Installing Ethernet NIC Driver - script issue

[wmc63664]

I'm deep in a hole and don't know enough Linux to get out. I'm endeavouring to solve a problem with an Ethernet driver on Fedora 33 LXDE by following a How-to Guide for Realtek RTL8111/8168B submitted by rasra as a tutorial back in Sep 2011. It's old but the only solution on offer I can find.

The solution is to replace a ineffective r8169 driver with r8168 using an update script and driver provided by Realtek on their website. The kernel and driver version have been updated since 2011 but the solution seems the same. The Realtek script begins by searching for a particular directory as the target to do the update using 'find'. A directory apparently is found but when the installation is attempted it falls over reporting that there is 'no such file or directory'.

The script finds the target directory, echos it and then reports it as not existing. That made little sense After searching I discovered the target directory (/lib/modules/5.8.15-301.fc33.x86_64/build) was there in red, indicating it is an archive file I think. It appears the script finds the archive with the target driver but can't update it. This also raises the issue of why it is archived in the first place if it is a required driver.

At this point I need a solution that works or start looking for another Linux distro that is not as much plagued by driver problems. I am also having problems with installing drivers for a GeForce GT 710 GPU as the provided Nouveau drivers are broken for my application. Any (constructive) advice on the best course out of this mire appreciated. The r8169 driver that comes with Fedora 33 simply does nor work with Realtek RTL811 although it is OK with other oldish NICs.

[antikythera]

With respect you are asking in the wrong place. The Fedora Project User Community forum is at fedoraforum dot org where you should ask about any hardware issues you encounter while running their operating system, especially as you will need to install package build dependencies that differ from Ubuntu/Mint's.

Finally, the realtek driver and script is designed for kernels up to 5.6 only and not kernel 5.8