firmware loading fails at boot time
 

Hi,

as stated in my last 'big' post I'm having a very hard time trying to configure my Intel PRO/Wireless 2200BG wireless miniPCI card, here's the output when my system tries to load the firmware:


Jul 25 18:15:14 mobilebox kernel: ieee80211_crypt: registered algorithm 'NULL'
Jul 25 18:15:14 mobilebox kernel: ieee80211: 802.11 data/management/control stack, 1.0.3
Jul 25 18:15:14 mobilebox kernel: ieee80211: Copyright (C) 2004-2005 Intel Corporation <jketreno@linux.intel.com>
Jul 25 18:15:14 mobilebox kernel: ipw2200: Intel(R) PRO/Wireless 2200/2915 Network Driver, 1.0.6
Jul 25 18:15:14 mobilebox kernel: ipw2200: Copyright(c) 2003-2004 Intel Corporation
Jul 25 18:15:14 mobilebox kernel: ACPI: PCI Interrupt 0000:06:03.0[A] -> GSI 20 (level, low) -> IRQ 20
Jul 25 18:15:14 mobilebox kernel: ipw2200: Detected Intel PRO/Wireless 2200BG Network Connection
Jul 25 18:15:14 mobilebox kernel: ipw2200: ipw-2.3-boot.fw load failed: Reason -2
Jul 25 18:15:14 mobilebox kernel: ipw2200: Unable to load firmware: 0xFFFFFFFE
Jul 25 18:15:14 mobilebox kernel: ipw2200: failed to register network device
Jul 25 18:15:14 mobilebox kernel: ipw2200: probe of 0000:06:03.0 failed with error -5


as you can see and I stated in my big post, the software versions I'm using are:

IEEE 802.11 Stack, version 1.0.3 (latest) (ieee80211-1.0.3)
Intel PRO/Wireless 2200BG drivers, version 1.0.6 (ipw2200-1.0.6)
Intel PRO/Wireless firmware files (for IPW2200 versions 1.0.4 or later), version 2.3

I don't understand the error codes... I've tried from putting the module names in /etc/modules to edit the /etc/sysconfig/modules file and putting them there, but neither the first nor the second solution works, the fact is I don't even have to put the modules in any file, at boot time both the 802.11 stack and the Intel PRO/Wireless drivers are detected, but the firmware fails miserably to load itself...

how can I solve this?

Thanks in advance,

Julio

This may fix your problem http://ipw2200.sourceforge.net/#issues

Hi,

I've tried it but the same result, maybe this has something to do with the PCI database not identifying my devices correctly? when I execute the lspci command it list all the PCI devices as unknown devices, I'll post the lspci output in the next reply but... can I execute the update-pciids command in this partition (Ubuntu, I conserve it because it has internet connection) and copy the pci.ids to my LFS partition? but in case it's good to do this... where I must place the pci.ids file?

Julio

I've updated the PCI device database using the procedure I talked about before, and now the lspci command recognizes all my peripheral and devices, but the problem persist, it has been good for me as it has been a solution to one of my problems but I still need help on how to get my wireless card running...

any idea would be appreciated

Julio

STILL NOT WORKING (aaarghhhh)
 

Hi,

I've been checking my hotplug scripts and I find something that confuses me...

every script contained in the /etc/hotplug directory with the .agent extension can be
invoked to produce a certain action, but if I try to run the /etc/hotplug/firmware.agent it says me: Firmware '' event not supported

What does this mean? the firmware loading procedure isn't working??

Inside the firmware.agent script you can find some variables like $SYSFS (that's pointing to /sys) but there's a variable called $DEVPATH and I don't know where it's pointing to, as there's no declaration of it in the script, what I can see is lines like this:

echo 0 > $SYSFS\$DEVPATH\loading

And that's all?? what is supposed $DEVPATH to add to the path? I've seen my directory tree for /sys and there's some directories like firmware, modules, etc. but I'm still confused...

Please, someone help me with this... I've been trying to bring support for my wireless card but it seems like the firmware loading procedure is failing, and I don't know the cause... this is giving me a little *headache* so I would like to know wheter the cause is in the LFS installation, or maybe in the hotplug scripts... or whatever it's the cause... but I would like it to be solved...

just because without this solved I won't have any chance to connect my machine to the internet (my LAN adapter isn't working but that's a different story...)

Thanks in advance,

Julio

I don't believe it's the LFS install since I have it working fine on my laptop (although with 1.0.4 drivers instead of 1.0.6, I haven't messed with upgrading them yet).

Hi kjordan,

I've tried to use the 1.0.4 version but I get the same result, so I'm beginning to suspect there's no real problem in the drivers but the system configuration...

Could you tell me how do you have your firmware configured? I mean... your /etc/hotplug/firmware.agent, where do you have your firmware binaries placed and If you have performed any operation on the files?

I thought my problem could be due to directory/file permissions, but I've tried an alternate way of installing the files, that's 'installing' them instead of just copying it (when I perform the procedure I'm inside the directory containing the firmware files):

(as root)
install -v -m755 -d /lib/firmware
install -v -m644 * /lib/firmware

No luck with this procedure, my /etc/hotplug/firmware.agent file has its FIRMWARE_DIRS variable is pointing to /lib/firmware but no progress :(

Julio

more on the firmware files...
 

I've been keeping an eye on the files and permissions doesn't seem to be the problem, as I have compared the same firmware files from my Ubuntu partition and the file/directory permissions and file/directory ownership is exactly the same, so...

My thoughts on this are... well.. maybe the problem is with the hotplug scripts, but I've browsed them tens of times and I don't find anything particularly suspicius to be causing an error...

the only difference I've seen is, in the Ubuntu configuration, in the firmware.agent file, there's a load() macro defined (for simplicity sake, I suppose), and the fact that in the supposed-to-be firmware loading code, in the Ubuntu configuration, the line reads this:

cat "$1" > $SYSFS/$DEVPATH/data

obviously, the "$1" output is from the load() macro and it's just containing the $FIRMWARE_DIRS/$FIRMWARE string for locating firmware files

And, in my LFS system, the same line reads this:

cp $FIRMWARE_DIR/$FIRMWARE $SYSFS/$DEVPATH/data

In this case, as I only have one directory for storing firmware image files (in my case, /lib/firmware) I don't have a $FIRMWARE_DIRS variable but $FIRMWARE_DIR

So, basically, the difference between the two files is just in the way they copy the files to the $SYSFS/$DEVPATH/data... The 'Ubuntu method' is 'echoing' the files to the data directory while the 'LFS method' is copying the files to the data directory... two ways to do the same, but the Ubuntu method works while the LFS one not... maybe the error is not in the firmware.agent file but in another one I haven't been thinking about, but... as you can see, all of this is a bit... frustrating for me...

Can anyone lend me a helpful hand to get rid of this?
I would appreciate it very much

Julio

Hello,

I am also getting the same problem.

I upgraded my kernel from 2.6.4 to 2.6.12.3 which required me to get the newer version of ipw2200, now with ieee80211 (which wasn't required before) and the new firmware.

I get the same error.

If anyone finds a solution to this it would be much appreciated. I'm quite willing to post my .config file somewhere or any other configuration files necessary to solving this problem.

Cheers,
Tudor.

Oh, BTW, unlike Julio, I'm not running Ubuntu. I'm running Debian Unstable.

Cheers,
TUdor.

Hi tudorh,

Neither am I, I mean... In my Ubuntu partition everything works fine, the problem comes with my LFS partition, I can make use of my wired LAN adapter but not my wireless one, that's the problem...

but if you're having problems like me, maybe... it could be the kernel? seems strange, but who knows... I'll try new 2.6.12.4 kernel release and see if it works and if not... I'll have to continue messing with the configuration of my system...

Also thought on trying hotplug-ng instead of the regular scripts, but... I have to try...

Julio

Hey hey,

I've tried 2.6.12.4 and no luck there, I'm afraid.

I tried disabling a few things here and there that relate to hotplug as well.

If you have any better luck, let us know.

I might also try posting to the ipw2200 devel mailing list if I get time.

Cheers,
Tudor.

Hi tudorh,

bad news you bring with you... but it's ok... maybe we should try to receive an answer from the ipw2200 people but I've contacted James Ketrenos and he recommended me to uncomment all the #DEBUG=yes export DEBUG and I don't know where can I get the system log with all the debuf statements...

have you tried to replace the hotplug scripts with the hotplug-ng package?

Julio

I didn't want to replace hotplug scripts. IMHO packaged scripts are less likely to have bugs than than sf or kernel development code.

In any case, I've got it to work!

I just downgraded the ieee80211 code to version 1.0.2 and it worked! Upgrade to 1.0.3 and it fails. So the error must be in ieee80211 1.0.3.

Incidentally, I also tried ipw2200 1.0.4 and 1.0.5 but they both had 2.6.12 kernel-related bugs.

So my working combination now is:
kernel 2.6.12.4
ieee80211 1.0.2
ipw2200 1.0.6

Don't forget to do a make uninstall; remove-old; make clean on BOTH ieee80211 and ipw2200 before attempting to install this combination, or else you'll have artifacts from the previous installation hanging around. I think that's what stuffed me in the first place.

Let me know if this works for you and I'll put in an email to ipw2200-devel.

Cheers,
Tudor.

I had the same problem on my Toshiba Tecra S1 (Gentoo, 2.6.12-ck5-r1, ipw2200 1.0.6-r2, ipw2200-firmware 2.3, ieee80211 1.0.3-r1) - driver loaded ok, but iwconfig said: no device present. /var/log/messages said

At http://www.michael-prokop.at/blog/?p=404, I found that increasing the firmware timeout doing

helps.
Afterwards, I could use my wireless device without further problems.

</2cents>