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UPDATED! FEB 9th 2004 - see configuration details

I've had the hardest time these past 4 days trying to get the right drivers and configuration for the Linksys WUSB11 v2.6 and since I finally got it working I want to write a little tutorial here for n00bs like myself.



a more concise answer than mine is here http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...threadid=36762

The chipset is Amtel 505 RMFD.
There are three drivers that I tried which supposedly support the said chipset.

at76c503a http://download.berlios.de/at76c503a...03-0.11.tar.gz
tutorial at76c503a http://at76c503a.berlios.de/
atmel http://atmelwlandriver.sourceforge.net/news.html
linux-wlan http://www.linux-wlan.com/linux-wlan/index.html

If you are using Redhat I strongly suggest not using the linux-wlan driver, as I killed either X or gnome (such that I could not boot into the GUI) on two different linux PCs after ignoring a message about possible problems with the Redhat kernel and still couldn't get the darn thing to work.
It is actually the working driver which causes this problem, but only before loading gnome. If gnome is already running when I load the driver and connect, then it ceases to be a problem.

If you have usb-uhci.o (driver for via chipset usb 2.0 - i.e. asus A7V8X and AOpen AX4PER) strongly recommend that you not use the atmel driver as you will get a message about a kernel panic. I was able to overcome this problem by using a 4-port usb 1.1 hub, and although the module for the WUSB11 worked such that I could see the device after running iwconfig, I never did get dhcp to work with my Belkin router or the Linksys Access Point at school.

The stable verion of the at76c503a I was able to install and get online with. Don't plug the WUSB11 in until after installation.

Here's what I did for the driver:
downloaded the at76c503a http://at76c503a.berlios.de/
put it on my pen-drive
installed RedHat 9 on my PC
(I suggest a workstation, server, or custom install. Otherwise you may not have all of the right packages to compile drivers - gcc errors)
booted in mode 3 (terminal only, no gui) and logged in as root
mkdir /mnt/pen
mount -t vfat /dev/sda1 /mnt/pen
mkdir /drivers
cd drivers
cp /mnt/pen/linux/at76c503-0.11.tar.gz /drivers
tar xzvf at76c503-0.11.tar.gz
cd at76c503-0.11
emacs at76c503-rfmd.c
(changed #include "fw-rfmd-1.101.0-84.h" to #include "fw-rfmd-0.90.2-140.h" - necessary for this particular adapter)
make
(some stuff i don't know what it means is displayed)
make install
(more stuff that I don't have any idea about)

To configure wlan0:
this is the part I left out previosly
emacs (or vi) /etc/sysconfig/network-scripts/ifcfg-wlan0
(add the following lines)
DEVICE=wlan0
TYPE=Wireless
MODE=Managed
ESSID=network
CHANNEL=#
RATE=auto
BOOTPROTO=dhcp
ONBOOT=no
(save and close)
(I haven't had any luck getting this script to auto config the
device at boot, but it is needed in order to dhclient it)

(if you already had the WUSB11 plugged in, it may be best to unplug it and reboot)
(insert WUSB11 at this point and wait a few moments)
iwconfig
(results should display wlan0 - the WUSB11)
iwconfig wlan0 mode managed
(as opposed to ad-hoc (p2p))
iwconfig wlan0 essid name_of_network
(likely to be linksys if using a linksys router)
iwconfig wlan0 channel #
(default is usually channel 6)
iwconfig wlan0 key XXXX-XXXX-XX
(not necessary unless you are using encryption)

To connect to the router or AP:
dhclient
ifconfig
(if you see an ip address, you're all set)
lynx www.havenite.com
(or any site, just to test your connection
although you may not have lynx installed.
type q or quit to quit)

You probably want this configuration to be done automagically at boot instead of by yourself everytime you boot. However, I don't know how to do that yet.
Something about /etc/sysconfig/network-scripts/ifcfg-wlan0
I'll update ASAIK (as soon as I know)

I used a script, called configiw.sh that configures the device when I sh it from an xterm in gnome (su root).

$ su
$ xxxxxxx
# sh /home/user/configiw.sh
<configiw.sh runs these commands>
/sbin/iwconfig wlan0 mode managed
/sbin/iwconfig wlan0 essid name_of_network
/sbin/iwconfig wlan0 channel #
/sbin/iwconfig wlan0 key XXXX-XXXX-XX
/sbin/dhclient
/sbin/ifconfig
<end configiw.sh>
# exit
$

I hope I didn't skip anything.


Thanx for playing!
If this hint helped get you to the next level, drop a few coins in the bucket (affero me).

AMD Athlon XP 2600+
ASUS A7V8X
NVidia Personal Cinema GeForce 4 Mx with AGP8x

Intel P4 1.8GHz
AOpen AX4PER
NVidia GeForce 4 Mx

I would like to add to this post by mentioning a great wifi configuration tool for KDE. Kwifimanager is a neat little GUI that can sit in your taskbar and display wifi signal strength. Additionally you can configure your wifi settings from its gui, which makes it great for beginners. (Download at: http://www.kwifimanager.sourceforge.net/)