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-   -   driver not allocated to wlan card (https://www.linuxquestions.org/questions/linux-newbie-8/driver-not-allocated-to-wlan-card-691034/)

clementis 12-16-2008 02:30 PM

driver not allocated to wlan card
 
Hello,

I try to get my wlan card (BCM4306) to work. So far I installed the native windows driver with ndiswrapper. ndiswrapper is working.

ndiswrapper -i *.inf
ndiswrapper -l
bcmwl5 : driver installed
device (....) present (alternate driver: ssb)

ndiswrapper -m

lsmod | grep ndis*
shows ndiswrapper module

lshw -C network
...
*-network
product: BCM4306 802.11b/g Wireless
...
configuration: driver=b43-pci-bridge latency=64 module=ssb


It seems that the driver loaded through ndiswrapper isn't allocated to the wlan card. Am I right?

How do I assign the driver ndiswrapper "bcmwl5" to the wlan card?

thank you!

Clementis

clementis 12-16-2008 03:52 PM

Pls, does anybody know how to tell linux that a specific driver should be used for a specific device?

thx! clementis

tredegar 12-16-2008 04:24 PM

Woah!

Less than two hours has passed before you received a reply.
Please give us a chance. We are also busy people.

And, with 33 posts to your name, you should know that we need to know your distro to be able to help you better. Please have the courtesy to tell us.
Also, by "answering" your on Q, you are now off the LQ "threads-with-zero-replies" list that many members read to try to help with obscure or difficult questions.

Now comes some help for others that might read this thread (I have never needed ndiswrapper and know little about it):

What is the output of the following commands (run as the root user):

ifconfig
iwlist scan


And how much time does it take to type "Thanks" and "Please" instead of thx and pls ?
You want help NOW, but the impression you give is that you cannot be bothered to lift your fingers.

clementis 12-16-2008 05:17 PM

I'm sorry! I didn't want to be unpolite by writing "pls" "thx". I'll change it if it's not in line with a correct netiquette!

I use Zenwalk, kernal 2.6.25.4.

I blacklisted the ssb module because it was mentioned in the lshw output
Quote:

...configuration: driver=b43-pci-bridge latency=64 module=ssb
Now the device "wlan card" is working. However, I'd like to know if there is a possibility to assign a driver to a specific device.
I ask this because I've installed two or more drivers for a device. Linux is using one of them by default and I want to give the other driver a try.

Now, I've some problems with wpa_supplicant. If I'm not successful I'll ask my questions in the forum.

Thank you in advance!

Clementis

tredegar 12-16-2008 05:51 PM

OoooK.
You are using a distro that is currently #22 at distrowatch.com and as such is way down the list. Why did you decide to choose this particular distro? Do you have some special and exceptional requirements?

Quote:

I blacklisted the ssb module because it was mentioned in the lshw output
Why did you think that blacklisting that module was the right thing to do? If it is listed in your hardware, and you have now blacklisted the module that handles it, it is unlikely to work

Quote:

Now the device "wlan card" is working.
But it is working. Good. But "wlan card" doesn't tell us much about it, or the module(s) you have blacklisted.

Quote:

I ask this because I've installed two or more drivers for a device. Linux is using one of them by default and I want to give the other driver a try.
What "device" ?

If it is working, may I ask why you want to change it?

Please read man rmmod and man modprobe

And while you are at your PC, please read this link:
http://www.linuxsilo.net/docs/smart-questions_en.html
I mean it nicey ;)

clementis 12-17-2008 04:34 AM

Hi,
I think my question isn't as complicated as you may guess.

Maybe I expressed myself the wrong way.

Next try: :-)

1. I've a device e.g. Belkin PCMCIA wlan card
Let's say: D
(It could be any device. Does not matter which for my question.)

2. The device needs a driver to run. Linux uses preinstalled drivers but sometimes you have to use a different one to get it work. Maybe you have more drivers installed which you can use. Let us say we have driver A, B and C.
B is another driver shipped with linux.
C is a windows driver loaded with ndiswrapper.

Now, Linux uses by default driver A for the device D. But, I'd like to run the device with either driver B or C. One reason could be and it is in my case that the device is not running.

case B - How do I use driver B instead of the default A?
First I include driver B to the list of kernal modules which were loaded automatically. In slackware /etc/rc.d/rc.modules (as far as I can remember without sitting in front of my Linux Pc).
question: Now, I don't know what to do that linux uses driver B instead of A!

case C - Same situation like the above but the driver was loaded through ndiswrapper.
Let's skip the procedure to load the driver with ndiswrapper and assume that driver C is installed with ndiswrapper the right way. Ndiswrapper is automatically loaded at startup.
question: Same as above. I don't know what to do that linux uses driver C instead of A!

My approach:
lshw -C network (if I'd like to see the network devices) shows the network devices. Also the prvious mentioned Belkin card. From that output I can determine the used driver.
After installing driver B or C nothing changed within that output therefor the used driver has not changed.
Therefor I thought blacklisting driver A would force linux to use another driver. I was right and the other driver was used. But what about if I need driver A aa well.

The reason why I didn't post device details is that I think - maybe I'm wrong - that it should be possible to tell linux to us one specific driver for a device also if more drivers for that device were installed (regardless of the type of the device).

I hope my explainations aren't too confusing and thank you for your patients.

Clementis


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