# lm-sensors with < 2.6.5 kernels

## Rodney

Okay, most of you probably know this, but I had to figure it out myself, so maybe this will help a few people.  

First, even though lm_sensors 2.8.6 is masked in Portage for all but AMD64 (I know, it can be unmasked, but I'd rather not put the package onto my system until the ebuild has been figured out), we  can still use the tgz on the website (http://secure.netroedge.com/~lm78/download.html) without installing everything.  So here are the steps:

1) Download lm_sensors-2.8.6.tar.gz from here: http://secure.netroedge.com/~lm78/archive/lm_sensors-2.8.6.tar.gz

2) Decompress it somewhere

3) Execute sensors-detect by doing this, where "./" is whatever directory you decompressed the tgz into: 

```
./lm_sensors-2.8.6/prog/detect/sensors-detect
```

You may need to have some modules in order for sensors-detect to run properly, if they are not enabled, do step 5 and then return to step 3.

When it says "To load everything that is needed, add this to some /etc/rc* file:",

note the modules that is says to have added.  These are the modules that you need to enable in your kernel config in the i2c section.

4) Say "no" when it asks you if you want generate /etc/sysconfig/lm_sensors

5) Exit out, go to /usr/src/linux, enable the proper modules, recompile the kernel, and reboot.

6) Make sure you have gkrellm2, or another compatible sensor program (note that, in my experience, ksensors is NOT compatible with 2.6 kernels).

7) If everything works, you can delete the tarball and the lm_sensors directory.

Let me know if this doesn't work.  :Smile: 

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## Little Nemo

I don't really understand why you hesitate to use the existing ebuild. "emerge /usr/portage/sys-apps/lm-sensors/lm-sensors-2.8.6" worked well on my system, and you have the benefit of having the package adapted to the gentoo system layout. You can start and stop /etc/init.d/lm_sensors, and after "sensors-detect" has detected the sensors for your system, all you need to do is edit /etc/conf.d/lm_sensors just as you would on a non-AMD64-system. I don't think emerging this package installs anything I would not want on my system. Can you explain what's wrong with this approach?

[edit]Oops, sorry, I mis-read your post. lm-sensors-2.8.6 is masked for all but the AMD64. Just the opposite of what I'm used to. My mistake.[/edit]

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## Carlo

 *Little Nemo wrote:*   

> "emerge /usr/portage/sys-apps/lm-sensors/lm-sensors-2.8.6"

 

emerge /path/to/ebuild won't add the specific ebuild to world. Don't do this!

Carlo

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## kallamej

 *Rodney wrote:*   

> First, even though lm_sensors 2.8.6 is masked in Portage for all but AMD64 (I know, it can be unmasked, but I'd rather not put the package onto my system until the ebuild has been figured out)

 

I don't think that lm-sensors > 2.8.1 are masked because of problems with the ebuild. It is more a question of not messing up too much for users of 2.4 kernels. There was once an effort to keep stable versions of i2c/lm-sensors matching patches in the current gentoo-sources. However, the updated i2c support was dropped from gentoo-sources 2.4.25. The current situation is that users of gentoo-sources-2.4.22-rx should have a hassle free i2c/lm-sensors experience.

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## cryptodev

When can we expect 2.6.5 non-AMD kernel users to have a hassle free experience?

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## kallamej

My guess is when 2.6 will be the officially supported kernel version. Nevertheless, I don't think adding 

```
sys-apps/lm-sensors ~your-arch
```

 to /etc/portage/package.keywords much trouble.

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## cryptodev

There is no /etc/portage directory, and I searched for the file 'package.keywords' and found nothing.  What gives?

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## MagicMonkey

 *cryptodev wrote:*   

> There is no /etc/portage directory, and I searched for the file 'package.keywords' and found nothing.  What gives?

 

You need to create these by hand; portage seamlessly starts using them if they are there.  Ditto for the portage overlay directory (/usr/local/portage by default).

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