LinuxQuestions.org - [SOLVED] No wifi in kernel 3.18.0-rc4

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No wifi in kernel 3.18.0-rc4 - /proc files

I had to do a kernel 'git bisect' and have tried to build a current kernel. It fails to deliver wifi, and complains of /proc/net/wireless file being missing.

Where the <expletive deleted> do I set that? I'm running slackware-current dated 09/14. The wifi is a B43 using the standard kernel driver. It is a usb chip somehow linked to the pci bus via SSB, and that is appearing on the lspci output, which is a fair sign of kernel recognition.

Quote:

Seems like when I had a laptop that used the b43 module I had to take it through a process to get it to work. As I recall I found it on SBO / Slackbuilds.org.

I just lsmod | grep b43 to see if the kernel sees it and has loaded the module, otherwise I could find references to it in messages when it was detected during boot.

Will get to that box and double check module loading. It looks good - showing in lspci. I will check firmware too. That thing is offline due to the wifi issue.

Slackbuilds b43-firmware and b43-fwcutter were the packages, maintained by none other than r.workman (who is likely lurking about giggling at our ineptitude...)

This is the homepage for the project

Thanks for the replies, guys. This is not a newbie question.

This box has run b43 for years and ran it on this install. This is a kernel issue. That's all that changed. The details:
lsmod |grep b43 shows

b43
bcma
ssb

According to logs, it's loading firmware version 666.2.

ifconfig wlan0 up does just that. (No bytes ever sent/received, etc).
iwconfig shows wlan0 as having no wireless extensions, and shows sit0 that I know nothing about.

cat /proc/net/wireless shows "No such file or directory"

The logs show it finds the Broadcom 4311 WLAN, the PHY, and the Radio and loads the b43xx driver [ Features: PL ]. But nothing works. All the wireless utilities give me the middle finger :-(.

On a reboot, it throws these errors
Error for wireless request "Set Mode" <blah>
Error for wireless request "Set Frequency" <blah>

set failed on wlan0: invalid argument
followed by a string of ioctl errors as it tailspins.

I'm thinking either

Some files have been moved to sys and my software wants them in /proc and I have to rebuild with some "keep those old files in /proc" setting
The b43 modules or part of it is incorrigibly knackered by all this git bisecting that has gone on.

/proc/net/wireless is a copy of /proc/net/dev according to /usr/include/linux/wireless.h. I got the info from here http://www.hpl.hp.com/personal/Jean_...xtensions.html.

This is the output from the laptop I was referencing above with the wlan0 up

Code:

ash-4.3$ cat /proc/net/wireless

Inter-| sta-|  Quality        |  Discarded packets              | Missed | WE

 face | tus | link level noise |  nwid  crypt  frag  retry  misc | beacon | 22

 wlan0: 0000  70.  -39.  -256        0      0      0      7    22        0



bash-4.3$ sudo lsmod | egrep 'bcma|b43|ssb'

b43                  365616  0 

bcma                  32438  1 b43

mac80211              471627  1 b43

cfg80211              412363  2 b43,mac80211

ssb_hcd                2477  0 

ssb                    52264  3 b43,b44,ssb_hcd

pcmcia                34796  2 b43,ssb

mmc_core              90004  4 b43,ssb,sdhci,sdhci_pci

bash-4.3$ sudo lsmod | grep b43

b43                  365616  0 

bcma                  32438  1 b43

mac80211              471627  1 b43

cfg80211              412363  2 b43,mac80211

ssb                    52264  3 b43,b44,ssb_hcd

pcmcia                34796  2 b43,ssb

mmc_core              90004  4 b43,ssb,sdhci,sdhci_pci



ash-4.3$ sudo dmesg| grep b43

[    8.881286] b43-phy0: Broadcom 4311 WLAN found (core revision 10)

[    8.897052] b43-phy0: Found PHY: Analog 4, Type 2 (G), Revision 8

[  44.350072] b43-phy0: Loading firmware version 666.2 (2011-02-23 01:15:07)



bash-4.3$ cat /sys/module/b43/parameters/            

allhwsupport        hwpctl              qos

bad_frames_preempt  hwtkip              verbose

btcoex              nohwcrypt          

fwpostfix          pio                

bash-4.3$ cat /sys/module/b43/parameters/allhwsupport 

0

bash-4.3$ cat /sys/module/b43/parameters/bad_frames_preempt 

0

bash-4.3$ cat /sys/module/b43/parameters/btcoex            

1

bash-4.3$ cat /sys/module/b43/parameters/fwpostfix 

bash-4.3$ cat /sys/module/b43/parameters/hw        

hwpctl  hwtkip  

bash-4.3$ cat /sys/module/b43/parameters/hwpctl 

0

bash-4.3$ cat /sys/module/b43/parameters/hwtkip 

0

bash-4.3$ cat /sys/module/b43/parameters/nohwcrypt 

0

bash-4.3$ cat /sys/module/b43/parameters/pio      

0

bash-4.3$ cat /sys/module/b43/parameters/qos 

1

bash-4.3$ cat /sys/module/b43/parameters/verbose 

2

bash-4.3$ cat /sys/module/b43/                  

coresize    holders/    initstate  parameters/ sections/  uevent

drivers/    initsize    notes/      refcnt      taint      

bash-4.3$ cat /sys/module/b43/initstate 

live

I hope that helps, if you need any other configuration data off a working example, let me know.

Code:

bash-4.3$ sudo lsmod | egrep 'bcma|b43|ssb'

Thanks, that one proved to be interesting. I have no mac80211, no b44, no sdhi, no sdhi_pci, and no ssb_hcd.

AFAIK, I do not need b44, sdhi*, or ssb_hcd. But I do need mac80211. Here we go building again.

Right -sending this from the offending box. We are sorted. It's singing on wifi, so I presume all the files are correct enough.

In the config, mac80211=y is not good enough, apparently. It's now a module. I also added FUSE_FS=m as well, and that sorted it out.

The git bisect did mess around whether something was set to module, or in the case of fuse, at all. I never had a good .config for this box before on such a late kernel, so that's good. (Hmmm, better check sound and the other stuff before I crow).

Thank you all for suggestions & help.

I've seen you do the same for others. It was my pleasure, and of course, Kudos on the save.

Thanks. I ran off and checked other stuff - sound notably and sound id good, as far as that goes (not very far).

The powersaving seems ok also, so the only untested item is bluetooth, and I really don't care. Bluetooth was always dependent on the sun not being behind a cloud (Rare in Ireland), balancing forces from the correct coordination of planets & galaxies, and a complete lack of disturbance in the Space/Time continuum. :-P.