[gentoo-amd64] latest kernel and ndiswrapper

[gentoo-amd64] latest kernel and ndiswrapper

[Mark Haney]

I just upgraded to 2.6.22-r8 and when I booted into it (after 
re-emerging ndiswrapper) I got a hardware error saying it couldn't set 
the device up (wlan0).  I figured something was flaky with ndiswrapper, 
so I booted back into -r5 and tried loading my wireless again and I got 
the same error.  I've been consistently using my wireless under this 
kernel for weeks and not had a problem.  Is this an ndiswrapper issue?  
Or a kernel issue with -r8 that's screwed up my wireless?

I know most of you aren't fans of ndiswrapper, but it's been absolutely 
rock solid for me and I won't change to the new mac drivers for my 
broadcom card until I have to.

-- 
Mark Haney
Sr. Systems Administrator	
ERC Broadband


-- 
gentoo-amd64@gentoo.org mailing list

Re: [gentoo-amd64] latest kernel and ndiswrapper

[Beso]

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1. if you don't have a 4318 and you won't need to connect to wpa_enterprise
networks with ca certs and so on switch to the kernel drivers. are a lot
better than ndiswrapper. the only things that fails is the 4318 module when
trying to connect to a wpa_enterprise network that don't broadcast essid,
cause it has some flux control that is not ok. it connects but you'd risk
disconection and core failures that would have you to restart the system.
all the other boards, for what i know work pretty well and with 54mbit/s
speeds.
2. ndiswrapper was rebuilt pointing to /usr/srclinux which now pointed to
r8. now, the modules should be ok, since you've already build and installed
them, but you may have to rebuild ndiswrapper after pointing /usr/src/linux
to the r5. i don't know if that would fix your issue, since you didn't
provided any log or dmesg message to see what really happens when
ndiswrapper loads. so first of all try "dmesg > /root/dmesg.txt-r5 && cat
/var/log/messages > /root/messages-r5.txt" and "dmesg > /root/dmesg.txt-r8
&& cat /var/log/messages > /root/messages-r8.txt" after booting with r5 and
respectively r8 and attach them to see what happens.
3. how did you compiled the new r8? have you made a "cp /usr/src/linux-
2.6.22-gentoo-r5/.config /usr/src/linux" to copy the old config from the r5
to r8 or did you configured the r8 by hand again?
4. switch to bcm43xx since it is always better using native drivers than
wrappers when you can. you should at least try them and see how they behave
before saying that they don't work. compiling them don't cost you nothing.
then you can blacklist them from loading so you can use ndiswrapper if you
don't like them.

2007/10/6, Mark Haney <mhaney@ercbroadband.org>:
>
> I just upgraded to 2.6.22-r8 and when I booted into it (after
> re-emerging ndiswrapper) I got a hardware error saying it couldn't set
> the device up (wlan0).  I figured something was flaky with ndiswrapper,
> so I booted back into -r5 and tried loading my wireless again and I got
> the same error.  I've been consistently using my wireless under this
> kernel for weeks and not had a problem.  Is this an ndiswrapper issue?
> Or a kernel issue with -r8 that's screwed up my wireless?
>
> I know most of you aren't fans of ndiswrapper, but it's been absolutely
> rock solid for me and I won't change to the new mac drivers for my
> broadcom card until I have to.
>
> --
> Mark Haney
> Sr. Systems Administrator
> ERC Broadband
>
>
> --
> gentoo-amd64@gentoo.org mailing list
>
>


-- 
dott. ing. beso

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Re: [gentoo-amd64] latest kernel and ndiswrapper

[Nuitari]

One of the problems I had with ndiswrapper is that it would just suck 100% 
of the CPU and literally do nothing. iwlist scan would show nothing.

I just tried bcm43xx and it worked, so I never tried to get ndiswrapper 
back

On Sat, 6 Oct 2007, Beso wrote:

> Date: Sat, 6 Oct 2007 16:08:04 +0200
> From: Beso <givemesugarr@gmail.com>
> Reply-To: gentoo-amd64@lists.gentoo.org
> To: gentoo-amd64@lists.gentoo.org
> Subject: Re: [gentoo-amd64] latest kernel and ndiswrapper
> 
> 1. if you don't have a 4318 and you won't need to connect to wpa_enterprise
> networks with ca certs and so on switch to the kernel drivers. are a lot
> better than ndiswrapper. the only things that fails is the 4318 module when
> trying to connect to a wpa_enterprise network that don't broadcast essid,
> cause it has some flux control that is not ok. it connects but you'd risk
> disconection and core failures that would have you to restart the system.
> all the other boards, for what i know work pretty well and with 54mbit/s
> speeds.
> 2. ndiswrapper was rebuilt pointing to /usr/srclinux which now pointed to
> r8. now, the modules should be ok, since you've already build and installed
> them, but you may have to rebuild ndiswrapper after pointing /usr/src/linux
> to the r5. i don't know if that would fix your issue, since you didn't
> provided any log or dmesg message to see what really happens when
> ndiswrapper loads. so first of all try "dmesg > /root/dmesg.txt-r5 && cat
> /var/log/messages > /root/messages-r5.txt" and "dmesg > /root/dmesg.txt-r8
> && cat /var/log/messages > /root/messages-r8.txt" after booting with r5 and
> respectively r8 and attach them to see what happens.
> 3. how did you compiled the new r8? have you made a "cp /usr/src/linux-
> 2.6.22-gentoo-r5/.config /usr/src/linux" to copy the old config from the r5
> to r8 or did you configured the r8 by hand again?
> 4. switch to bcm43xx since it is always better using native drivers than
> wrappers when you can. you should at least try them and see how they behave
> before saying that they don't work. compiling them don't cost you nothing.
> then you can blacklist them from loading so you can use ndiswrapper if you
> don't like them.
>
> 2007/10/6, Mark Haney <mhaney@ercbroadband.org>:
>>
>> I just upgraded to 2.6.22-r8 and when I booted into it (after
>> re-emerging ndiswrapper) I got a hardware error saying it couldn't set
>> the device up (wlan0).  I figured something was flaky with ndiswrapper,
>> so I booted back into -r5 and tried loading my wireless again and I got
>> the same error.  I've been consistently using my wireless under this
>> kernel for weeks and not had a problem.  Is this an ndiswrapper issue?
>> Or a kernel issue with -r8 that's screwed up my wireless?
>>
>> I know most of you aren't fans of ndiswrapper, but it's been absolutely
>> rock solid for me and I won't change to the new mac drivers for my
>> broadcom card until I have to.
>>
>> --
>> Mark Haney
>> Sr. Systems Administrator
>> ERC Broadband
>>
>>
>> --
>> gentoo-amd64@gentoo.org mailing list
>>
>>
>
>
>
-- 
gentoo-amd64@gentoo.org mailing list

Re: [gentoo-amd64] latest kernel and ndiswrapper

[Mark Haney]

Nuitari wrote:
> One of the problems I had with ndiswrapper is that it would just suck 
> 100% of the CPU and literally do nothing. iwlist scan would show nothing.
> 
> I just tried bcm43xx and it worked, so I never tried to get ndiswrapper 
> back
> 
> On Sat, 6 Oct 2007, Beso wrote:
> 

Okay, I'm game, can you send me notes on how to set up bcm43xx?  Or a 
link to a howto?  If that doesn't work I'll muck with ndiswrapper some more.



-- 
Recedite, plebes! Gero rem imperialem!


Mark Haney
Sr. Systems Administrator
ERC Broadband
(828) 350-2415

Call (866) ERC-7110 for after hours support
-- 
gentoo-amd64@gentoo.org mailing list

Re: [gentoo-amd64] latest kernel and ndiswrapper

[Barry Walsh]

Mark Haney wrote:
> Nuitari wrote:
>> One of the problems I had with ndiswrapper is that it would just suck 
>> 100% of the CPU and literally do nothing. iwlist scan would show 
>> nothing.
>>
>> I just tried bcm43xx and it worked, so I never tried to get 
>> ndiswrapper back
>>
>> On Sat, 6 Oct 2007, Beso wrote:
>>
>
> Okay, I'm game, can you send me notes on how to set up bcm43xx?  Or a 
> link to a howto?  If that doesn't work I'll muck with ndiswrapper some 
> more.
>
>
>
There's a sticky in the forums (thought not obvious due to the name)
http://forums.gentoo.org/viewtopic-t-547687.html
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gentoo-amd64@gentoo.org mailing list

Re: [gentoo-amd64] latest kernel and ndiswrapper

[Beso]

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just compile these modules:

networking -> wireless ->
<*> Improved wireless configuration
API                                                                     │ │
 --- Wireless
extensions
│ │
<M> Generic IEEE 802.11 Networking Stack
(mac80211)                                                         │ │
[ ]   Enable LED
triggers
│ │
[*]   Export mac80211 internals in
DebugFS                                                                  │ │
[*]   Enable debugging
output
│ │
 [*]     Verbose debugging
output
│ │
 [*]     Debug frame
dumping
│ │
[*]     TKIP
debugging
│ │
  │ │                                     [*]     Extra statistics for TX/RX
debugging                                                                │ │
  │ │                                     [*]     Support for IBSS
testing
│ │
  │ │                                     [*]     Verbose powersave mode
debugging
│ │
  │ │                                     <M> Generic IEEE 802.11 Networking
Stack                                                                    │ │
  │ │                                     [*]   Enable full debugging
output
│ │
  │ │                                     ---   IEEE 802.11 WEP encryption (
802.1x)                                                                   │
│
  │ │                                     <M>   IEEE 802.11i CCMP
support
│ │
  │ │                                     <M>   IEEE 802.11i TKIP
encryption
│ │
  │ │                                     <M>   Software MAC add-on to the
IEEE 802.11 networking stack                                               │
│
  │ │                                     [*]     Enable full debugging
output

the important things are generic iee support, software mac add-on
then go to
device drivers - network device support - wireless lan
and there you should find these options:

 <M> Broadcom BCM43xx wireless
support
│ │
  │ │                                     [*]   Broadcom BCM43xx debugging
(RECOMMENDED)                                                              │
│
  │ │                                           BCM43xx data transfer mode
(DMA + PIO)  --->

you cannot see them before setting to module or compile into kernel of the
softmac addon.
this should be your default settings. then recompile and install the kernel,
install the bcm43xx-fwcutter from the gentoo repository and run it to cut
the file i've appended. then copy all the .fw in the /lib/firmware directory
and reboot.

if you have installed the sabayon overlay you have the bcm43xx-firware
packet that has the firware already cut and you just need to install that
package. for having the better experience of bcm43xx use the latest kernel
source cause the guys of bcm43xx project get fixes and new supports for
these drivers.
it should take about 5min to install everything and reboot.

2007/10/8, Mark Haney <mhaney@ercbroadband.org>:
>
> Nuitari wrote:
> > One of the problems I had with ndiswrapper is that it would just suck
> > 100% of the CPU and literally do nothing. iwlist scan would show
> nothing.
> >
> > I just tried bcm43xx and it worked, so I never tried to get ndiswrapper
> > back
> >
> > On Sat, 6 Oct 2007, Beso wrote:
> >
>
> Okay, I'm game, can you send me notes on how to set up bcm43xx?  Or a
> link to a howto?  If that doesn't work I'll muck with ndiswrapper some
> more.
>
>
>
> --
> Recedite, plebes! Gero rem imperialem!
>
>
> Mark Haney
> Sr. Systems Administrator
> ERC Broadband
> (828) 350-2415
>
> Call (866) ERC-7110 for after hours support
> --
> gentoo-amd64@gentoo.org mailing list
>
>


-- 
dott. ing. beso

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Re: [gentoo-amd64] latest kernel and ndiswrapper

[Mark Haney]

Beso wrote:
> just compile these modules:
> 

Well after all is said and done, there was a new ndiswrapper ebuild 
sitting in portage this morning, so I emerged it and now everything 
works fine.

But, I've got the bcm43xx modules up and running although I've not tried 
them yet. The reason I mention this is because there was some mention on 
the forum posts about Gentoo's net scripts and wpa_supplicant that 
supposedly makes the bcm43xx setup really easy, does anyone know exactly 
what that means?




-- 
Recedite, plebes! Gero rem imperialem!


Mark Haney
Sr. Systems Administrator
ERC Broadband
(828) 350-2415

Call (866) ERC-7110 for after hours support
-- 
gentoo-amd64@gentoo.org mailing list

Re: [gentoo-amd64] latest kernel and ndiswrapper

[Beso]

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if you load at boot bcm43xx as hal should do, you have to unload them before
using ndiswrapper. if you want to stop them from loading put:

blacklist bcm43xx in this file:
/etc/modprobe.d/blacklist
and remember that you need also the firmware in /lib/firmware if you're
using the bcm43xx modules.

for the scripts i don't know what you mean since i didn't find anything on
the forum. the only script that could be done is the one that adds the
modules needed for bcm43xx in the kernel, then compile the kernel, then
install it, then download and cut the firmware, then install the firmware to
/lib/firmware and then ask you to reboot. since these steps aren't difficult
for a user to do, i think that there's no need for a script version.
using wpa_supplicant is easy; just install networkmanager and nm-applet if
you're using gnome or knetworkmanager if you're using kde and you have a
fully working utility for wpa managing. you may only have some problems with
non-standard wpa_enterprise networks and knetworkmanager since it disables
some configuration options which are disabled from the standard network
settings. the only thing that you need to do when using networkmanager is to
delete /etc/init.d/net.eth0 and /etc/init.d/net.eth1 for the first and
second network interfaces and then do a rc-update add NetworkManager
default. this will change your network manager from the old ifconfig to the
new networkmanager.

2007/10/8, Mark Haney <mhaney@ercbroadband.org>:
>
> Beso wrote:
> > just compile these modules:
> >
>
> Well after all is said and done, there was a new ndiswrapper ebuild
> sitting in portage this morning, so I emerged it and now everything
> works fine.
>
> But, I've got the bcm43xx modules up and running although I've not tried
> them yet. The reason I mention this is because there was some mention on
> the forum posts about Gentoo's net scripts and wpa_supplicant that
> supposedly makes the bcm43xx setup really easy, does anyone know exactly
> what that means?
>
>
>
>
> --
> Recedite, plebes! Gero rem imperialem!
>
>
> Mark Haney
> Sr. Systems Administrator
> ERC Broadband
> (828) 350-2415
>
> Call (866) ERC-7110 for after hours support
> --
> gentoo-amd64@gentoo.org mailing list
>
>


-- 
dott. ing. beso

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Re: [gentoo-amd64] latest kernel and ndiswrapper

[Mark Haney]

Beso wrote:
> if you load at boot bcm43xx as hal should do, you have to unload them before
> using ndiswrapper. if you want to stop them from loading put:
> 
> blacklist bcm43xx in this file:
> /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist
> and remember that you need also the firmware in /lib/firmware if you're
> using the bcm43xx modules.
> 

I don't have the bcm modules auto-loading at the moment, mainly so I can 
test them, however, I ran ndiswrapper just fine with those modules 
loaded (I loaded them manually).  Not that that makes any difference to 
the discussion, but it is more for your information that it can be done.

Thanks again for all the help.



-- 
Recedite, plebes! Gero rem imperialem!


Mark Haney
Sr. Systems Administrator
ERC Broadband
(828) 350-2415

Call (866) ERC-7110 for after hours support
-- 
gentoo-amd64@gentoo.org mailing list

Re: [gentoo-amd64] latest kernel and ndiswrapper

[Beso]

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still you cannot use them at the same time you're using ndiswrapper.... for
what i know you cannot use bcm43xx or any other linux modules and
ndiswrapper with the same wireless interface at the same time.... but i
still may be wrong....

2007/10/9, Mark Haney <mhaney@ercbroadband.org>:
>
> Beso wrote:
> > if you load at boot bcm43xx as hal should do, you have to unload them
> before
> > using ndiswrapper. if you want to stop them from loading put:
> >
> > blacklist bcm43xx in this file:
> > /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist
> > and remember that you need also the firmware in /lib/firmware if you're
> > using the bcm43xx modules.
> >
>
> I don't have the bcm modules auto-loading at the moment, mainly so I can
> test them, however, I ran ndiswrapper just fine with those modules
> loaded (I loaded them manually).  Not that that makes any difference to
> the discussion, but it is more for your information that it can be done.
>
> Thanks again for all the help.
>
>
>
> --
> Recedite, plebes! Gero rem imperialem!
>
>
> Mark Haney
> Sr. Systems Administrator
> ERC Broadband
> (828) 350-2415
>
> Call (866) ERC-7110 for after hours support
> --
> gentoo-amd64@gentoo.org mailing list
>
>


-- 
dott. ing. beso

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[gentoo-amd64] Re: latest kernel and ndiswrapper

[Duncan]

"Mark Haney" <mhaney@ercbroadband.org> posted
47078B2D.7020400@ercbroadband.org, excerpted below, on  Sat, 06 Oct 2007
09:18:37 -0400:

> I just upgraded to 2.6.22-r8 and when I booted into it (after
> re-emerging ndiswrapper) I got a hardware error saying it couldn't set
> the device up (wlan0).  I figured something was flaky with ndiswrapper,
> so I booted back into -r5 and tried loading my wireless again and I got
> the same error. I've been consistently using my wireless under this
> kernel for weeks and not had a problem.  Is this an ndiswrapper issue?
> Or a kernel issue with -r8 that's screwed up my wireless?

I'm guessing the wrapper has to be compiled to the kernel it's running 
with.  It may be that the -r5 and -r8 kernels are far enough apart to 
trigger that.  Since you remerged the wrapper with -r8 and it didn't work 
(for whatever reason), it wouldn't necessarily work with -r5 either, even 
tho it was before, since it had been freshly merged against -r8 and not -
r5.

So... try booting into -r5, remerging ndiswrapper again there, and then 
loading /that/ version.

Next time, since ndiswrapper is partially proprietary, it's probably 
worth saving your known-working package (using quickpkg) before trying to 
upgrade anything involving it.  If you had done that with the working 
version built against -r5, when you returned to -r5, you could have 
remerged the working binary package you saved manually.

-- 
Duncan - List replies preferred.   No HTML msgs.
"Every nonfree program has a lord, a master --
and if you use the program, he is your master."  Richard Stallman

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