I have installed Debian and have kernel 2.6.20 running. I am trying to get a USB wireless card (Airlink101 -- AWLL3026) to work with my network. I am trying to install a new version of wireless-tools (wireless-tools_28-1_i386.deb) and when I run "dpkg -i /usr/src/hold/wireless-tools_28-1_i386.deb" it tells me that it depends on "libc6 (>= 2.3.5-1); however: Version of libc6 on system is 2.3.2.ds1-22sarge4" and "wireless-tools depends on libiw28 (>= 28); however: Package libiw28 is not installed". So I downloaded "libc6-xen_2.3.6.ds1-11_i386.deb" but it will not install because is says that version 2.3.2.ds1-22sarge4 is running or something like that. My question is how can I upgrade libc6 to the newer version ? I don't have internet access from the pc (that's why I'm trying to get the wireless card to work). I have been downloading files from a windows pc and burning them to a R/W CD and putting then on the linux box. I also would like to know how to use the "zd1211-firmware" (the driver for my USB nic). I have downloaded it and put it on the linux box in a dir I created "/usr/src/hold" and untarred it but now don't know where or how to use it. I'm fairly new to linux and am learning alot. I just compiled this new 2.6.20 kernel and got it to work, so I am making progress. Thanks for any help you can provide me.

Hey,

You've got Debian 3.1 - sarge right?

The trouble with what your trying to do it that the wireless-tools packages depends on libc6 and libc6 depends on something else and that something else depends on something else and etc etc.

So what you have to do is search for the package name on the net and you should get the debian project page for that package and it will tell all the other packages it depends on. So for wireless-tools you get this page:

http://packages.debian.org/unstable/net/wireless-tools

As you can see the wireless-tools package 28.1 is in the unstable version of debian, so if you have to use that you have to change your version of debian from stable 3.1 (sarge) to unstable. I'd advise against because its pretty impossible to start trying to change from stable to testing to unstable without the debian apt tool to do all the work for all.

Is essential to have wireless-tools 28.1 for your wireless card?

Chris.

had another idea - just found this page http://zd1211.ath.cx/ which you must have been to before. It says that there are multiple version of the device which means there are different revisions of the same device, so depending on what revision you have your device has a completely different chip inside doing all the work.

So try and find out exactly what revision you device is and what chip is inside it to make sure the zd1211 driver will work for it.

It seems a version of the driver you probably need is inside the 2.6.20 - you knew that right. From looking at the readme in the DEBIAN firmware package from here: http://packages.qa.debian.org/z/zd1211-firmware.html

You have to ungzip and untar the folder and move the contents of it to /lib/firmware/zd1211 from there the driver should pick it up if the kernel driver is correct and loaded. Try that and then try as root in the terminal:

iwconfig

You should get a list of wireless network interfaces. If you don't the driver might not be loaded in the kernel, so do:

lsmod

and look through the list if it isn't there try as root:

modprobe <driver name>

I'm not sure what the compiled driver is called - do you know?

Chris.

Having Sarge installed on a cutting edge system is like wearing a corset. Upgrade to Etch. (The easiest way would be to back up your data and do a fresh install.) Once you have Etch running, you can confidently upgrade to libraries from Sid.

Thanks Chris for your suggestions, I have moved the files from the zd1211 untar to the suggested directory (/lib/firmware/zd1211) and rebooted but it still does not seem to load any kind of driver for the USB nic. Am I supposed to compile it ? It just seems to be several files (in Windows/DOS you can tell executables because of the extension (exe, com), but in Linux I don't know how to tell if a file is executable or not. All that shows is a loopback (lo) nework device. I'm thinking about trying the unstable version of Debian to see if it will detect my USB NIC without all this hassel. But I am learing about Linux as I continue trying to solve issues. Again, thanks for your suggestions and taking the time to try to help me.

Allen

Hey,

To find out if a file is executable in linux the easiest way i know of is to do,

ls -al /path/to/file

It'll give you the permissions, look at the man page for chmod to find out what they mean - it'll explain better than me :-)

The binary firmware is a program that is loaded onto the wifi card, it then runs on the wifi cards little cpu. You don't have to compile it or anything, the linux kernel driver interfaces with the firmware.

Good Luck!!

Chris.

I have follow the instructions in the forum but I'va got this from dmesg:
ZD1211B - version 2.16.0.0
usbcore: registered new driver zd1211b
usb 1-2: USB disconnect, address 7
usb 1-1: new full speed USB device using uhci_hcd and address 8
usb 1-1: configuration #1 chosen from 1 choice
vendor_id = 0ace
product_id = 1211
USB 1.1 Host
Release Ver = 4330
zd1211:bulk out: wMaxPacketSize = 40
zd1211:bulk in: wMaxPacketSize = 40
zd1211:interrupt in: wMaxPacketSize = 40
zd1211:interrupt in: int_interval = 1
zd1211:bulk out: wMaxPacketSize = 40
EEPORM Ver = 4330
zd1211:uImgLength = 1400
zd1211:translen = 1000
zd1211:uCodeOfst = ee00
zd1211:result = 1000
zd1211:translen = 400
zd1211:uCodeOfst = f600
zd1211:result = 400
Finsih download Firmware. Ready to reboot
zd1211:FIRMWARE_CONFIRM = 1
zd1211:USB Download Boot code success
zd1211: failed intr_urb
zd1211:USB ST Code = -22
Calling zd1211_InitSetup fails
zd1211: probe of 1-1:1.0 failed with error -5

The device is a EDIMAX 7317UHg. Any idea of what can I do?