gcdemu from the ppa
Without linux-headers-3.5.0-XX-generic installed the module fails to build for vhba & leaves them with unconfigured packages
It's, ( linux-headers-generic linux-headers-3.5.0-17-generic) , on the live image, why not have it installed???

Revision history for this message
Doug McMahon (mc3man) wrote :

With Bug 1068341 on nvidia-* being marked 'won't fix' & on dpkg being a 'wishlist' it seems that unless linux-headers-generic is default installed you are leaving users on their own??
To make a bit worse when users use the recommended method of software sources > Additional Drivers the kernel module build fails with NO info being passed to the user

Revision history for this message
Giordano Battilana (jordan83) wrote :

very critical bug this one... left my laptop completely unusable.
Thankfully I'm a skilled user and I managed to find the information on my own and fix this by manually installing linux-headers-generic :\

And this happened on a fresh installation.

description: updated
Revision history for this message
Vladimir Brednikov (vbrednikov) wrote :

I have installed fresh 12.10 with "Enable proprietary drivers" checkbox enabled to Eee PC 1215N (Broadcom BCM4313 WLAN chip). Wireless was working perfectly with broadcom driver (bcmwl-kernel-source). But after update to 3.5.0-18 DKMS failed to rebuild this module without Module.symvers and other files from linux-headers-generic package. I have no Ethernet LAN, so this problem was hard to investigate and fix without reboot to livecd or previous kernel.

Revision history for this message
Adam Niedling (krychek) wrote :

I had the same issue with Ubuntu 12.10 x64. I have a Broadcom BCM43227 wlan chip, I have installed the propriotary driver (bcmwl-kernel-source) but it did not work until I've installed linux-headers-generic too .

Doug McMahon (mc3man)
tags: added: raring regression-release
removed: amd64
Revision history for this message
Everaldo Canuto (ecanuto) wrote :

It is the same issue reported in #1068341.

Revision history for this message
Doug McMahon (mc3man) wrote : Re: [Bug 1068488] Re: linux-headers-generic is not being installed, causes issues when installing proprietary drivers

On 11/25/2012 09:49 PM, Everaldo Canuto wrote:
> *** This bug is a duplicate of bug 1068341 ***
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1068341
>
> It is the same issue reported in #1068341.
>
> ** This bug has been marked a duplicate of bug 1068341
> No way to specify correct dependencies for dkms packages (nvidia driver install fails to get matching header)
>
Dupe?, not really.
  If linux-headers-generic was being default installed on the typical
amd64 & i386 desktop installs then users wouldn't have issues when
installing nvidia-*, fglrx, ect.
  (At least not initially

Revision history for this message
Jeremy Bícha (jbicha) wrote :

This has been fixed for raring (bug 1070427).

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