installing linksys pci card on SuSE 9.1
 

thought i already posted this, but i cant find it anywhere.
anyway, trying to connect linux machine to a wireless network already connecting a couple windows comps.

bought linksys pci card (model no: WMP54G), but included drivers are only compatible with windows.

i checked out the linksys site, and i think i need to download the tulip.c driver for the card.

2 problems:
-i cant figure out how to use the DOS2UNIX program cuz i have to download the driver on a windows machine.
-dont know if SuSE 9.1 supports drivers, and if not, dont know how to recompile the kernel with the driver included.

please help, im really new to linux

ps: i cant post the site b/c im really new to the forum, but if u want to see it, i can send it to u or sumtin

thanks thanks

As you would find from a bit of reading on this forum, that card doesn't have native linux support. However either ndiswrapper or linuxant produce software that lets you use the Windows driver in Linux. Ndiswrapper is open source, so it is free. Linuxant is free for 30 days and then costs a modest fee. Ndiswrapper comes with a very good INSTALL file so if you choose that route, be sure to read it thoroghly. It is a pretty easy read. You shouldn't have to recompile your kernel and you probably won't need DOS2UNIX. You will have to download software so you will either need to burn it to a CD or copy it to a floppy. Linux can read FAT32 formatted floppy disks, so it shouldn't be much of a problem.

wow...thanks for all the info...only thing is that i dont see the card that i have listed on NdisWrapper's site. is it likely that it will still work? also, is NdisWrapper a program that allows linux to read windows drivers, linux drivers, or the actual driver?

That is because the ndiswrapper site is listing the chipset manufacturer, not the card manufacturer. Even if Linksys makes their own cards, they almost certainly buy the chips from somebody else, and the output of lspci should tell us who that someone else is. For example, I've got a Dell TrueMobile 1300. It certainly isn't made by Dell, and isn't on the ndiswrapper site, but lspci tells me that it has a Broadcom chipset and that IS on the ndiswrapper site.

Both ndiswrapper and linuxant fake the windows interface so that a Linux kernel can use a windows drivers. Yes, this is a hack but it is done because so many of the wireless chipset manufacturers, like Broadcom, refuse to either write a linux driver or release enough information about the chipset for someone else to write a Linux driver.

k, thanks a lot. one last question tho...this means i need to install the card first, read "lspci", and then download and install the correct driver...rite?
if so, how can i read the lspci
i feel really stupid, but this is my 2nd day with linux

That is mostly correct. You do have to have the card installed for lspci to see it (here is a hint if you type lspci > textfile.txt in the console, then linux will write the output of lspci to textfile.txt and you can open that up in your favorite text editor. It makes copying and pasting a LOT easier). By the way, you may have to be root to run lspci.

As far as downloading goes, no matter what chipset you have, you download the same ndiswrapper program. You do need the correct windows drivers however and you can either download those from the links on the ndiswrapper site or you can copy them from a CD if you have the CD that came with your wireless card

.Welcome to the deep end of the pool....And don't worry. I've been using Linux for a couple of years and still feel really stupid sometimes.