[gentoo-user] b43-legacy and newer linux kernels?

[gentoo-user] b43-legacy and newer linux kernels?

[BRM]

I have a laptop that has been running Linux Kernel 2.6.30 Gentoo-R8 (gentoo 
sources, don't remember which version) for a while. It has a Broadcom 4306 Rev 2 
wireless card that has been working well with that kernel. I extracted the 
firmware from the broadcom-wl-4.150.10.5 blob a while ago using b43-fwcutter 
011. I have to hard-code the network settings in /etc/conf.d/net for my home 
network, but am able to use wpa_supplicant whenever I go elsewhere. (I think 
it's my home wireless router that causes the issue; probably needs a firmware 
upgrade.)

Any how, I recently upgraded to Linux Kernel 2.6.34 Gentoo-R7 (gentoo-sources 
2.6.34-r1); again using the b43-legacy driver for the wireless. However, now I 
can't keep a network connection up. I keep getting errors from the 
/etc/init.d/net.wlan0 startup - namely: SIOCSIFFLAGS Unknown Error 132. I had to 
reboot onto the older kernel to write this message and try to research the issue 
a little.

From on-line, some sites suggest the following as a solution:

rmmod ath9k
rfkill block all
rfkill unblock all
modprobe ath9k
rfkill unblock all
however, rfkill seems to only be in testing for gentoo 
(http://packages.gentoo.org/package/net-wireless/rfkill), and I'm using the 
b43-legacy instead of the ath9k driver - okay, no problem there, just switch out 
which driver is unloaded and reloaded. Haven't tried it yet as I have to reboot; 
but even so - they are saying this has to be done on every reboot, and that's 
not much of a solution.

Further, I can't seem to find a version of b43-fwcutter that will extract any of 
the b43-legacy firmware - even the one I had successfully extracted (011, 012, 
13).

Has anyone else seen this? Does anyone know if this gets resolved (or made 
worse) by a newer kernel?

Ben

Re: [gentoo-user] b43-legacy and newer linux kernels?

[Neil Bothwick]

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On Thu, 12 Aug 2010 22:10:02 -0700 (PDT), BRM wrote:

> but even so - they are saying this has to be done on every reboot, and
> that's not much of a solution.

Put the commands in /etc/conf.d/local.start, or the start section
of /etc/conf.d/local if using baselayout2.


-- 
Neil Bothwick

If you use envelopes, why not encryption ?

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Re: [gentoo-user] b43-legacy and newer linux kernels?

[Mick]

On 13 August 2010 09:08, Neil Bothwick <neil@digimed.co.uk> wrote:
> On Thu, 12 Aug 2010 22:10:02 -0700 (PDT), BRM wrote:
>
>> but even so - they are saying this has to be done on every reboot, and
>> that's not much of a solution.
>
> Put the commands in /etc/conf.d/local.start, or the start section
> of /etc/conf.d/local if using baselayout2.

Have you been through the guidance in this page to find out which
kernel driver you ought to use with your card?

http://linuxwireless.org/en/users/Drivers/b43

-- 
Regards,
Mick

Re: [gentoo-user] b43-legacy and newer linux kernels?

[BRM]

----- Original Message ----

> On 13 August 2010 09:08, Neil Bothwick <neil@digimed.co.uk> wrote:
> > On  Thu, 12 Aug 2010 22:10:02 -0700 (PDT), BRM wrote:
> >> but even  so - they are saying this has to be done on every reboot, and
> >> that's  not much of a solution.
> > Put the commands in  /etc/conf.d/local.start, or the start section
> > of /etc/conf.d/local if  using baselayout2.
> Have you been through the guidance in this page to  find out which
> kernel driver you ought to use with your  card?
> http://linuxwireless.org/en/users/Drivers/b43

Yes. Unfortunately it's a 14e4:4320/ with BCM4306/2 Chip set (4306 Rev 2), so it 
requires the b43-legacy driver, and only firmware version FW10 supports the 
hardware from what I can tell.

It just seems to me that I went from a working wireless on 2.6.30 to a 
non-working wireless on 2.6.34. I'd really like to get back to a working
wireless card, and be on the newer kernel.

While the steps I quoted may be a work around for 2.6.34 - I haven't had a 
chance to test them yet, hopefully tonight - they are just that, a work around 
for a bug.
rfkill did install pretty easily once I unmasked it, but I don't know if it will 
work yet either.

Ben

Re: [gentoo-user] b43-legacy and newer linux kernels?

[Bill Longman]

On 08/13/2010 10:58 AM, BRM wrote:
> ----- Original Message ----
> 
>> On 13 August 2010 09:08, Neil Bothwick <neil@digimed.co.uk> wrote:
>>> On  Thu, 12 Aug 2010 22:10:02 -0700 (PDT), BRM wrote:
>>>> but even  so - they are saying this has to be done on every reboot, and
>>>> that's  not much of a solution.
>>> Put the commands in  /etc/conf.d/local.start, or the start section
>>> of /etc/conf.d/local if  using baselayout2.
>> Have you been through the guidance in this page to  find out which
>> kernel driver you ought to use with your  card?
>> http://linuxwireless.org/en/users/Drivers/b43
> 
> Yes. Unfortunately it's a 14e4:4320/ with BCM4306/2 Chip set (4306 Rev 2), so it 
> requires the b43-legacy driver, and only firmware version FW10 supports the 
> hardware from what I can tell.
> 
> It just seems to me that I went from a working wireless on 2.6.30 to a 
> non-working wireless on 2.6.34. I'd really like to get back to a working
> wireless card, and be on the newer kernel.

I feel your pain, Ben. I remember about three years ago having my laptop
working great with all manner of 802.11 cards. I could do my work
anywhere in the house. And then it all just kind of melted. A new kernel
for one thing but somehow something else fell apart. I've pretty much
written off any wireless on Linux now. My time is worth more than the
hours of troubleshooting. Keep plugging, you just might get it.

Re: [gentoo-user] b43-legacy and newer linux kernels?

[Mick]

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On Friday 13 August 2010 19:24:08 Bill Longman wrote:
> On 08/13/2010 10:58 AM, BRM wrote:
> > ----- Original Message ----
> > 
> >> On 13 August 2010 09:08, Neil Bothwick <neil@digimed.co.uk> wrote:
> >>> On  Thu, 12 Aug 2010 22:10:02 -0700 (PDT), BRM wrote:
> >>>> but even  so - they are saying this has to be done on every reboot,
> >>>> and that's  not much of a solution.
> >>> 
> >>> Put the commands in  /etc/conf.d/local.start, or the start section
> >>> of /etc/conf.d/local if  using baselayout2.
> >> 
> >> Have you been through the guidance in this page to  find out which
> >> kernel driver you ought to use with your  card?
> >> http://linuxwireless.org/en/users/Drivers/b43
> > 
> > Yes. Unfortunately it's a 14e4:4320/ with BCM4306/2 Chip set (4306 Rev
> > 2), so it requires the b43-legacy driver, and only firmware version FW10
> > supports the hardware from what I can tell.
> > 
> > It just seems to me that I went from a working wireless on 2.6.30 to a
> > non-working wireless on 2.6.34. I'd really like to get back to a working
> > wireless card, and be on the newer kernel.
> 
> I feel your pain, Ben. I remember about three years ago having my laptop
> working great with all manner of 802.11 cards. I could do my work
> anywhere in the house. And then it all just kind of melted. A new kernel
> for one thing but somehow something else fell apart. I've pretty much
> written off any wireless on Linux now. My time is worth more than the
> hours of troubleshooting. Keep plugging, you just might get it.

Well, there's always ndiswrapper and the MSWindows driver to consider, when 
all Linux solutions fail or don't work that well.

I see on kernel v2.6.34-gentoo-r1 that CONFIG_B43LEGACY will now use V3 
firmware, which must be installed separately using b43-fwcutter.

Has the OP tried that?

PS.  The kernel help is also recommending that b43legacy is installed as a 
module.
-- 
Regards,
Mick

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Re: [gentoo-user] b43-legacy and newer linux kernels?

[Mick]

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On Saturday 14 August 2010 11:18:17 you wrote:
> On Friday 13 August 2010 19:24:08 Bill Longman wrote:
> > On 08/13/2010 10:58 AM, BRM wrote:
> > > ----- Original Message ----
> > > 
> > >> On 13 August 2010 09:08, Neil Bothwick <neil@digimed.co.uk> wrote:
> > >>> On  Thu, 12 Aug 2010 22:10:02 -0700 (PDT), BRM wrote:
> > >>>> but even  so - they are saying this has to be done on every reboot,
> > >>>> and that's  not much of a solution.
> > >>> 
> > >>> Put the commands in  /etc/conf.d/local.start, or the start section
> > >>> of /etc/conf.d/local if  using baselayout2.
> > >> 
> > >> Have you been through the guidance in this page to  find out which
> > >> kernel driver you ought to use with your  card?
> > >> http://linuxwireless.org/en/users/Drivers/b43
> > > 
> > > Yes. Unfortunately it's a 14e4:4320/ with BCM4306/2 Chip set (4306 Rev
> > > 2), so it requires the b43-legacy driver, and only firmware version
> > > FW10 supports the hardware from what I can tell.
> > > 
> > > It just seems to me that I went from a working wireless on 2.6.30 to a
> > > non-working wireless on 2.6.34. I'd really like to get back to a
> > > working wireless card, and be on the newer kernel.
> > 
> > I feel your pain, Ben. I remember about three years ago having my laptop
> > working great with all manner of 802.11 cards. I could do my work
> > anywhere in the house. And then it all just kind of melted. A new kernel
> > for one thing but somehow something else fell apart. I've pretty much
> > written off any wireless on Linux now. My time is worth more than the
> > hours of troubleshooting. Keep plugging, you just might get it.
> 
> Well, there's always ndiswrapper and the MSWindows driver to consider, when
> all Linux solutions fail or don't work that well.
> 
> I see on kernel v2.6.34-gentoo-r1 that CONFIG_B43LEGACY will now use V3
> firmware, which must be installed separately using b43-fwcutter.
> 
> Has the OP tried that?
> 
> PS.  The kernel help is also recommending that b43legacy is installed as a
> module.

I read again your original post.  I think that you have been trying to use the 
wrong firmware.  The link I suggested recommends that you use b43_fwcutter to 
install this firmware:

 http://downloads.openwrt.org/sources/wl_apsta-3.130.20.0.o

Alternatively, you may want to experiment with whatever is the latest firmware 
in Broadcom's website and see if any of those work.
-- 
Regards,
Mick

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