okay, I have never used Linux before so excuse any newbie questions. I have searching google for answers and i've had no luck.

i just installed a dual boot with Win XP Hm / Mandriva 2006 RC2. I had trouble setting up my D-Link GWL-650 (rev b4). I realize that has to do with the driver not being recognized in Linux. It was easily recognized in Win and I was able to connect to the internet in Win. So instead i threw in an older Cisco Aironet 350 Series. The operating system recognizes it but I'm still not able to connect to any networks. The network icon is not connected and it asks me to "Configure Network Connections". At work I have WEP enabled login which i've adjusted. At home, I piggyback off whatever I can get. Neither connection seems to work. I am pretty much completely ignorant when it comes to linux/unix but i can follow specific instructions.

Dell Inspiron i8000
p3 fam 6 model 8 stepping 6
256 RAM
Cisco AIR-PCM352

another thing is when i boot up i occasionally get this error:
"Determing IP information for XXX" - [FAILED]
XXX being sometimes eth0, eth1, and wifi1, etc.. (it changes)

help plz,
-nut

i'm guessing from your post that you have not configured the wirless connection, you can do this from the mandrake control centre MCC (I guess this may be Mandriva control centre now, I use Mandriva LE2005 not 2006).

If you don't have Drakwizard installed then install this first , then start MCC (type MCC from a root console)
goto the Network and Internet tab, select "setup a network interface" and configure your wirless connection wifi1 (based on your post)
you will need the ssid of the access point that you are using and its key it using wep.

I thought I had done that. I configured my eth0 connection. I'm still getting a "Network is down on interface eth0" in the bottom right. here's the config specifics:


** eth0 **
TCP/IP tab:
Protocol : DHCP
IP Address: No IP
Netmask : No Mask

DHCP tab:
DHCP client : dhclient
Assign host name from DHCP address : checked
DHCP host name : blank
DHCP timeout : blank
Get DNS servers from DHCP : checked
Get YP servers from DHCP : unchjecked
Get NTPD servers from DHCP : unchecked

Wireless tab:
Operating Mode : Roaming
Network Name (ESSID): any
the rest is blank

Options tab:
Start at boot : checked
Track network card id : checked
Network Hotplugging : checked
Metric : 10

rebooting after i tried to reconfig and i get these 2 errors

Bringing up interface eth1 : [FAILED]
Bringing up interface wifi0: [FAILED]

any thoughts?

Make sure your wireless card is working properly and it actually was assigned the proper driver by Mandriva. If it isn't, it's ok, you can use a windows driver with linux in Ndiswrapper. Select "use a windows driver" in the wizard and direct Ndiswrapper towards the .inf file of the driver. if this works, you should be good to go.

Ok, now is the set up of the actual wireless.

check to see that mandriva can see your wireless.

type this in the console as root:

# iwlist scan

this will tell you if mandriva can see that one of your eth interfaces can support wireless or not.

if you find one that detects a network, you're good to go. set up the network normally through the GUI or do this:

# iwconfig <interface> essid <network name or essid> key <encryption key>

then type

# ifup <interface>

that should connect your wireless.

hopefully this helps you.

purelithium, thanks for the response.

it looked like everything was going smoothly but I had a few issues

1. when i entered this code:
# iwconfig <interface> <network name or essid> <encryption key>

i got this response:
error : unrecognized wireless request <network name>

i know i entered the information correctly. this is my work computer. the essid is identical the one listed in the konsole and i double checked the key.

i went back into the Control Center and tried it that way but came up with an issue involving the hostname. I used the "ifconfig -a" command but didn't see anything that looked like an IP

also, i think i screwed something else because when i go to my root dir now the prompt is [root@<ESSID>]

like is said i am really a newbie at this. Still w/o internet access but I'm going home :-). I'll check back tomorrow. I am enjoying the learning process though.

-nut

Another quick thing. If I set this up for connecting to my work wireless router. How easy will it be to access other networks, mostly unsecure or public, while at home?

yeah, see that's the problem I'm having. I'm pretty new to linux in general myself, and I haven't found an answer to that question myself. I've tried Kwifi Manager, but I can't figure out how to make it connect and actually manage the connection.

Maybe someone else can help us out with this one =)

hang on, I might have gotten the syntax wrong. just a sec

sorry you have to type this:

# iwconfig <interface> essid <essid> key <encryption key>

eg

# iwconfig eth0 essid mynetwork key 55ff6633aa

sorry for the confusion

if you need any clarification or other options to include in the command look in the man pages or type

# iwconfig --help

or you could just ask me again, I'm always willing to help!!

ok, I made another mistake

when I said:

# ifconfig <interface> up

I actually meant

# ifup <interface>

and the opposite can be used to disconnect

# ifdown <interface>

Sorry for the confusion, I was typing it all by memory, and I figured out what was wrong when I tried to repeat my instructions to you. But I think all should be kosher now. ifconfig is for configuring wired network configurations, so it doesn't apply here. Oh, you should also make sure that your wireless is the only interface connected, if any other interfaces, are up, they could conflict with eachother.

Just to clarify, were you able to see the network when you ran iwlist? if not, that means there's something either wrong with the card, or the drivers

Wow, look at us! Two newbies floundering about on their own!

purelithium-

still no luck. the new code seemed to work properly except when i tried "ifup" it failed to find an IP.

i was able to see the networks with "iwlist -scan"

i'm not sure if i need to setup an eth, wifi and/or wlan connection. one thing I dont think i mention before is the laptop I'm trying to configure is not hard wired to the internet.

I am typing this from my work desktop.

thanks for your responses....

Try this:
# ifdown <interface>
# iwconfig <interface> essid <essid> key open <encryption key>
# ifup <interface>

If you are on Mandriva 2006, there is a new tool in MCC under Internet: Wireless Connection. This tool will show you the networks currently visible to the wireless card and from this point, you will be able to configure and connect to the network you wish. The tool is working very well for me and I can finally control my wireless connection with a GUI after a lot of frustration with KWifi Manager and the very user friendly CLI (with a demoniac laugh)...

Cheers!

Hmm... do you have access to the inferface of the access point your're trying to connect to? if so, chjeck to make sure mac address filtering is off or if you want to keep it on, check to see if the mac address of the wireless card you are using is allowed.

I just thought of something. If the key index of the accesspoint is not set to 1, the code I just said won't work. I'm not sure how to make it work for keys 2-4. that's if you use WEP encryption. I'm not familiar with any others, as I'm pretty new to wireless networking.

I don't have a hard and true answer for you, but the fact that you were able to see the network tells me that everything seems to be working properly.

Well let me know if any of this is helping

okay i just deleted all the network connections that were in the MCC and rebooted. I immediately went back and followed the directions to set up the wifi. It keeps getting hung up on eth0, eth1 and sit0. I'm not hard-wired, I simply want to connect thru wifi to my work network (at least for now).

zak - i have been using the MCC because it seems more user friendly. I know the ESSID and WEP KEY but I'm still unable to connect. See my second post for options i have selected.

purelith- mac address filtering is off. if i boot windows i can easily connect to the network. "key index of the accesspoint is not set to 1", you lost me here!