Breezy won't compile ufsd (aka Paragon NTFS for Linux) custom kernel module

[Gábor Iglói]

Paragon's NTFS for Linux is an NTFS file system driver for Linux. The
demo version mounts NTFS in read-only mode while the full version is
capable of reliable and fast NTFS write operation.

I'm experiencing with the demo version which worked under Hoary but
now in Breezy I can compile the module but can't insert it.

Browsing ubuntuforums.org I learned that others too have difficulties
compiling custom kernel modules (modem drivers, ndiswrapper, nvidia
etc).

This is how far I got with ufsd:

1. grab the ufsd source code from Paragon:

wget http://download.paragon.ag/demo/ntfslin_drv.tgz


2. untar it under let's say /usr/src/ufsd

3. prepare the build environment. We'll need the current kernel
headers, the build-essential package and gcc-3.4 (as far as I
understand Breezy packages are made with gcc-4.02 while the kernel
still needs gcc-3.4):

sudo apt-get install linux-headers-386 build-essential gcc-3.4


4. create some symlinks to let ufsd's install.sh to find kernel and
module stuff and awk

sudo ln -s /usr/src/linux-headers-2.6.12-9-386 /usr/src/linux sudo ln
-s /lib/modules/2.6.12-9-386 /lib/modules/2.6.12 sudo ln -s
/usr/bin/awk /bin/awk


5. run ufsd's install script

cd /usr/src/ufsd sudo sh install.sh


The result is: compilation successful but the resulting ufsd module is
incompatible with Breezy's kernel.

root at ubuntu:/usr/src/ufsd# sh install.sh
configure kernel
scripts/kconfig/conf -s arch/i386/Kconfig
#
# using defaults found in .config
#
  CHK include/linux/version.h
ufsd driver can be compiled for kernel 2.6.12(2.6.12)
We can build module only for 2.6.x kernels
Ufsd module was build and will be installed for kernel 2.6.12 but
current kernel in 2.6.12-9-386. Moving module in destination
directory...
 `./objfre/ufsd.ko' -> `/lib/modules/2.6.12/kernel/fs/ufsd/ufsd.ko'
Finding module dependencies...
I think you are using a Debian-like system
can't load ufsd module
root at ubuntu:/usr/src/ufsd# modprobe ufsd
FATAL: Error inserting ufsd
(/lib/modules/2.6.12-9-386/kernel/fs/ufsd/ufsd.ko): Invalid module
format