LinuxQuestions.org - Loading firmware on boot ?

Hi all,

I'm not quite sure if this thread belongs here or in Networking/Wireless. But I'm having the following issue : I'm running Mandrake 10.1 on a Dell Latitude D600, and I'm trying to get the ipw2100 module loaded on boot. (for those not familiar with the ipw2100 module, it relies on non GPL Firmware that needs to be loaded disjointly ... normally the kernel module does that quite correctly) I suspect this is rather a problem related to the boot process and module loading rather than the module itself ... that's why I'm posting it here, and not in Networking/Wireless.

*YES* I do have the firmware installed in /lib/hotplug/firmware/. As a matter of fact, the ipw2100 module works like a charm. *BUT* it only works when I manually 'modprobe' it. During the boot process (and only then) I'm getting this

ipw2100: Intel(R) PRO/Wireless 2100 Network Driver, 0.54
ipw2100: Copyright(c) 2003-2004 Intel Corporation
ipw2100: 0000:02:03.0: Detected at mem: 0xFAFEF000-0xFAFEFFFF -> e0d37000, irq: 7
wlan0: Using hotplug firmware load.
wlan0: Firmware 'ipw2100-1.2.fw' not available or load failed.
wlan0: ipw2100_get_firmware failed: -2
wlan0: Failed to power on the adapter.
wlan0: Failed to start the firmware.

Can anyone give me a hint on why the firmware seems to be absent during the boot process, while the module+firmware correctly load once the bootprocess completed ? I really don't appreciate to manually modprobe the module at every first WiFi connection and I'd really like to have the module loaded on boot *or* find another means to load it dynamically (binding it to the RF switch button ??? But how ?)

Thanks in advance for any help,

Bart