Linux Infrared Remote Control

I do not have the same setup, but I'm pretty sure if you do not have a /dev/lirc then the proper module is not loading. Running "modprobe -a (put correct module name)" Then try starting "lircd -n" where the n tells it to not run in the background. This may show you errors, or "dmesg" or "tail /var/log/messages" may show what is happening. After the right modules is loaded you should see /dev/lirc is created, and you should be able to run the command "mode2" which shows whether or not signals are being received from the IR remote. Once you start seeing signals, then you can work to translate those signals into actual commands with remote configuration files, so the up key on the remote actually provides an up key on the computer, etc.