[gentoo-user] Loading iwl3945 erratic

[gentoo-user] Loading iwl3945 erratic

[Alan McKinnon]

Hi all,

I have a Dell XPS M1530 with an Intel IWL3945 wireless card. On 
power-up/reboot it sometimes works, sometimes doesn't. I can find no pattern 
at all, success does not depend on the machine being hot/cold rebooted, 
powered up from shutdown, hibernate, suspend or any other usual thing. I 
don't use the wireless-rf kill switch at all.

I've googled, read the comments in the source and read heaps of howtos without 
success. Ideas anyone?

On failure, the exact error message in dmesg is:
Sep 17 18:04:48 nazgul [    5.304072] iwl3945: Intel(R) PRO/Wireless 
3945ABG/BG Network Connection driver for Linux, 1.2.26kds
Sep 17 18:04:48 nazgul [    5.304072] iwl3945: Copyright(c) 2003-2008 Intel 
Corporation
Sep 17 18:04:48 nazgul [    6.229313] iwl3945: Detected Intel Wireless WiFi 
Link 3945ABG
Sep 17 18:04:48 nazgul [    6.230984] iwl3945: Error: saturation power is -1, 
less than minimum expected 40
Sep 17 18:04:48 nazgul [    6.230984] iwl3945: Invalid power index
Sep 17 18:04:48 nazgul [    6.230984] iwl3945: initializing regulatory 
failed: -5
Sep 17 18:04:48 nazgul [    6.237253] iwl3945: probe of 0000:0b:00.0 failed 
with error -5

On success, the dmesg output is:
Sep 17 18:37:52 nazgul [    4.576768] iwl3945: Intel(R) PRO/Wireless 
3945ABG/BG Network Connection driver for Linux, 1.2.26ks
Sep 17 18:37:52 nazgul [    4.576768] iwl3945: Copyright(c) 2003-2008 Intel 
Corporation
Sep 17 18:37:52 nazgul [    5.490369] iwl3945: Detected Intel Wireless WiFi 
Link 3945ABG
Sep 17 18:37:52 nazgul [    5.603457] iwl3945: Tunable channels: 13 802.11bg, 
23 802.11a channels
Sep 17 18:37:52 nazgul [    5.609491] phy0: Selected rate control 
algorithm 'iwl-3945-rs'


The hardware:
alan@nazgul ~ $ sudo lspci | grep -i wireless
0b:00.0 Network controller: Intel Corporation PRO/Wireless 3945ABG Network 
Connection (rev 02)

Kernel: 2.6.26-gentoo

Config: 
alan@nazgul ~ $ zgrep IWL /proc/config.gz
CONFIG_IWLWIFI=m
CONFIG_IWLCORE=m
# CONFIG_IWLWIFI_LEDS is not set
CONFIG_IWLWIFI_RFKILL=y
# CONFIG_IWL4965 is not set
CONFIG_IWL3945=m
CONFIG_IWL3945_SPECTRUM_MEASUREMENT=y
CONFIG_IWL3945_LEDS=y
# CONFIG_IWL3945_DEBUG is not set

alan@nazgul /etc $ grep -i iwl /etc/mod*conf
/etc/modprobe.conf:alias wlan0 iwl3945

-- 
alan dot mckinnon at gmail dot com

Re: [gentoo-user] Loading iwl3945 erratic

[Espen Hustad]

On Wednesday 17 September 2008 22:03:52 Alan McKinnon wrote:
> Hi all,
>
> I have a Dell XPS M1530 with an Intel IWL3945 wireless card. On
> power-up/reboot it sometimes works, sometimes doesn't. I can find no
> pattern at all, success does not depend on the machine being hot/cold
> rebooted, powered up from shutdown, hibernate, suspend or any other usual
> thing. I don't use the wireless-rf kill switch at all.

> Config:
> alan@nazgul ~ $ zgrep IWL /proc/config.gz
> CONFIG_IWLWIFI=m
> CONFIG_IWLCORE=m
> # CONFIG_IWLWIFI_LEDS is not set
> CONFIG_IWLWIFI_RFKILL=y
> # CONFIG_IWL4965 is not set
> CONFIG_IWL3945=m
> CONFIG_IWL3945_SPECTRUM_MEASUREMENT=y
> CONFIG_IWL3945_LEDS=y
> # CONFIG_IWL3945_DEBUG is not set
>
> alan@nazgul /etc $ grep -i iwl /etc/mod*conf
> /etc/modprobe.conf:alias wlan0 iwl3945

Hi!

Do you have mac80211 compiled as a module or in kernel? See
http://www.gentoo-wiki.com/Ipw3945#iwlwifi for explanation. I'm not sure
though if this is still a issue, or if it has been fixed.

Espen

Re: [gentoo-user] Loading iwl3945 erratic

[Alan McKinnon]

On Wednesday 17 September 2008 22:32:21 Espen Hustad wrote:
> On Wednesday 17 September 2008 22:03:52 Alan McKinnon wrote:
> > Hi all,
> >
> > I have a Dell XPS M1530 with an Intel IWL3945 wireless card. On
> > power-up/reboot it sometimes works, sometimes doesn't. I can find no
> > pattern at all, success does not depend on the machine being hot/cold
> > rebooted, powered up from shutdown, hibernate, suspend or any other usual
> > thing. I don't use the wireless-rf kill switch at all.
> >
> > Config:
> > alan@nazgul ~ $ zgrep IWL /proc/config.gz
> > CONFIG_IWLWIFI=m
> > CONFIG_IWLCORE=m
> > # CONFIG_IWLWIFI_LEDS is not set
> > CONFIG_IWLWIFI_RFKILL=y
> > # CONFIG_IWL4965 is not set
> > CONFIG_IWL3945=m
> > CONFIG_IWL3945_SPECTRUM_MEASUREMENT=y
> > CONFIG_IWL3945_LEDS=y
> > # CONFIG_IWL3945_DEBUG is not set
> >
> > alan@nazgul /etc $ grep -i iwl /etc/mod*conf
> > /etc/modprobe.conf:alias wlan0 iwl3945
>
> Hi!
>
> Do you have mac80211 compiled as a module or in kernel? See
> http://www.gentoo-wiki.com/Ipw3945#iwlwifi for explanation. I'm not sure
> though if this is still a issue, or if it has been fixed.

mac80211 is a module - I learned long ago to make as modules everything that 
can work as a module :-) Some more info I omitted from the original post:

the driver I use is the in-kernel iwl3945 (part of iwlwifi)
iwl3945-ucode is installed
As far as I can tell, everything I should have done according to that page and 
to http://www.gentoo-wiki.com/Iwlwifi has been done.

Working purely from a techie's gut feel here (i.e. no evidence whatsoever), 
this behaviour looks like what I might get from the following circumstances:

- a register in the card is not being properly initialised by the firmware, 
sometimes a bit is 0 sometimes a 1 at random and the results are not 
determined
- there's a module option that I missed when reading the source comments
- a weird race condition at early boot, results are pot-luck
- my hardware is busted

But I've run out of ideas on how to falsify these theories :-(


-- 
alan dot mckinnon at gmail dot com

Re: [gentoo-user] Loading iwl3945 erratic

[Iain Buchanan]

Alan McKinnon wrote:
> On Wednesday 17 September 2008 22:32:21 Espen Hustad wrote:
>> On Wednesday 17 September 2008 22:03:52 Alan McKinnon wrote:
>>> Hi all,
>>>
>>> I have a Dell XPS M1530 with an Intel IWL3945 wireless card. On
>>> power-up/reboot it sometimes works, sometimes doesn't. I can find no
>>> pattern at all, success does not depend on the machine being hot/cold
>>> rebooted, powered up from shutdown, hibernate, suspend or any other usual
>>> thing. I don't use the wireless-rf kill switch at all.

> mac80211 is a module - I learned long ago to make as modules everything that
> can work as a module :-) Some more info I omitted from the original post:

have you tried:
- /etc/init.d/net.wlan0 stop
- unload module
- reload, continue ?

I have a precision M6300 with the iwl 4965, and all my problems can 
usually be solved the above way, although our two laptops are different.

> the driver I use is the in-kernel iwl3945 (part of iwlwifi)
> iwl3945-ucode is installed

have you recompiled ucode since you last built the module?

> As far as I can tell, everything I should have done according to that page and
> to http://www.gentoo-wiki.com/Iwlwifi has been done.
>
> Working purely from a techie's gut feel here (i.e. no evidence whatsoever),
> this behaviour looks like what I might get from the following circumstances:
>
> - a register in the card is not being properly initialised by the firmware,
> sometimes a bit is 0 sometimes a 1 at random and the results are not
> determined
> - there's a module option that I missed when reading the source comments
> - a weird race condition at early boot, results are pot-luck
> - my hardware is busted
>
> But I've run out of ideas on how to falsify these theories :-(

One answer to these questions is Winblows.  If it works continuously 
there, then it's not your hw.  Another option is reseating the mpci 
card, or even trying a different one.  Otherwise try and match your 
kernel and ucode versions with someone who has it working... But I'm 
sure you've thought of that :)

-- 
Iain Buchanan <iaindb at netspace dot net dot au>

The idea is to die young as late as possible.
		-- Ashley Montague

Re: [gentoo-user] Loading iwl3945 erratic

[Alan McKinnon]

On Thursday 18 September 2008 01:20:28 Iain Buchanan wrote:
> Alan McKinnon wrote:
> > On Wednesday 17 September 2008 22:32:21 Espen Hustad wrote:
> >> On Wednesday 17 September 2008 22:03:52 Alan McKinnon wrote:
> >>> Hi all,
> >>>
> >>> I have a Dell XPS M1530 with an Intel IWL3945 wireless card. On
> >>> power-up/reboot it sometimes works, sometimes doesn't. I can find no
> >>> pattern at all, success does not depend on the machine being hot/cold
> >>> rebooted, powered up from shutdown, hibernate, suspend or any other
> >>> usual thing. I don't use the wireless-rf kill switch at all.
> >
> > mac80211 is a module - I learned long ago to make as modules everything
> > that can work as a module :-) Some more info I omitted from the original
> > post:
>
> have you tried:
> - /etc/init.d/net.wlan0 stop
> - unload module
> - reload, continue ?

Tried that but it doesn't work. If I get that "power level message = -1" 
message in dmesg, nothing works until I reboot/powercyle, then it's pot luck 
if it'll start next time

> I have a precision M6300 with the iwl 4965, and all my problems can
> usually be solved the above way, although our two laptops are different.
>
> > the driver I use is the in-kernel iwl3945 (part of iwlwifi)
> > iwl3945-ucode is installed
>
> have you recompiled ucode since you last built the module?

Yes, but we can nuke that as a contributing factor - there's no compiling to 
be down. The ebuild just unpacks a binary blob and moves it to /lib/firmware

> > But I've run out of ideas on how to falsify these theories :-(
>
> One answer to these questions is Winblows.  If it works continuously
> there, then it's not your hw.  Another option is reseating the mpci
> card, or even trying a different one.  Otherwise try and match your
> kernel and ucode versions with someone who has it working... But I'm
> sure you've thought of that :)

Windows isn't feasible, but an Ubuntu LiveCD is :-) I'll spend some time 
tonight after work cycling the machine enough times to get a decent record

-- 
alan dot mckinnon at gmail dot com