Can't get "make O=" with external module to work

[Timur Tabi <timur.tabi@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

I'm trying to compile an external module and use the O= kbuild option, 
but it's not working for me:

make -C /usr/ammasso/src/sles9/2.6.5-32smp 
SUBDIRS=/home/ttabi/sb/starcore/software/host/linux/sys/devccil 
O=/home/ttabi/sb/starcore/software/host/linux/sys/devccil/obj_2.6.5-32smp_debug
make[1]: Entering directory `/usr/ammasso/src/sles9/2.6.5-32smp'
/usr/ammasso/src/sles9/2.6.5-32smp/Makefile:438: .config: No such file 
or directory

WARNING: Symbol version dump 
/home/ttabi/sb/starcore/software/host/linux/sys/devccil/obj_2.6.5-32smp_debug/Module.symvers 
 is missing, modules will have CONFIG_MODVERSIONS disabled.

  CC [M]  /home/ttabi/sb/starcore/software/host/linux/sys/devccil/devnet.o
/bin/sh: line 1: scripts/basic/fixdep: No such file or directory
make[3]: *** 
[/home/ttabi/sb/starcore/software/host/linux/sys/devccil/devnet.o] Error 1

As you can see, it just falls apart.  In order to get the effect I want, 
I have to do this:

rm -rf .tmp_versions ${TARGET_DIR}
mkdir -p ${TARGET_DIR}
${MAKE} -C ${LINUX} SUBDIRS=${CURDIR}
mv *.o *.ko ${TARGET_DIR}

In addition to being just ugly, it also has the drawback that it needs 
to rebuild the entire driver every time I run make.  I know I could make 
it more intelligent, but that's not the point.  The point is that I 
can't get O= to work, and I'd like to know why.

I'm using kernel version 2.6.5-52, as shipped with Suse Enterprise Linux 9.

--
Timur Tabi
Staff Software Engineer
timur.tabi@xxxxxxxxxxx

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