[gentoo-user] Problems with Intel wireless networking and kernel 2.6.14

[gentoo-user] Problems with Intel wireless networking and kernel 2.6.14

[John Green]

Hi,

I still cannot make my Intel wireless card work under
kernel 2.6.14.  Wireless works fine with 2.6.12.6, but not
with 2.6.13.x or 2.6.14.

I have a Dell Inspiron 510m with built-in wireless, for which
the ipw2100 driver is appropriate.  I have followed the advice
in the Wiki for ipw2100-with-2.6.14 and taken some extra steps,
but still nothing.

Here are the relevant outputs from dmesg.

2.6.14 (fails)
--------------

ieee80211_crypt: registered algorithm 'NULL'
ipw2100: Intel(R) PRO/Wireless 2100 Network Driver, 1.1.0
ipw2100: Copyright(c) 2003-2004 Intel Corporation
ACPI: PCI Interrupt 0000:01:03.0[A] -> Link [LNKB] -> GSI 7 (level, low)
-> IRQ 7
ipw2100: Detected Intel PRO/Wireless 2100 Network Connection
eth0 (WE) : Driver using old /proc/net/wireless support, please fix driver !

###### How do I fix the driver in question? ######

I have already run "emerge -C ipw2100" to remove that Gentoo
package, which is no longer needed with kernel 2.6.14.  How
does wireless still work under 2.6.12.6 without that package?
It is lucky that it does still work, otherwise you wouldn't be
reading this post.


2.6.12.6 (works)
----------------

ieee80211_crypt: registered algorithm 'NULL'
ieee80211: 802.11 data/management/control stack, 1.0.3
ieee80211: Copyright (C) 2004-2005 Intel Corporation
<jketreno@linux.intel.com>
ipw2100: Intel(R) PRO/Wireless 2100 Network Driver, 1.1.2
ipw2100: Copyright(c) 2003-2005 Intel Corporation
ACPI: PCI Interrupt 0000:01:03.0[A] -> Link [LNKB] -> GSI 7 (level, low)
-> IRQ 7
ipw2100: Detected Intel PRO/Wireless 2100 Network Connection
eth0: Reseting on mode change.
eth0: Reseting on mode change.
ieee80211_crypt: registered algorithm 'TKIP'

--------------

Here are the relevant outputs from iwconfig, with a few details
obscured.

2.6.14 (fails)
--------------

Warning: Driver for device eth0 has been compiled with version 19
of Wireless Extension, while this program supports up to version 17.
Some things may be broken...

eth0      unassociated  ESSID:off/any  Nickname:"ipw2100"
          Mode:Managed  Channel=0  Access Point: 00:00:00:00:00:00
          Bit Rate=0 kb/s   Tx-Power:off
          Retry:on   RTS thr:off   Fragment thr:off
          Encryption key:off
          Power Management:off
          Link Quality:0  Signal level:0  Noise level:0
          Rx invalid nwid:0  Rx invalid crypt:0  Rx invalid frag:0
          Tx excessive retries:0  Invalid misc:0   Missed beacon:0

2.6.12.6 (works)
----------------

eth0      IEEE 802.11b  ESSID:"**"  Nickname:"ipw2100"
          Mode:Managed  Frequency:2.462 GHz  Access Point: 00:12:**:**:**:**
          Bit Rate=11 Mb/s   Tx-Power:off
          Retry min limit:7   RTS thr:off   Fragment thr:off
          Encryption key:*****
          Power Management:off
          Link Quality=100/100  Signal level=-52 dBm
          Rx invalid nwid:0  Rx invalid crypt:0  Rx invalid frag:0
          Tx excessive retries:0  Invalid misc:1   Missed beacon:0

------------

Is the warning about versions 19 and 17 significant?  It seems
to come from iwconfig, which is part of wireless-tools.  I have
version 27-r1 of that package, which is the latest available.

Thanks in advance,

John Green

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Re: [gentoo-user] Problems with Intel wireless networking and kernel 2.6.14

[Richard Fish]

John Green wrote:

>Hi,
>
>I still cannot make my Intel wireless card work under
>kernel 2.6.14.  Wireless works fine with 2.6.12.6, but not
>with 2.6.13.x or 2.6.14.
>
>I have a Dell Inspiron 510m with built-in wireless, for which
>the ipw2100 driver is appropriate.  I have followed the advice
>in the Wiki for ipw2100-with-2.6.14 and taken some extra steps,
>but still nothing.
>
>Here are the relevant outputs from dmesg.
>
>2.6.14 (fails)
>--------------
>
>ipw2100: Detected Intel PRO/Wireless 2100 Network Connection
>eth0 (WE) : Driver using old /proc/net/wireless support, please fix driver !
>
>###### How do I fix the driver in question? ######
>  
>

Not important...it's just a note for the developers.  I get the same 
warning (again, ipw2200), and it works fine.

I noticed that the version in the kernel is the 'stable' .0 version, 
while the one you are using with 2.6.12.6 is a .2 'unstable' version.  
It might be interesting to try merging the 1.1.0 version of the package 
with 2.6.12.6, and see if you have the same issue.  That would tell you 
if it is a driver version or kernel change that is causing the problem.

>I have already run "emerge -C ipw2100" to remove that Gentoo
>package, which is no longer needed with kernel 2.6.14.  How
>does wireless still work under 2.6.12.6 without that package?
>  
>

Sounds like removing the package didn't remove the compiled kernel 
modules from /lib/modules/2.6.12.6.  Both unusual and lucky!

>Is the warning about versions 19 and 17 significant?  It seems
>to come from iwconfig, which is part of wireless-tools.  I have
>version 27-r1 of that package, which is the latest available.
>  
>

28_pre10 is available for ~x86.  Try:

    echo "net-wireless/wireless-tools ~x86" >>/etc/portage/package.keywords
    emerge -Dv wireless-tools

Also, there are now versions of the ieee80211 and ipw2100 packages that 
will merge with 2.6.14.  They are also masked ~x86, so you will need to 
do the same updates to package.keywords:

    echo "net-wireless/ieee80211 ~x86" >>/etc/portage/package.keywords
    echo "net-wireless/ipw2100 ~x86" >>/etc/portage/package.keywords

This should give you the latest 1.1.3 version of the driver.  If it 
still won't work with 2.6.14, I suggest subscribing and posting to the 
devel list at:

http://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/ipw2100-devel

HTH,
-Richard

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Re: [gentoo-user] Problems with Intel wireless networking and kernel 2.6.14

[John Green]

Hi,

> Richard Fish wrote:

> >John Green wrote:

> >I still cannot make my Intel wireless card work under
> >kernel 2.6.14.  Wireless works fine with 2.6.12.6, but not
> >with 2.6.13.x or 2.6.14.

   <snip>

> >Here are the relevant outputs from dmesg.

> >2.6.14 (fails)
> >--------------

> >ipw2100: Detected Intel PRO/Wireless 2100 Network Connection
> >eth0 (WE) : Driver using old /proc/net/wireless support, please fix
driver !

> >###### How do I fix the driver in question? ######

> Not important...it's just a note for the developers.  I get the same
> warning (again, ipw2200), and it works fine.

> I noticed that the version in the kernel is the 'stable' .0 version,
> while the one you are using with 2.6.12.6 is a .2 'unstable' version.
> It might be interesting to try merging the 1.1.0 version of the package
> with 2.6.12.6, and see if you have the same issue.  That would tell you
> if it is a driver version or kernel change that is causing the problem.

Thanks for the suggestion, but I might never see a working 2.6.12.6
again if I do that :-(

> >I have already run "emerge -C ipw2100" to remove that Gentoo
> >package, which is no longer needed with kernel 2.6.14.  How
> >does wireless still work under 2.6.12.6 without that package?

> Sounds like removing the package didn't remove the compiled kernel
> modules from /lib/modules/2.6.12.6.  Both unusual and lucky!

Yes, the 2.6.12.6 module is still there.  I probably built it
under 2.6.12.6 and then 'removed' it while running 2.6.14.  What
*should* happen in those circumstances?

Also, my kernels have no support for module unloading, which is
probably a mistake when I need to play around with ipw2100 etc.
This at last explains why I had to keep rebooting to see the
effect of changes.

> >Is the warning about versions 19 and 17 significant?  It seems
> >to come from iwconfig, which is part of wireless-tools.  I have
> >version 27-r1 of that package, which is the latest available.

> 28_pre10 is available for ~x86.  Try:

>     echo "net-wireless/wireless-tools ~x86"
>>/etc/portage/package.keywords
>     emerge -Dv wireless-tools

> Also, there are now versions of the ieee80211 and ipw2100 packages
that will
> merge with 2.6.14.  They are also masked ~x86, so you will need to do
the same
> updates to package.keywords:

>    echo "net-wireless/ieee80211 ~x86" >>/etc/portage/package.keywords
>    echo "net-wireless/ipw2100 ~x86" >>/etc/portage/package.keywords

These steps did not seem to help.

> This should give you the latest 1.1.3 version of the driver.  If it still
> won't work with 2.6.14, I suggest subscribing and posting to the devel
list
> at:

> http://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/ipw2100-devel

Thanks for the help, but this is where I give up and go back to
2.6.12.6.  I build my own kernels so I know what is in them and
to get the minimum feature set.  I want the latest kernel to get
security and other fixes, and not because I need any new
functionality.

At least I got closer with 2.6.14.  Kernel 2.6.13.x never
created an eth0 device.  And I will read the ipw2100 dev list
from now on.  Other people have similar problems, but I can't
see a solution yet.

Thanks again,

John Green

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