[SOLVED] broadom 4311 and broadom sta driver not working

mryuck · 02-21-2010, 05:32 PM

For ndiswrapper you will need to extract the files on a windows computer unless someone knows a better way.
Disabling security. I meant on your router. NO wep or wpa until you can get on the internet wireless. Then work on wpa/wep.
Have you tried iwconfig to set your essid again?
If you still have the firmware installed you could try removing the wl module.
Then do iwconfig to set your essid.
With the huge kernel the b43 drivers should already be loaded.
However I would still switch to generic kernel.

R Tanner · 02-21-2010, 06:21 PM

okay yeah i think thats a good idea to disable the security on the router...hopefully that will fix it temporarily

i do want to boot the generic kernel though...thats what i like about linux is that everything isn't preloaded in the kernel (or so i thought)

where should this file be at? I'm reading the readme and i've gotta install it but i can't seem to find it (hopefully just cause I'm looking in the wrong place)

Code:

root@darkstar:~# installpkg kernel-generic-2.6.29.5-i686-1.tgz
cannot install kernel-generic-2.6.29.5-i686-1.tgz: file not found
root@darkstar:~#

R Tanner · 02-21-2010, 06:24 PM

below is the contents of my boot folder -which is where it seems like the kernel-generic file should be...

Code:

root@darkstar:/boot# ls
README.initrd@                       System.map-huge-smp-2.6.29.6-smp  config-generic-smp-2.6.29.6-smp  slack.bmp                         vmlinuz-huge-smp-2.6.29.6-smp
System.map@                          boot.0800                         config-huge-2.6.29.6             vmlinuz@
System.map-generic-2.6.29.6          boot_message.txt                  config-huge-smp-2.6.29.6-smp     vmlinuz-generic-2.6.29.6
System.map-generic-smp-2.6.29.6-smp  config@                           diag1.img                        vmlinuz-generic-smp-2.6.29.6-smp
System.map-huge-2.6.29.6             config-generic-2.6.29.6           map                              vmlinuz-huge-2.6.29.6

mryuck · 02-21-2010, 06:47 PM

In /boot do

Code:

ln -s vmlinuz-generic-smp-2.6.29.6-smp vmlinuz

Do this for System.map and config to make the symbolic links point to the generic files.
Then you will need to make an initrd.
The command for this depends on your filesystem. (ext3 reiser etc).
then add a line to /etc/lilo.conf

Code:

initrd= /boot/initrd.gz

under the

Code:

image = /boot/vmlinuz

.
after this don`t forget to

Code:

lilo

or you will not be able to boot without your cd.

koenigdavidmj · 02-21-2010, 09:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mryuck

go to /boot directory

Code:

ls -l

check to see what the vmlinuz symbolic link is to.
Chances are your using the huge kernel with just about everything compiled into it. You will not be able to remove or blacklist anything.
The b43 drivers will be in the kernel. You need to switch to the generic kernel
make an initrd
then use broadcom-sta driver

Actually, 'huge' is not as huge as you think. The only real differences between huge and generic are that huge has non-standard disk drives (RAID and such), as well as filesystem drivers. The huge kernel still uses modules for nearly everything.

mryuck · 02-21-2010, 11:23 PM

I was under the impression that the huge kernel had almost every kernel driver built-in and the generic kernel had almost everything compiled as a module. I`ve always used the generic kernels because I know whats loaded, it makes me feel more in control of my system.
Starting with generic here seemed worth a shot. I actually thought he got this working in his old thread with the b43 firmware/cutter.

koenigdavidmj · 02-21-2010, 11:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mryuck

I was under the impression that the huge kernel had almost every kernel driver built-in and the generic kernel had almost everything compiled as a module. I`ve always used the generic kernels because I know whats loaded, it makes me feel more in control of my system.
Starting with generic here seemed worth a shot. I actually thought he got this working in his old thread with the b43 firmware/cutter.

I use -generic as well, but the output of 'diff <(sort < config-generic-2.6.29.6) <(sort < config-huge-2.6.29.6)' is only 406 lines. Reading the output confirms that most things are installed modularly even for the -huge kernel.

R Tanner · 02-22-2010, 09:03 AM

To make initrd I need the kernel-generic files which I don't seem to have (whereis mkinitrd <version>.tgz returns nothing) ...any idea where I can download them?

Would this site work or do I need a specific mkinitrd file?

http://www.softlookup.com/download.asp?ID=39401

Thanks so much for everyone's help. Figuring out this wireless thing on linux is pretty freakin brutal (or so it seems) but I'm loving the challenge!

R Tanner · 02-22-2010, 10:55 AM

so looking at my kernel choices on the boot cd i used this is what i have...

hugesmp.s
speakup.s
huge.s

doesn't look like i have the generic option

i'm going to burn a new disc with the generic and reinstall and try from the beginning...what would give me my best chances of getting this to work? the broadcom sta driver, or b43? correct me if i'm wrong here, but i only need to use b43-fwcutter if i'm using b43, right? (that sounds like a retarded question even saying it, but just wanted to check)

R Tanner · 02-22-2010, 11:04 AM

this is what i downloaded and burnt to disc...do i need to download something different to use the generic kernel?

http://www.slackware.com/getslack/torrents.php

R Tanner · 02-22-2010, 11:22 AM

hey does anyone know if this is a serious problem? I get it when i'm reinstalling and setup is installing packages

Code:

There was a fatal error attempting to install /var/log/mount/slackware/kde/kdeedu-4.2.4-i486-1.txz.  the package may be corrupt, the installation media may be bad, or something else has caused the package to be unable to read without error.  You may hit enter to continue if you wish, but if this is an important required package then your installation may not work as-is.

R Tanner · 02-22-2010, 12:04 PM

so i did a fresh install and this is where I'm at - haven't made any changes, installed any packages, or otherwise done anything but poke around with what you see below...it looks like you are right - b43 is already preloaded...meaning i shouldn't need to download b43-fwcutter either right?

my question would be what i need to modify so when i run iwlist wlan0 scan i actually see the wifi networks. that would be a great start.

if I can get to the point where i can actually see the networks i'm minutes away from figuring out how to connect to them (or so i would like to hope

)

Code:

root@darkstar:~# iwconfig
lo        no wireless extensions.

eth0      no wireless extensions.

wmaster0  no wireless extensions.

wlan0     IEEE 802.11bg  ESSID:""  
          Mode:Managed  Frequency:2.412 GHz  Access Point: Not-Associated   
          Tx-Power=0 dBm                                                    
          Retry min limit:7   RTS thr:off   Fragment thr=2352 B             
          Encryption key:off                                                
          Power Management:off                                              
          Link Quality:0  Signal level:0  Noise level:0                     
          Rx invalid nwid:0  Rx invalid crypt:0  Rx invalid frag:0          
          Tx excessive retries:0  Invalid misc:0   Missed beacon:0          

root@darkstar:~# ifconfig 
lo        Link encap:Local Loopback  
          inet addr:127.0.0.1  Mask:255.0.0.0
          inet6 addr: ::1/128 Scope:Host     
          UP LOOPBACK RUNNING  MTU:16436  Metric:1
          RX packets:24 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
          TX packets:24 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0
          collisions:0 txqueuelen:0                            
          RX bytes:1240 (1.2 KiB)  TX bytes:1240 (1.2 KiB)     

root@darkstar:~# ifconfig -a
eth0      Link encap:Ethernet  HWaddr 00:1b:24:4e:5c:11  
          BROADCAST MULTICAST  MTU:1500  Metric:1        
          RX packets:0 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
          TX packets:0 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0
          collisions:0 txqueuelen:1000                        
          RX bytes:0 (0.0 B)  TX bytes:4072 (3.9 KiB)         
          Interrupt:20 Base address:0xc000                    

lo        Link encap:Local Loopback  
          inet addr:127.0.0.1  Mask:255.0.0.0
          inet6 addr: ::1/128 Scope:Host
          UP LOOPBACK RUNNING  MTU:16436  Metric:1
          RX packets:24 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
          TX packets:24 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0
          collisions:0 txqueuelen:0
          RX bytes:1240 (1.2 KiB)  TX bytes:1240 (1.2 KiB)

wlan0     Link encap:Ethernet  HWaddr 00:1a:73:bc:14:37
          BROADCAST MULTICAST  MTU:1500  Metric:1
          RX packets:0 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
          TX packets:0 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0
          collisions:0 txqueuelen:1000
          RX bytes:0 (0.0 B)  TX bytes:0 (0.0 B)

wmaster0  Link encap:UNSPEC  HWaddr 00-1A-73-BC-14-37-6C-6F-00-00-00-00-00-00-00-00
          BROADCAST MULTICAST  MTU:1500  Metric:1
          RX packets:0 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
          TX packets:0 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0
          collisions:0 txqueuelen:1000
          RX bytes:0 (0.0 B)  TX bytes:0 (0.0 B)

root@darkstar:~# iwlist wlan0 scan
wlan0     Interface doesn't support scanning : Network is down

root@darkstar:~# lsmod | grep "b43\|ssb"
b43                   127576  0
rfkill                  9296  1 b43
mac80211              155588  1 b43
cfg80211               36468  2 b43,mac80211
input_polldev           3108  1 b43
ssb                    38848  1 b43
pcmcia                 33772  2 b43,ssb
led_class               3392  2 b43,sdhci
pcmcia_core            32016  3 b43,ssb,pcmcia
root@darkstar:~#

the_penguinator · 02-22-2010, 01:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by R Tanner

so i did a fresh install and this is where I'm at - haven't made any changes, installed any packages, or otherwise done anything but poke around with what you see below...it looks like you are right - b43 is already preloaded...meaning i shouldn't need to download b43-fwcutter either right?

my question would be what i need to modify so when i run iwlist wlan0 scan i actually see the wifi networks. that would be a great start.

if I can get to the point where i can actually see the networks i'm minutes away from figuring out how to connect to them (or so i would like to hope

)

Code:

root@darkstar:~# iwconfig
lo        no wireless extensions.

eth0      no wireless extensions.

wmaster0  no wireless extensions.

wlan0     IEEE 802.11bg  ESSID:""  
          Mode:Managed  Frequency:2.412 GHz  Access Point: Not-Associated   
          Tx-Power=0 dBm                                                    
          Retry min limit:7   RTS thr:off   Fragment thr=2352 B             
          Encryption key:off                                                
          Power Management:off                                              
          Link Quality:0  Signal level:0  Noise level:0                     
          Rx invalid nwid:0  Rx invalid crypt:0  Rx invalid frag:0          
          Tx excessive retries:0  Invalid misc:0   Missed beacon:0          

root@darkstar:~# ifconfig 
lo        Link encap:Local Loopback  
          inet addr:127.0.0.1  Mask:255.0.0.0
          inet6 addr: ::1/128 Scope:Host     
          UP LOOPBACK RUNNING  MTU:16436  Metric:1
          RX packets:24 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
          TX packets:24 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0
          collisions:0 txqueuelen:0                            
          RX bytes:1240 (1.2 KiB)  TX bytes:1240 (1.2 KiB)     

root@darkstar:~# ifconfig -a
eth0      Link encap:Ethernet  HWaddr 00:1b:24:4e:5c:11  
          BROADCAST MULTICAST  MTU:1500  Metric:1        
          RX packets:0 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
          TX packets:0 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0
          collisions:0 txqueuelen:1000                        
          RX bytes:0 (0.0 B)  TX bytes:4072 (3.9 KiB)         
          Interrupt:20 Base address:0xc000                    

lo        Link encap:Local Loopback  
          inet addr:127.0.0.1  Mask:255.0.0.0
          inet6 addr: ::1/128 Scope:Host
          UP LOOPBACK RUNNING  MTU:16436  Metric:1
          RX packets:24 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
          TX packets:24 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0
          collisions:0 txqueuelen:0
          RX bytes:1240 (1.2 KiB)  TX bytes:1240 (1.2 KiB)

wlan0     Link encap:Ethernet  HWaddr 00:1a:73:bc:14:37
          BROADCAST MULTICAST  MTU:1500  Metric:1
          RX packets:0 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
          TX packets:0 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0
          collisions:0 txqueuelen:1000
          RX bytes:0 (0.0 B)  TX bytes:0 (0.0 B)

wmaster0  Link encap:UNSPEC  HWaddr 00-1A-73-BC-14-37-6C-6F-00-00-00-00-00-00-00-00
          BROADCAST MULTICAST  MTU:1500  Metric:1
          RX packets:0 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
          TX packets:0 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0
          collisions:0 txqueuelen:1000
          RX bytes:0 (0.0 B)  TX bytes:0 (0.0 B)

root@darkstar:~# iwlist wlan0 scan
wlan0     Interface doesn't support scanning : Network is down

root@darkstar:~# lsmod | grep "b43\|ssb"
b43                   127576  0
rfkill                  9296  1 b43
mac80211              155588  1 b43
cfg80211               36468  2 b43,mac80211
input_polldev           3108  1 b43
ssb                    38848  1 b43
pcmcia                 33772  2 b43,ssb
led_class               3392  2 b43,sdhci
pcmcia_core            32016  3 b43,ssb,pcmcia
root@darkstar:~#

Okay looks good, you have the correct *modules* loaded...and you get points for persisting...for this is the way of Slack...but you still need to install the *firmware* for your card before you can go any further...go here...

http://linuxwireless.org/en/users/Drivers/b43

follow the instructions _exactly_ listed there for getting b43-fwcutter-012 and broadcom-wl-4.150.10.5.tar.bz2 installed...when you have that done report back for further assistance...you will be only a few simple steps away from slack wifi nirvana

onebuck · 02-22-2010, 01:13 PM

Hi,

Quote:

Originally Posted by R Tanner

so looking at my kernel choices on the boot cd i used this is what i have...

hugesmp.s
speakup.s
huge.s

doesn't look like i have the generic option

i'm going to burn a new disc with the generic and reinstall and try from the beginning...what would give me my best chances of getting this to work? the broadcom sta driver, or b43? correct me if i'm wrong here, but i only need to use b43-fwcutter if i'm using b43, right? (that sounds like a retarded question even saying it, but just wanted to check)

If you do a full install without exempting kernel options then the 'generic' kernel will be installed.

Quote:

post #18 you showed;

vmlinuz-generic-2.6.29.6
vmlinuz-generic-smp-2.6.29.6-smp

The listing of your '/boot' showed that you indeed had the generic kernels available.

'The Broadcom Firmware (tar.gz)' should be the same as the 'b43-fwcutter'.

I've used both the open and closed drivers to get a 'Broadcom 4312' working.

Don't forget to create a 'initrd'. Read the '/boot/README.initrd' to get some good helpful information.

PTrenholme · 02-22-2010, 02:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by R Tanner

...
I was trying to work with the ndiswrapper but its saying I need to download the windows driver for my wireless card and extract it but its an exe file which is unextractable. lol

That's correct: The exe file is, in fact, a ZIP file with a unzip pre-installed to automatically unpack it. You can usually just run unzip on the exe file to get its contents. Then you need to use the inf file as input to b43_fwcutter. Alternatively, you could go to the site listed in your dmesg output and get the input file from there.